Coming off the bench has not stopped Brittainey Raven from being an emotional leader on the court.

Whether it is chasing down an opponent on a fast break or taking a charge, Raven always gives her best effort to help her team. And if things go her way, she shows
her enthusiasm.

“I just do my thing and get excited and get our team going,” Raven said.

Most recently, Raven showed her enthusiasm on Dec. 1 against Oral Roberts.

Both teams appeared frustrated from the officiating with calls constantly benefitting the opponent in key situations. When the Longhorns drove to the basket, traveling was called. When Oral Roberts fought for the rebound, a jump ball was called. Both teams had multiple attempts to draw a charge, but for the majority of the game, neither team received the call.

Then, Raven finally made sure to get her feet set and drew the foul as the Golden Eagles’ Savannah Buck went at her at full speed to the basket. The excitement of the play caused an ecstatic scream from Raven, who lay on the ground and pounded her chest with both fists.

The Longhorns had already pulled away from the unranked team, and there were only five minutes remaining in the game.

“I can tell at certain points in the game when we need energy, so any little thing, I just try to get us going, and I know a charge is a big deal for us,” Raven said.

Accustomed to starting nearly every game in her first three years as a Longhorn, Raven has begun each game of her senior year on the bench thus far as a punishment for sleeping through class earlier in the semester.

Sitting on the bench, however, has not affected her game, as she is leading the Longhorns in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game.

“When I get in, I just play my game, and if I score four straight, that’s fine, and I get back on defense and do my thing on defense and just go with the flow of the game,” Raven said.

Head coach Gail Goestenkors has been extremely pleased with Raven’s performance this season coming off the bench.

“Brittainey’s done a great job at using her athleticism and her quickness,” Goestenkors said. “She gets out on the break, and we’ve been able to find her.”

But sometimes, Raven goes a little too fast. In Sunday’s loss to Tennessee, Raven had a fast break off a volunteer missed jump shot midway through the first half. Following a long outlet pass to Raven, her quickness caused her to force a layup too hard off the backboard, which Tennessee was able to quickly counter with a fast break and easy layup of their own.

“When we go out there, we’re going to have to play at our tempo, at our level and keep the intensity level at what we’ve been playing,” Raven said.

The Longhorns look to rebound from their 20-point loss against Mississippi on Dec. 16.