WOMENS BASKETBALL
Texas 67, Cincinnati 50
MARK ROSNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas - Shaylee Gonzales had 13 points and six rebounds while subbing for Madison Booker at point guard, and No. 10 Texas beat Cincinnati 67-50.
Aaliyah Moore had 16 points for Texas (19-3, 6-3 Big 12), which bounced back nicely after a 91-87 loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday night. Taylor Jones added 13 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.
Booker, the Longhorns’ starting point guard, suffered a hamstring injury in practice on Friday. The 6-foot-1 freshman is averaging 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in Big 12 games, leading Texas in all three categories in conference play.
Reagan Jackson and A’rieal Jackson led Cincinnati (10-9, 2-6) with 10 points each. The Bearcats shot 33.3% (19 for 57) from the field and committed 14 turnovers.
Jillian Hayes, the leading scorer and rebounder for Cincinnati this season, played just 15 minutes because of foul trouble. She fouled out with 6:31 remaining, finishing with five points and four rebounds.
Texas converted 23 of 29 free throws, while Cincinnati made 9 of 12.
After beginning the season at small forward, Booker shifted to point guard when Rori Harmon suffered a season-ending knee injury in December.
With Harmon and Booker out, coach Vic Schaefer moved Gonzales from shooting guard to the point. Gonzales scored 10 points, matching her average per game, as Texas took a 30-23 halftime lead.
Cincinnati trailed by just five midway through the third quarter, but Texas finished the period with an 11-0 run and led 50-34.
BIG PICTURE
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have struggled to shoot the ball all season long. They usually make up for that issue on the glass, but they finished with just 10 offensive rebounds and six second-chance points.
Texas: The Longhorns have been hit hard by injuries. In addition to losing Harmon and, temporarily, Booker, forward DeYona Gaston has missed 13 games in two stints with ankle injuries. She did not play against Cincinnati. Jones missed four games with a hip injury.
January 27, 2024
