The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Basketball striving for more heading into NCAA Sweet 16
03.20.2018 | Women's Basketball
The second-seeded Longhorns face third-seeded UCLA on Friday at 8:30 p.m. in Kansas City.
By: Ryan Tewes
Texas Media Relations
After shootaround ahead of their NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup with Arizona State on Monday night, Texas Women's Basketball head coach Karen Aston huddled her team up and had them look at the banners hanging from the Erwin Center rafters.
"I just wanted to let them visualize and see that they could make a little bit of history – do something that hasn't been done in quite some time," Aston said.
A win over the Sun Devils would land Texas in the Sweet 16 for a fourth straight season, a feat not accomplished on the Forty Acres since legendary coach Jody Conradt guided the Horns to eight straight from 1983-90.
With a third-quarter scoring surge, the second-seeded Longhorns left little doubt that they were a Texas team for the ages, defeating seventh-seed Arizona State, 85-65, to advance to the Sweet 16. The 20-point margin of victory was the largest second-round triumph by Texas since the 1990 squad topped Ohio State in Austin by 29.
"I think that's one of their legacies; for sure. I hope they have more, I know they're striving for more," Aston said. "I was fortunate enough to be here in the three in a row in the 2000's (as an assistant coach) and then the three in a row that we were on up until today. It's a great legacy for the players."
A hard-fought first half saw the Longhorns up by five at the half. After the Sun Devils cut the lead to two, senior guard Brooke McCarty, playing in her final home game, caught fire, sparking a 19-3 run that put the game out of reach with 3:33 to play in the third quarter.
McCarty credited the Longhorn faithful at the Erwin Center for helping ignite the squad.
"Our fans were incredible tonight. We fed off of their energy and we fed off of each other," she said.
"We knew this would be the last time we'd be able to play in front of our fans this year, so we decided to go out there and give it their all."
McCarty and senior backcourt mate Ariel Atkins have indeed built quite the legacy at Texas, helping return the program to the upper echelon of NCAA women's basketball.
"To be a part of it and see it grow from the ground up, it's been a journey and I'm really thankful and blessed to be a part of it," Atkins said.
Leading by 22 points with 1:44 remaining to play, Aston subbed for Atkins and McCarty, bringing the Erwin Center crowd to its feet to cheer one last time for the Longhorn luminaries.
"(After subbing out), I just kind of looked around and looked at Brooke," Atkins said. "I was like, 'Wow.'"
McCarty echoed Atkins' sentiments.
"At that moment we just realized it was out last time playing in front of our fans; playing here at the Erwin Center," McCarty added. "(I) just can't put it into words."
While the seniors may have been at a loss for words, their coach certainly was not.
"I've had a lot of trust in them all year long, and there's been a lot of games that I've had the privilege of watching them take over," Aston said.
"As a coach, you're really happy for players that know that they're ready to move on at some point and they've gotten the most of their careers. And I think those two have."
The Longhorns will continue their legacy next week when they take on the UCLA Bruins in the Kansas City, Mo. on Friday, March 23.
If how the Longhorns handled their victory over Arizona State is any indication, they are in good shape to keep the season moving.
"We are just living in the moment. (The players) look in the locker room was pretty relaxed," Aston noted. "That's a big deal."
