Texas women’s basketball hosts Ohio, Stanford

By Riley Zayas

“Our team was ready to play.”

For Texas women’s basketball’s head coach Karen Aston, that was the main reason why the Longhorns were able to journey to Knoxville and take down No. 17 Tennessee two weeks ago, earning their first marquee win of the season, and reversing their disappointing start. Aston said she felt the Longhorns’ performance versus the Lady Vols was a long time coming, but an increased level of [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]focus and preparation, something the team has been working towards since their season-opening loss to USF.

“To prepare our minds and really get us focused on preparation at a high level is really important, but again this team is just trying to grow,” Aston said. “The key to me though is that they understand that their preparation was really good (against Tennessee) and that if you can start to string along consistent practices, you start to figure out how to be a consistent basketball team.”

Consistency will be crucial this week, as the 5-4 Longhorns welcome two tough opponents to the Erwin Center. Ohio visits Wednesday night, and then No. 1 Stanford comes to Austin Sunday for one of women’s basketball’s biggest non-conference games of the season.

While going 2-0 this week will be a challenge, it is definitely one that is within reach for the Horns.

It’s easy to overlook Ohio, especially with Stanford coming to town days later, but that’s something the Horns can not do Wednesday. The Bobcats are 6-3, with the losses coming against Syracuse, Butler and TCU, all teams in major conferences. Those three have been balanced out by marquee victories over Pittsburgh and Ohio State among others.

The point is, the Bobcats have proven more than once the are not scared at all by the teams from major conferences. Perhaps it is due to the veteran leadership of their core three: junior forward Gabby Burris, junior guard Cece Hooks and senior guard Amani Burke, the most consistent shooters on the team and three players who also have started every game this season. Burris has shot 51 percent from the field, while Hooks and Burke each have shot about 34 percent from behind the three-point arc.

These three can beat defenders from three-point range, off the dribble or in the paint. However, the Bobcats do have one weakness: their zone defense. When Ohio State fell to Ohio last month, the Buckeyes were able to break down Ohio’s zone constantly with quick passing and finding the open shot. The Longhorns have done both of those things in previous games, so applying them against this Ohio defense shouldn’t be a problem — not with the quickness and agility of Texas’ guards.

“I think Ohio is going to be a really big test for us,” Aston said. “Really looking on the games they played last year and the games they’ve played this year, they should’ve been an NCAA tournament team last year. They execute really well and will present a lot of problems for us because they stretch the floor so well.”

While Ohio could present a challenge, it looks to be a mere warmup prior to a battle with undefeated Stanford. The Cardinal is undefeated for good reason, having beaten several ranked opponents all ready this year. Stanford is ranked second in the nation according to the NCAA’s rating percentage index (RPI), a stat that ranks teams based on wins, losses and strength of schedule.

To kick off the season, the Cardinal took on the women’s national team in an exhibition, falling by just 15. Gonzaga proved to be Stanford’s next big game, as it went into overtime and they pulled out the 76-70 victory in overtime, before running through then-No. 18 Syracuse, and then-No. 10 Mississippi State, and the Cardinal takes on No. 23 Tennessee Wednesday before heading to Texas Sunday.

Despite all this tough competition, not many ballgames have seemed to challenge head coach Tara VanDerveer’s squad, at least, not yet. Cardinal freshman Haley Jones scored 15 points, brought down seven rebounds, dished out six assists during their recent win against Ohio State, and plays with a level of intensity hard to surpass.Twin guards Lexie and Lacie Hull also have contributed in great ways to this team’s early season success. Each has seen quality time on the floor, though Lexie has gotten more action so far, in part because of her phenomenal three-point shooting. While these three might be some of the team’s more well-known players, the Cardinal’s depth chart is talented up and down, which allows the coaching staff to rest the starters throughout the game.

These are just a few factors the Longhorns will have to combat against Stanford. It will be their biggest game yet, one that Texas fans have had circled on their calendars since the schedule came out.
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