Solid performances on both sides of the court earned the top-seeded Texas women’s basketball a dominating win over the 16th-seeded Drexel Dragons in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After Texas jumped out to a 9-0 start, the Philadelphia-based team showed some signs of life, narrowing the gap to 19-12 by the end of the first quarter. Out of those 12 points, eight came from junior guard Amaris Baker. Baker, who is the top scorer for the Dragons in the 2023-24 season, transferred to Dragons at the start of the season from Harcum College, a NJCAA Division II school.
“(Baker) really stressed us a little bit,” Texas Head Coach Vic Schaefer said.
Unfortunately for the Dragons, that momentum didn’t last long. In the second quarter, Texas scored 21 points and held Drexel to just eight. The Longhorns had a 20-point lead at halftime.
Back from half-time, the lead only grew and Texas was over 30 points up in the third quarter. When Drexel moved its defensive focus to the paint, graduate guard Shaylee Gonzales found space for three-pointers. Out of her 21 total points in the game, 15 came from three-point baskets. Gonzales was the only Texas player to score from behind the arc.
“It just brings so much joy to see Shaylee get confidence like that,” freshman forward Madison Booker said. “When she does that, and she’s on fire, I’m gonna give her the ball every time.”
Booker, known for her high-scoring games, couldn’t reach the double figures in her first March Madness game but made justice to Schaefer’s description of her as “unselfish to a fault” by finishing the game with 14 assists. Booker’s 14th assist was the most ever for a Texas player in the NCAA tournament. She is now second in all-time assists for a Texas freshman behind her teammate Rori Harmon.
“It speaks volumes about the kid,” Schaefer said. “Maybe not her best night shooting the ball, but she hasn’t had a night like that all season. And yet she still finds a way to help us win. That’s what an All-American does.”
Senior guard DeYona Gaston was not supposed to be playing Drexel. The day before the game, Gaston was feeling under the weather but decided at the last minute to give playing a shot. Her late decision paid off as Gaston was the only player from either team to record a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“They show me a lot of heart,” Booker said. “They wanna win, they wanna be on the court with us, helping us. It’s just showing they’re committed to the team.”
Schaefer and his team were present for the Alabama versus Florida State at Moody Center game following their victory to get to know their next opponents. Texas will host eighth-seed Alabama on Sunday for a shot at advancing to the Sweet 16.
“They’re well coached,” Schaefer said. “They got really good players, you got All-Conference players. It’s going to take great effort on our part and nobody’s gonna give it to you.”
