With a bid to the Elite Eight on the line, two freshmen guards that have been simmering all season long finally reached their boiling points.
Bryanna Preston and Jordan Lee brought energy to a Longhorn team that struggled to find rhythm in the first quarter and helped it to a 67-59 victory over Tennessee — sending Texas to the next round of the NCAA Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.
For the fourth time in five years, Texas women’s basketball is dancing its way to the Elite Eight.
Ever familiar with March Madness and the Southeastern Conference, head coach Vic Schaefer said he told Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell, who’s in her first year coaching a Division I program, before tipoff that the game was going to be a “knockdown dragout.” And it was.
The Longhorns and the Lady Vols pressed each other, up and down the court, all game long. Within the first three minutes, Texas had three turnovers and looked a little jittery. Tennessee capitalized and led before the first timeout. The two teams went on to exchange leads throughout the game, taking the healthy delegations of burnt orange and Tennessee orange-clad fans in Legacy Arena on quite the rollercoaster.
But the real difference makers for Texas were Preston and Lee. They forced turnovers, scored a combined 25 points and electrified the rest of the team. Schaefer said he’s seen this potential since he recruited them and saw it come to life as they have trained in Austin.
“Both those kids are extremely smart, but their competitive spirit is off the chart,” Schaefer said. “It’s just really special to have freshmen like that.”
For the duo, this is what they came to Texas to do. As the year has progressed, their numbers on the stat sheet have climbed and so has their confidence.
“It’s about staying consistent,” Lee said “I leaned on my circle to get some feedback and advice throughout the year, and keeping my mind in the right frame, being able to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself and (Bryanna) and I were able to do that tonight.”
The No. 1 Longhorns will take on a No. 2 TCU team fresh off a win against No. 3 Notre Dame. Led by graduate guard Hailey Van Lith and graduate center Sedona Prince, the Horned Frogs will be looking to take down the only other team from Texas left in the tournament.
