Texas Women’s Basketball Responds to Criticism with Gritty Win Over Tennessee
Texas and Tennessee came into Sunday’s showdown with more than just matching color palettes and storied programs - they shared a sense of urgency. Both squads had taken heat from their head coaches in recent days, with questions swirling around effort, discipline, and heart. For the Longhorns and the Lady Vols, this wasn’t just another game on the schedule - it was a chance to answer back.
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer didn’t mince words after a 16-point loss to Vanderbilt, calling out his team for playing with “no heart.” On the other side, Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell had publicly challenged her players’ will to win and their commitment to the little things - the kind of comments that can either light a fire or widen the cracks.
What unfolded on the court was exactly the kind of response Schaefer had been hoping for. The Longhorns didn’t play perfect basketball - far from it - but they played with purpose, toughness, and a renewed defensive edge that made all the difference.
Early in the fourth quarter, Texas looked like it was ready to pull away, building a 10-point cushion within the first five minutes. But Tennessee wasn’t going quietly.
The Lady Vols caught fire from deep, knocking down three triples in rapid succession to cut the deficit and bring the home crowd back to life. Suddenly, what looked like a comfortable lead was down to a single point with just 30 seconds to play.
That’s when Texas dug in.
With Tennessee trailing by two and six seconds on the clock, the Lady Vols had a final possession to either tie or win. But Texas didn’t flinch.
When the ball found junior Talaysia Cooper, point guards Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston swarmed her. Harmon got her hands on the ball, Preston hit the floor to secure it, and the buzzer sounded with Texas holding on for a hard-earned win - their 24th of the season.
It was a fitting ending to a game defined by defensive pressure and turnovers. Both teams brought full-court heat and looked to push in transition, turning the game into a fast-paced, physical battle that often teetered on chaos.
At times, that chaos turned messy - Texas turned it over 17 times, but they forced 23 from Tennessee. The two teams were dead even in the turnover department entering the fourth quarter.
In the final 10 minutes, Texas forced seven - a game-deciding stretch that reflected both their intensity and their resilience.
At the heart of it all was Harmon, the veteran floor general who sets the tone for everything Texas does defensively.
“We came out punching,” Harmon said postgame. “I could see in everyone’s eyes - in our intentionality, in our urgency in the huddles - that we were going to get it done tonight.
One of the important things is finishing the game right, and to be able to force seven turnovers in that quarter is tremendous. That just shows we were able to lock back in, even though we’re probably tired.”
That kind of leadership is exactly what Schaefer was looking for in the days following the Vanderbilt loss. He was quick to acknowledge that the Longhorns are still a work in progress, but he took pride in how his players responded - not just in the game, but in the practices leading up to it. According to Schaefer, the team’s veterans stepped up, and the group as a whole responded with the kind of accountability and buy-in that championship teams are built on.
“I love them to death. They are my world,” Schaefer said.
“I don’t get any satisfaction out of having those real conversations. But so much of what I do comes with parental instincts … I’m too far down the road to change in holding kids accountable, myself accountable.
I owe it to them to do that.”
That accountability seems to be paying off. Texas now sits at 9-3 through its second grueling SEC stretch and appears poised to reclaim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. With 10 wins over ranked opponents already in the books, the Longhorns are heading into the final four games of the regular season with momentum - and a renewed sense of identity.
They’re not perfect. But they’re tough, and they’re learning how to finish. And right now, that might be the most dangerous version of Texas yet.