Taking a road trip to Paradise Island, Bahamas, Texas women’s basketball faced off against Marquette, Louisville and Rutgers in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament this past weekend. 

The Longhorns struggled to find rhythm across two of their games, falling to Marquette and Louisville before bouncing back in time to win over Rutgers on Monday. 

Texas began the tournament Saturday against Marquette, with sophomore Aaliyah Moore taking charge on the court. The 6-foot-1 forward recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, making herself a reliable contributor to the Longhorns’ efforts. 

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Marquette posted a tough offense, yet Texas was there to grab every rebound it could manage and made multiple attempts to get the ball back in its hands. The team recorded 51 rebounds, 24 coming on the offensive end. Freshman guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda grabbed nine on her own and also put up four points.   

In the last six minutes before the half, Texas went on a 12-6 run to close the lead within three. Keeping Marquette off the board in the second half was a challenge, and Texas couldn’t gain a lead, ultimately leaving the Longhorns with a 61-68 loss in their first game of the tournament.   

Returning to the court Sunday, Texas took on No. 6 Louisville, and Moore brought optimism to a slumping team.

Moore tied a career high with 21 points and was one of only three Texas players to reach double-digit scoring. She also recorded eight rebounds and took four charges during the matchup. Graduate student guard Shaylee Gonzales, who had 11 points and three rebounds, and junior forward Taylor Jones, with 10 points and three blocks, featured alongside Moore.  

“I feel like I was more focused tonight, and I put myself in better positions to be successful on the floor,” Moore said after the game. “My teammates set me up for good shots and got me open lanes to drive in.”  

Another second-quarter run brought the Longhorns within one point of the Cardinals at halftime. Looking for a second-half comeback, Texas couldn’t scrape together a win, taking a 63-71 loss against Louisville.

“It was really good to see (Moore) out there playing like she was having fun, being effective on both ends of the floor,” head coach Vic Schaefer said. “That’s the kind of Moore we need to come play every night.”

Closing out the weekend with its final game against Rutgers on Monday, Texas looked refreshed. The Longhorns dominated with an 82-44 victory. Freshman forward Amina Muhammad, graduate student guard Sonya Morris, junior guard Shay Holle and Moore all scored in the double digits.  

Texas utilized the second half to secure the lead, outsourcing Rutgers 50-24 and limiting the Scarlet Knights to only a 30.2% overall shooting from the field. 

Moore acquired 11 of her 13 total points for the night in the second half against Rutgers and averaged 15.3 points and seven rebounds per game across the three-day contest.

After beginning the season as the No. 3 team in the country, Texas’ 0-2 start at the tournament caused the Longhorns to slip to No. 19 in the latest AP Poll released Monday. After five games, Texas sits at 2–3 on the season and will host Princeton at the Moody Center on Nov. 27, looking to regain its footing and bounce back with a win.