The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women’s Basketball adds mentality to its arsenal
03.20.2017 | Women's Basketball
The Longhorns advanced to a third-straight NCAA Sweet 16 after persevering against N.C. State.
Like all premier Nike programs during this NCAA women's basketball postseason, Texas is donning fresh gear, featuring two significant words, "Texas Mentality," and with them, the Longhorns find both questions and the answer.
What is the Texas mentality? What does it look like? How does it manifest?
The Longhorns will tell you it's all about hard work, and that's exactly what it looked like during their NCAA Second Round victory against N.C. State. Grit, toughness, perseverance and belief all morphed together for an 84-80 triumph that sends Texas to its third-straight Sweet 16 appearance.
In fact, against a battle-tested, fearless Wolfpack, the Longhorns demonstrated that their mentality is indeed a tool in and of itself. The Texas mentality is a strategy, a strength, a savior.
"I wrote on the board, ironically enough, that it didn't matter what it looked like," head coach Karen Aston said after Sunday's win. "We just needed to try and win."
Because, as the season stretches into its penultimate week, winning is what matters, and what will be remembered. Don't stress about what the play-by-play details reveal; simply win.
Survive and advance.
N.C. State led for nearly half the game, building an eight-point lead with 5:58 to play in the third quarter. The Longhorns were outscored 45-27 in the second and third quarters. When circumstances seemed bleak, Texas didn't grow distracted by what had already happened, or frazzled at an impending unfortunate outcome.
Instead, the Longhorns focused on the moment, on loose balls, on offensive rebounds. They won individual plays, and the momentum built into another home-floor comeback.
"I thought the hustle plays and the scramble plays were huge for us," Aston said.
With 1:17 to play, Texas worked its way back to one-point deficit, 78-77. Then, the two biggest defensive plays of the season, so far, the Longhorns engineered with their focus and determination – with a Texas mentality.
Point guard Brooke McCarty drew a foul against N.C. State's Miah Spencer and sent the Wolfpack's leading scorer to the bench with her fifth foul. McCarty then hit both free throws to push the Longhorns out front, 79-78. The Longhorns kept their cushion, holding an 81-80 lead as N.C. State held possession for a final shot.
Dominique Wilson, who scored 27 and was perfect from the free-throw line, drove to the basket with less than 10 seconds to play, and banked a shot off the glass despite contact from freshman Joyner Holmes. Holmes smartly inserted herself between Wilson and the rim, and the basket was negated on an offensive charge call.
"I just knew that her going downhill, as fast as she was coming, I could have blocked the shot, but I just didn't think that was the right decision," Holmes said. "(I let) her body fall into mine, and I took the charge.
"And I don't do that often. It was a surprise for me."
It was a surprise to most wearing a Texas uniform. Even Aston admitted that crucial charge was "probably the first one of her life. Let's be real."
Holmes made the right decision at the right time.
Indeed, Texas mentality won the day, and now it's back to the Sweet 16.
"It's a standard. We come in and work hard every year," McCarty said. "(The Sweet 16), it's the standard here. This is what you do. You come here to do this."
