Junior guard Zya Vann’s mind-blowing third-quarter buzzer-beater block was just the tip of the iceberg for the Oklahoma transfer’s performance.
As a Baylor player went up for a last-minute three-pointer to start the final quarter, Vann’s hand made solid contact, sending the ball bouncing toward one of the Moody Center’s tunnels.
The small crowd of burnt orange cheered as if it was a game-saving shot. It was not. The Longhorns were up 47-69, and it was doubtful that the Bears could stir up enough momentum to shrink the deficit into a close game.
But the crowd wasn’t just cheering at the play in the moment, it was clapping for the performance Vann put on through the entire game.
“We literally practice like this every single day,” Vann said. “My teammates push me to be the best I can be (and) we push one another.”
Texas grabbed its final exhibition win over Baylor, 85-64. The Bears weren’t always in the Longhorns’ plans. Texas originally scheduled Eastern New Mexico to close out its preseason schedule, but because it didn’t have enough players, the Greyhounds canceled their trip to Austin, and the Bears headed down Interstate 35 instead.
If there were any doubts about the former Sooner fitting in on the Forty Acres, it looks like Vann has already made the adjustments needed.
From the arc, Vann was perfect, sinking all six of her three-point baskets, and in the field she went 6-8. After totaling 18 points, head coach Vic Schaefer sat Vann on the bench, never to be seen in the game again.
“I’m all about the three-point shot as long as you can make them,” Schaefer said. “(Vann) going (6-6) is really, really good for our offense.”
Texas carried momentum from its UCLA victory at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, scoring 38 points on 28 turnovers. After facing the Bruins, Schaefer criticized his bench after the group produced only four points all game. It was a different story tonight.
Schaefer threw the newbies right into the lion’s den, at one point, putting an entire lineup of freshmen on the court during the second quarter. The bench scored 23 points this time around.
“It’s an exhibition, and I really needed to play everybody that I played,” Schaefer said. “They’re (going) to be really good, and there’s a learning curve for them, and they’re going to get it.”
One thing Schaefer has harped on all preseason is tough, gritty basketball. After the game, Vann emphasized effort and defense, but the defense still has work to do to reach tip-top shape before the season starts.
Texas turned the ball over 17 times and still allowed Baylor junior guard Trinity Turner to score 20 points, going 7-for-10 from the field. The Longhorns still showed flashes of great defense, grabbing 14 steals from the Bears. Freshman guard Addison Bjorn grabbed five of those steals in 18 minutes.
“She’s just so tall and long, and she’s a real cerebral kid,” Schaefer said. “Those are the kinds of kids that you love because she makes you play her.”
