3 takeaways from Texas's resilient win over No. 5 LSU

Texas Women's Basketball hosted No. 5 LSU at the Moody Center on Sunday Afternoon. It was another grueling game against a top-ten opponent. It was one of the worst starts by the Longhorns this season.

They were trying to catch up to the Tigers, one of the quickest teams in the SEC. However, Vic Schaefer fired up the Longhorns at halftime because they came out in the second half with a vengeance. The Longhorns would come back and beat the LSU Tigers 65-58.

I was proud to see the Longhorns show some resiliency in the second half of the game. However, as I'm writing this post-game article, I can't get the start of the game out of my head. If they start the game like that in the tournament, the Longhorns will have a quick exit in March Madness this year. Slow starts have doomed number-one seeds in the past. Let's examine the three takeaways from the game at the Moody Center yesterday.

Takeaways from Texas women's basketball's resilient win over No. 5 LSU: 3. Justice Carlton wasn't ready to start

I understand why Schaefer started Carlton because LSU has a small starting lineup. However, I don't think she was ready for her first career start as a Longhorn. She will be a starting player next season. I like her role coming off the bench for now.

This was a top-ten opponent, and the score could have gone bad if LSU exposed her inexperience. If the Longhorns lost yesterday afternoon, it could have crushed the confidence she built up to this point in the season. She will be a regular starter soon. However, I don't think it was a good time to see if she was ready for a starting role.

2. Bad shot selection

The other thing that drove me crazy yesterday was the bad contested shot selection. I know it can get crowded at the rim with everyone trying to get a rebound. However, I saw a lot of open Longhorns that could have made a better shot.

If the Longhorns keep going to the rim for layups, teams will just have their defense try to shut down open lanes to the basket. Schaefer should look at drawing up some plays for some jump shots. That can keep the opposing defense off-guard.

Madison Booker is one of the players that needs to do better with her shot selection. 3-18 after 40 minutes could give the Longhorns an early exit from the SEC Tournament and March Madness. Teams will double-cover her because she's one of the best forwards in the conference. She can't keep forcing terrible shot attempts when open teammates are around.

Booker is one of the best forwards Texas Women's Basketball has had in recent years. If she can master taking good shots, the sky is the limit for her basketball career.

1. Three top-ten wins in a row

I'll end the postgame article with some positives. That was Texas's third straight top-ten win in a row, a rare feat that special teams can accomplish. It just shows the resiliency that Texas has when they find themselves in challenging situations.

Their resiliency reminds me of the Dallas Stars the last couple of seasons in the playoffs. People keep doubting them and it forces them to do the impossible. Texas will learn much about themselves over the next few weeks as they prepare for their first SEC Tournament.

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