In the short history between the two programs, No. 5 Texas women’s basketball has never lost to UCF. On Saturday it was no different as the Longhorns defeated the Knights 85-56 in Orlando.
Central Florida head coach Sytia Messer is no stranger to Texas Head Coach Vic Schaefer’s game. Messer was co-captain, along with the University of Texas director of operations Christy Smith, on Schaefer’s 1998 Arkansas Final Four team. Schaefer was an associate head coach for the Razorbacks.
“(Messer) was a competitor,” Schaefer said. “I don’t know if I saw a coach in her then, but I’ve watched her over the years as an assistant at Baylor for so many years. … Obviously I watch her teams play and she’s running some of the same plays that we run, sort of the same plays we ran back in the day. … She’s somebody I’m awfully proud of.”
Messer shared her admiration for her former coach at the Big 12 media day in October.
“To this day, I still remember some of his defensive intensity as I am a coach now,” she said. “He was very intense on the defensive end, and I think it’s paid off for him throughout these years and all of his teams that are known for that.”
In their first matchup as head coaches, Texas’ second quarter performance won it the game. Despite getting uncomfortably close in the first 10 minutes at 16-14, Schaefer’s Longhorns dominated the second period to hold UCF to one three-point basket and one free throw while scoring 23. Though Messer’s team came back in the third, even outscoring Texas by three points, it wasn’t enough.
Texas was back into its second quarter behavior in the fourth, excelling defensively and offensively, scoring 26 points and holding the opponents to 13.
Freshman forward Madison Booker had another high-scoring game with 22 points. Heading into the last two games of the regular season and the Big 12 Championship, Booker lived up to the pre-season hype scoring in double figures in 24 out of 28 games played. The freshman leads the team in points with 449.
Booker is one of three freshmen in the Texas team, joined by guard Gisella Maul and center Abbie Boutilier, who had to sit out this season due to injury.
“Now your freshmen are starting to get into uncharted territory,” Schaefer said. “Where not only have they been practicing harder and longer, but it’s more intense. Games are more intense, they’re more meaningful, they’re more emotional, and now your antennas go up and you’re careful and you’re really paying attention to that.”
Texas will head to Norman aiming to get revenge from the 91-87 loss to Oklahoma in January before wrapping up the regular season at home on March 2 against conference newcomers BYU.
