As the clock ticked down Saturday night, junior guard Sarah Graves took off her warmup shirt and took to the court.
Normally the team’s personal hype woman, Graves can usually be seen leaping off the bench every time Texas scores. But with a 41-point lead, the walk-on got a moment to play in front of a packed Moody Center.
Graves remained on the floor as time expired and the No. 1 Longhorns put up a 105-61 win over No. 16-seeded William & Mary. Despite some defensive troubles, the Longhorns found their offensive flow by the middle of the first quarter and controlled the remainder of the game.
Texas’ depth was on display Saturday night, and the team had no problem filling the stat sheet.
Five players scored in the double digits, 35 points came from the bench and the Longhorns managed 51 rebounds. Junior center Kyla Oldacre was responsible for 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Madison Booker posted her eighth double-double of the season with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Senior forward Taylor Jones also had a successful night in the paint with 19 points as an excited crowd watched.
“Being in this environment, in Moody (Center), it’s really unique, and I think it’s a great environment,” Jones said. “I like hearing the crowd, and I like hearing when we make big shots and them being really loud.”
This kind of success and atmosphere is nothing new for the Longhorns, but for William & Mary, it meant a lot.
The team grabbed their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history against High Point Thursday night and did not go down without a fight against the No. 1 seed. Senior guard Bella Nascimento put up 19 points and said she enjoyed the Texas experience.
“We knew Texas was a big team,” Nascimento said. “You know, everybody in Texas is big. … But that’s not going to deter us from playing hard and playing with passion.”
But the Tribe were not the only ones hitting the court with energy. The Longhorns seemed to be enjoying themselves as the fourth quarter progressed, with players from the bench finding their groove and controlling the court.
The Longhorns will face a No. 8-seeded Illinois team on Monday that took down No. 9-seeded Creighton a few hours before Texas took the court.
Head coach Vic Schaefer found out during the post-game press conference that the matchup was scheduled for 1 p.m., and banged his head against the microphone in disbelief, but accepted the challenge.
“It’s problematic,” Schaefer said. “Just from a recovery standpoint, and I think my kids are in pretty good shape. … It is what it is. We’ll have to be ready.”
