TAMPA, Fla. — During a break from game preparation, Texas Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer, a man of faith, spent part of Friday morning contemplating his daily devotional.
The message:
Sometimes, it’s not your time.
Those words came to life Friday night when the Longhorns were beaten 74-57 by the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA Women’s Final Four at Amalie Arena.
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Despite one of the best seasons in program history — a 35-4 record, an SEC co-championship and its first Final Four appearance since 2003 — it just wasn’t time for Texas.
“We all think we have a plan and we have this great master calendar and it’s going to be on our time,‘’ Schaefer said. “But sometimes, it ain’t on our time. It’s on His time.
“God has a plan. I’m going to have a conversation with Him because I’ve had my heart broke two or three times in these deals.‘’
Texas lost to South Carolina, the defending national champion that will face UConn in Sunday afternoon’s NCAA title game, for the third time in four meetings this season. Think about this: Texas was 35-4, but only lost against two other teams (South Carolina three times and Notre Dame once).
“When has that ever happened?‘’ Schaefer said.
The Longhorns didn’t expect it to happen again on Friday night. Texas raced to an eight-point lead in the first quarter, endured a second-quarter drought to trail by three at halftime, then came completely undone in the third (shooting just 28.6-percent and getting outscored 20-9 in that quarter).
But Schaefer said he was more upset by the Longhorns’ defensive lapses. Defensive-minded Texas allowed 74 points (a figure surpassed only twice in this season’s previous 38 games). The Gamecocks shot 50.9 percent overall, including 7-for-11 from 3-point range, and got 40 points in the paint (to just 22 for Texas).
Texas sophomore All-American forward Madison Booker, the SEC Player of the Year, was limited to 11 points after being slowed by first-half foul trouble. Otherwise, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Bree Hall did an excellent job containing Booker.
“Breezy set the example and everyone else followed her lead,‘’ Staley said. “Hopefully she’s leaving a legacy of how we need to operate because Booker is not going anywhere. We’re going to see her for two more years.‘’
That’s a big reason why Texas should contend for a spot in next season’s Final Four. With Booker, plus freshman guards Jordan Lee (team-high 16 points against South Carolina) and Bryanna Preston, the Longhorns have a nice returning foundation. And that doesn’t account for the possibility of Rori Harmon, who has the option of returning, but is weighing WNBA possibilities.
Related:Foul trouble for Texas’ Madison Booker was turning point in loss to South Carolina
But Friday night, Schaefer wasn’t thinking much about the future. It was a bittersweet farewell to some valuable seniors, including Shay Holle, who has been there for every moment of Schaefer’s five Texas seasons, and Taylor Jones, a former Oregon State player who provided rugged interior play during three Longhorn seasons.
“As a coach in recruiting, sometimes you go, ‘Well, I’ll get another two-guard or another five player or whatever,’ Schaefer said. “Sometimes, you’ll replace the position, but you might not replace the person.
“These kids are the best. I’m just a better coach, a better father and a better husband because I’ve been able to see them each and every day. I hate it for these seniors that have given so much of their life to the University of Texas. We’re good enough to play on Sunday (in the championship game), but we ran into a really good team and they had a lot to do with why we didn’t play very good.‘’
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