Longhorns keep it closer but still fall short in rematch
AUSTIN – Maybe one day the dynamic in the Texas-baylor rivalry will shift. That is, after all, why athletic director Chris Del Conte discarded longtime coach Karen Aston and offered Vic Schaefer a seven-year guaranteed contract worth nearly $14 million last spring.
And Schaefer's Longhorns did fare better against the Bears in their second meeting Tuesday night at the Erwin Center. Instead of losing by 25, as they did up in Waco in Feb. 14, they lost by seven, 64-57, in a scrappy game that wasn't quite as close as the final score would suggest.
For No. 6 Baylor (20-2, 15-1 Big 12), the win clinched the program's 11th straight regular-season championship and more celebratory Cokes for coach and soda aficionado Kim Mulkey. For Texas (16-8, 10-7), the single-digit loss represented progress, but also hammered home just how much work remains to be done to reach the Bears' pedestal.
“Just really, really proud of our effort,” Schaefer said. “I thought we at least competed. I thought once we got down we fought back. You know, we had some things go against us and yet we still stayed in the fight and actually got better. I think they proved to themselves we can compete. But at the same time, you play the No. 16 team in the country, you can't have the breakdowns that we had.”
It's been a while since Texas felt like a true threat to the powerhouse 100 miles up the road.
And even when the Longhorns threatened Tuesday night, like during a spirited 11-5 run to end the first half, Baylor never let panic set in. Despite piling up fouls and accumulating turnovers — Texas forced 23 turnovers and shot 19for-23 from the free-throw line – the power always seemed to reside with the team bedecked in green and gold.
Baylor junior forward Nalyssa Smith seemed to have an answer for every Texas challenge. She dropped 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including 2 of 2 from deep. Her corner 3 late in the fourth quarter pushed the lead to 13 points, ended a 9-3 Texas run and put the game out of reach.
But credit Texas for refusing to kowtow to the Big 12's supreme power. Junior guard Joanne Allentaylor (15 points) and junior guard Audrey Warren (12 points) found some success breaking down Baylor's defense even after star forward Charli Collier (12 points, nine rebounds) fouled out with 7:20 remaining in the game. And sixthyear senior Kyra Lambert sniped a couple 3s to bring Texas within 10 in the fourth.
“When we went to dribble-drive in the second half – you know we scored 35 points in the second half, y'all,” Schaefer said. “We scored 35 the whole game up (in Waco). And we got to the rim, we got to the free-throw line. I was really pleased with what we got in the second half off our dribble-drive.”
But not enough broke Texas' way in its rematch with the Bears.
At one point midway through the third quarter, with Texas trailing 38-24, officials whistled Collier for a dubious offensive foul, her fourth of the game with nearly 15 minutes remaining. Video replays showed Baylor center Queen Egbo (13 points, 14 rebounds) held Collier and hooked one arm, but that eluded the referees.
The call turned Texas' coach into a volcanic Mount Schaefer – he erupted on the sideline, drawing a two-shot technical foul, and had to be talked down by daughter and assistant coach Blair Schaefer.
“It's like I told the kids, I'm gonna fight my ass off for all of us,” Schaefer said. “I'm going to defend them when they need defending and I'm going to fight for them. That's just who I am. Disappointed that something like that has to happen but you know what, sometimes it comes with the job. I'm asking my kids to fight and compete and my God I'm gonna do it with ‘em.”
Texas will play a road game at TCU on Sunday before turning its attention to the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. If the Longhorns can stage a run, they might just get a third crack and Mulkey and the Bears, one more chance to show strides are being made toward dethroning the champs.
“I think we showed the country tonight who we are currently, and who we're going to be in the future,” Schaefer said. “We got a lot of young and inexperienced players on the floor, and we've got the No. 4 recruiting class in the country coming.
“I don't have any idea, you know, the timeframe. I just know that this team is learning to fight like coach Schaefer wants us to fight and compete. And I think when we embrace that, we're gonna be a whole lot better.”