The Longhorns fell 81-75 to No. 21 West Virginia on Saturday evening in a thrilling offensive battle just weeks after the Mountaineers handed them their worst loss of the season.

“Our execution wasn’t very good,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said.

Both teams opened the game stagnant offensively, scoring only 13 total points through the first five minutes. Junior guard Joanne Allen-Taylor kept her squad within striking distance with two huge buckets as the quarter closed. 

West Virginia guard Kirsten Deans nailed a buzzer-beating jumpshot to give her team an 18-11 lead to end the first.

Both teams struggled offensively early in the second quarter as well, and it seemed that defense would be the deciding factor in the match. But with an offensive explosion minutes later, it quickly became clear that Saturday night’s game would come down to shot-making.

Both Texas and West Virginia caught fire from the field, especially from three-point range as Texas shot 7-for-15, and the Longhorns cut the lead to two with five minutes left in the first half after sophomore guard Celeste Taylor connected on a driving layup.

Taylor connected on another shot on the next possession, this time from three, to give her squad a 29-28 lead as the game rapidly transformed into an offensive showcase.

In the closing minutes, junior forward Charli Collier delivered. The sensational junior landed an and-one, three-pointer and an incredible rejection within a two-minute span that flipped the momentum in favor of the Longhorns to close the half.

Collier, who was in foul trouble for the majority of their loss to West Virginia earlier in the season, seemed determined to bounce back this time around as Texas took a 40-39 lead into halftime.

Collier continued her outstanding play to start the third quarter with a quick seven points in the first three minutes, while Deans quietly continued her terrific night with a few buckets of her own for West Virginia.

The Mountaineers soon jumped ahead as they took advantage of multiple missed opportunities for Texas.

West Virginia shot 73% from the field in the third, but Texas never fell too far behind. The Mountaineers held a 63-58 lead at the end of the third quarter.

An and-one basket from graduate guard Kyra Lambert put the Longhorns within one in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before the Mountaineers quickly responded with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.

With less than six minutes left in regulation, West Virginia was able to make multiple defensive stops that helped them control the lead.

An inconsistent Texas offense down the stretch led to a plethora of costly turnovers and missed opportunities, including a missed layup that would’ve put the Longhorns within two points in the final minute of regulation.

“We had some critical shot clock violations,” Schaefer said. “I’m proud of the effort at times … We just made too many mistakes.”

A once red-hot Texas unit went relatively cold in the final period, and their field goal percentage dipped below 35%.

The Mountaineers never allowed their lead to slip away and reeled in their 15th win of the season in the Frank Erwin Center. 

The Longhorns look to bounce back next week against Oklahoma State.