Sometimes, it’s not about how a team starts — but how it claws its way back.

For No. 2 Texas women’s basketball, that sentiment rang true in its 79-64 win over No. 11 North Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge Thursday night, earning its fourth ranked victory of the season.

Texas opened the game sluggishly on both ends. Offensively, nothing worked inside the paint or from mid-range, as the Longhorns shot 6-for-16 in the first quarter. Defensively, Texas struggled to maintain toughness and discipline. The Tar Heels attacked early, driving into the lane for easy looks and knocking down a pair of uncontested threes to outscore Texas 21-16.

Texas was not playing to its standard, especially against a ranked opponent, but whatever head coach Vic Schaefer told his team in the huddle between the first two periods worked. The Longhorns came alive midway through the second quarter.

With better shot selection and renewed defensive intensity, Texas flipped the game entirely. The man-to-man defense tightened, UNC’s possessions shortened, and the Tar Heels were forced into late-clock heaves. Texas outscored North Carolina 23-10 in the second quarter and never looked back. 

“I tell them all the time, the one thing you can count on in life is adversity,” Schaefer said. “We’ve got it right now, and all they do is put their head down and go to work. … I can nitpick, which they know I will, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t be prouder. We have very little bench, very little depth. Our guards are playing for 40 minutes.”

The Longhorns’ physicality and pace eventually overwhelmed the Tar Heels. Texas forced 20 turnovers and turned them into 24 points, disrupting UNC’s rhythm all night.

The offensive spark was ignited and carried by sophomore guard Jordan Lee, who has shown dramatic growth between her first and second seasons. Lee scored a career-high 22 points on efficient perimeter and mid-range shooting, including two three pointers, while adding two steals.

“I’m extremely grateful,” Lee said. “Every game it’s an internal question of, ‘What can I do to put our team in the best position to win?’ Whether that’s taking six shots, getting two steals, taking a charge, that’s my job. We have amazing teammates who find me in my spots and draw attention on the court.”

The matchup marked the first top-15 game at the Moody Center this season, and the near-capacity crowd fueled Texas’ surge. The energy built with every made shot and defensive stop, loud roars after threes, boos at foul calls and chants of “Texas Fight” during a lengthy replay review. 

Schaefer has often emphasized the responsibility his team feels toward fans who invest their time and money to be there and the importance of giving them something worth cheering for.

And tonight, at least for three quarters, Texas did just that. 

“I think the crowd appreciated how our kids played,” Schaefer said. “My job during the game is to coach them and help them learn from the good, the bad and the ugly. But if you’re a fan watching right now, you’re getting your money’s worth. … These kids are playing their hearts out, and anybody in the arena can see that — and I can. That’s all that matters.”