UT opens Schaefer era with rout of SMU; No. 13 A&mwins
AUSTIN — Wearing a black face mask emblazoned with the Longhorn logo, Texas coach Vic Schaefer prowled the Erwin Center sideline Wednesday afternoon, wearing the same path paced for the past eight years by Karen Aston.
This program now belongs to Schaefer, born an Austinite and hired back in April amid a global pandemic just two days after Aston’s dismissal. And while the Longhorns might require some time to reach the heights of Mississippi State, they have already begun to channel the spirit of those tenacious Bulldogs teams.
After amassing a 222-61 (.781) record over eight seasons at Mississippi State, Schaefer is now an untarnished 1-0 at Texas following a compelling 90-51 win over SMU at the Erwin Center.
“I’m just really proud of our kids today,” Schaefer said. “I just I couldn’t be more proud of how hard they played.
“I can tell you when ‘The Eyes of Texas’ played I was pretty jacked. I’ve heard that song a lot and to be out there and know what that means there to our fans and to be wearing a burnt orange tie and representing this great, great university was pretty exciting for me.”
Junior forward Charli Collier paced Texas with 26 points and 12 rebounds despite picking up two early fouls, limiting the 6-5 national player of the year candidate to just four first-half minutes. Sophomore guard Celeste Taylor poured in 24 points and added a career-high eight steals and two blocks.
TEXAS A&M 77, LAMAR 61
N’dea Jones scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, Ciera Johnson also had a doubledouble, and the No. 13 Aggies beat the Cardinals in a season opener at College Station. Jones got her 27th career double-double, and Johnson, with 18 points and 18 boards, recorded her 19th.
BAYLOR 82 CENTRAL ARKANSAS 37
Nalyssa Smith had 27 points and 15 rebounds, and the No. 4 Lady Bears beat the Sugar Bears to open their season in Waco.
SOUTH CAROLINA 119 CHARLESTON 38
The No. 1 Gamecocks picked up where they left off last season, opening a 17-0 lead and blowing past the visiting Cougars in the season opener for their 27th consecutive victory. Victaria Saxton added 19 points and 12 rebounds for South Carolina.
STANFORD108, CAL POLY 40
Haley Jones scored on a layin 14 seconds into the game and wound up with 16 points and 10 rebounds playing for the first time in more than 10 months since a knee injury ended her freshman season early, leading the second-ranked Cardinal past the visiting Mustangs in the teams’ season opener.