WOMENS BASKETBALL

Texas 74, Texas Tech 47

BY STEPHEN GARCIA

Lubbock, TX - Despite missing starters Rori Harmon and Taylor Jones, the Texas women's basketball team started fast to rout Texas Tech 74-47.

The 10th-ranked Longhorns never trailed and separated with a 15-0 run in the first quarter. UT, which had three players score in double figures, picked up its first conference win after falling to No. 6 Baylor on Saturday.

The Lady Raiders won their first Big 12 opener since the 2014-15 season against Houston and now sit at 1-1 in the league.

Texas' forward Madison Booker (35) dribbles the ball against Texas Tech during a Big 12 women's basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.

In the team's third game since losing star Harmon for the season, Booker continued to excel in the point guard spot. The 6-foot-1 freshman orchestrated the offense and scored eight points in the first quarter as UT established its lead.

Booker, the 2022-23 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, also played a role in a smothering defense. Tasked with guarding Ashley Chevalier, Booker kept the the Lady Raiders from finding a rhythm. Her pressure led to Tech going away from Chevalier at point guard.

Booker finished with 18 points, six assists and six rebounds.

The Longhorns' size and physicality in the paint led to a 41-24 rebounding advantage. That included 16 offensive boards, which led to 20 second-chance points.

DeYona Gaston and Aaliyah Moore led UT with 11 rebounds apiece. Tech's efforts also took a hit when leading rebounder Kilah Freelon picked up her second foul midway through the first quarter and played 2 minutes, 16 seconds the rest of the half. She picked up two more fouls within 16 seconds early in the third quarter.

The Lady Raiders totaled 14 points in the paint, including four in the first half.

The Lady Raiders posted a season-worst scoring output, the team's second game with fewer than 60 points. The first was in Tech's 66-58 loss to Tulsa on Dec. 19 in Hawaii.

The Lady Raiders shot 27.1% against the Golden Hurricanes in their first setback of the season. Tech shot 33.8% the following day in a 77-65 loss to Oregon State.

With their outing against UT, the Lady Raiders have now posted their three worst shooting performances in the past four games. Tech was 15 of 45 (33.3%) from the field against the Longhorns.

The Lady Raiders have three wins when shooting worse than 35%, but the level of competition has increased in the past three weeks. UT and Oregon State are Tech's toughest opponents to date, slotted No. 3 and No. 28 in the latest NET rankings. Only No. 61 Santa Clara is ranked higher than Tulsa (105).

January 3, 2024