 "Photo: Jeff McWhorter, Daily Texan Staff")
The 35th season of Texas women’s basketball is set to kick off this weekend at home when the Longhorns begin their quest for a trip to the NCAA tournament by hosting the World Vision Classic. Texas boasts a 31-3 all-time record in home openers, and a 25-9 all-time season-opener record.
“We’re just really looking forward to this weekend,” said head coach Gail Goestenkors. “We have three tough games against excellent opponents. These games will be good for us, because I wanted to know where we stood early.”
The event will be a good indication of what is in store this year, considering the competition that the Longhorns will face. Dayton, St. Mary’s (California), and No. 20 Old Dominion had a combined 69 wins last season, with only 29 losses.
No. 13 Texas opens with Dayton on Saturday followed by St. Mary’s on Sunday and Old Dominion on Monday.
“We really need to take advantage of these home games and build confidence for ourselves,” Goestenkors said. “Life in the Big 12, particularly on the road, is very tough, and we know we will need confidence for those games.”
After an impressive showing in an exhibition game last Sunday against the Houston Jaguars, the Longhorns will look for the same results this weekend.
Texas junior guard Brittainey Raven posted a game-high 17 points to lead the No. 13 Longhorns to an 86-45 victory over the Jaguars.
“I am ready to get rolling. It’s the start of a new season,” Raven said. “Three games in a row are going to be tough. I think playing the teams we are going to face is good, because when we play teams that aren’t as talented as we are, we play down to their level.”
Goestenkors has challenged Raven to be the best player in the Big 12.
“This year Coach G wants me to be one of the best defenders in the country,” Raven said. “So I am really focused on doing that.”
Junior guard Erika Arriaran, coming off season-ending knee surgery last year, saw 19 minutes of action, tallying 10 points in the win.
“We are obviously really excited about the season. I have had butterflies since I practiced for the first time,” Arriaran said. “I never even think about my knee unless someone mentions it. I feel stronger on it now, and I am really excited about the three games in three days.”
Senior post Ashley Lindsey is itching for that trip to the Final Four come March but realizes the team has to focus on what is happening now.
“Three straight games in three nights are tough. We just have to stay focused and be ready to play as a team,” Lindsey said. “These games will be a lesson for us to see how our plays are working. This will definitely be a challenge for us.”
Old Dominion figures to be the toughest of the three tests for the Longhorns this weekend.
A McDonald’s All-American in high school, Vicki Collier, who missed last season due to a knee injury, is back and ready to show why she was highly recruited by Old Dominion.
She netted more than 1,000 points in high school and finished 50 rebounds shy of 1,000 for her career.
The Monarchs averaged 75.2 points per game last season, good enough for the 12th best offense in the NCAA. In last Sunday’s game with the Jaguars, the Longhorn defense came on strong late, holding Houston to just 22 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes and 25 percent overall. Texas will need the same defensive effort to minimize the offensive damage Old Dominion will look to inflict.
“We are going to look to take care of the ball better than we did in the exhibition game,” Goestenkors said. “We are trying to find our lineups. These three games will really allow us to figure out where the pieces fit.”
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