It was exactly the kind of performance Vic Schaefer loves to see from his team.
A wire-to-wire performance on Monday saw Texas hold TCU to its lowest point total of the season and hold the Horned Frogs to a mere 12-for-45 (26.6%) from the field, forcing a dominant 21 turnovers.
“They played their hearts out, y’all,” the longtime coach said of his team. “I think everybody in here would agree to that. They were tough, they made plays, and when we had to have some good offense they came up with it.”
A dominant defensive performance lifted the Longhorns to a 58-47 victory over TCU in the Elite Eight on Monday, punching the program’s first ticket to the Final Four since 2003.
But, it wasn’t anything that wasn’t expected.
“I expect these things, I expect all my teammates to step up,” Madison Booker said. “The thing is, throughout this tournament, everybody stepped up: everybody. It’s been like this throughout the season. Throughout conference, we had different people step up, and me and Rori, we’re just being leaders. We’re just talking, trying to set an example for the team. But, I expect it.
“It’s been like this all season so, why not keep doing it?”
TCU boasted the No. 23-ranked scoring offense in the nation (77.5 points per game) going into Monday’s matchup, with star player Hailey Van Lith fresh off of a 26-point performance against Notre Dame.
“I think everybody was talking about how efficient their offense has been all year, and it has been: they’re really, really good offensively,” Schaefer said. “They’ve got playmakers, they’ve got kids that can make plays when offense breaks down.
“I thought our press was number one thing. I thought it was really critical, even if we didn’t get a turnover, we really made them work hard to get it in. When they got it in, they had to try to figure out how to run some offense. I think we had them pushed out on the floor quite well.”
The Longhorns held Van Lith to a 3-for-15 shooting night from the field, with 10 of her 17 points coming off of free throws for the Horned Frogs.
Rori Harmon and Shay Holle draw the defensive assignment on Van Lith, noting how important it is to keep the ball out of her hands with the way the offense runs through her.
“Team defense always is the number one thing, trying to limit her touches as much,” Harmon said. “She’s a three-level scorer and a great basketball player, and she played really well for them.”
“Staying in front; I think with a good basketball player and ball handler like she is, like me personally I can’t gamble on dribbles and hesies, have to cut her off, get her to let go of the ball. A lot of their offense runs through her and she makes good plays. So getting the ball out of her hands is definitely one of the keys.”
Holle expressed pride in the defense — especially on Van Lith — which she said was a goal going into Monday’s matchup.
“When me and Rori got into switches, we did a really good job of switching out hard,” Holle said, Trying to get the ball out of her hands, she is a super talented guard. Being really consistent and like she said, not biting on her things. She is just really talented.
“I think we pressured her a lot and made other people try to run the offense a little bit.”
Ahead of a matchup in the Final Four with a talented South Carolina team, Schaefer can take a dominant showing on the defensive side of the ball into a matchup with loads of offensive firepower.
“Kyla Oldacre down here is denying their 5 player in the press, really making it hard,” Schaefer said. “Rori is always going to make it hard on somebody and I thought she did an amazing job on Van Lith, defended her exceptionally well, go with her in the press, made her work for everything.
“It’s just a combination of a lot of things that had to happen for us to have a chance to win, and this group did it.”
