Multi-colored streamers fell from the rafters onto the Texas Longhorns after Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark handed the conference trophy to head coach Vic Schaefer. After such a trying and adversity-filled season, smiles from ear to ear flashed on the faces of those who shared the stage at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
In their final conference game as members of the Big 12, the Longhorns faced the Iowa State Cyclones to decide the winner of the Big 12 tournament. From start to finish, the Longhorns dominated, playing suffocating defense and stepping up during big moments. Once again, freshman forward Madison Booker stole the show with her scoring abilities, leading Texas to a 70-53 win.
In her first conference championship game for the Longhorns, the game never seemed too big for Booker. Booker, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, played all 40 minutes and finished with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists. At the end of the first quarter, Booker scored 12 points from various parts of the court, including beyond the arc and mid-range. Booker’s performance earned her the Most Outstanding Player award. Booker is just the second person to win the award as a freshman, the other being Rori Harmon.
Booker ran the offense throughout the game by being the primary ball-handler. Despite playing the entire game and having the ball the most out of any Longhorn, Booker didn’t record a single turnover. In total, Texas turned the ball over seven times, one of its lowest totals for the entire season.
Earlier in the tournament, Texas ran into foul trouble, but against the Cyclones, it played a near-perfect game. Only one player, senior forward DeYona Gaston, had four fouls. The starting five consisted of Booker, senior guard Shay Holle, graduate guard Shaylee Gonzales, junior forward Aaliyah Moore and senior forward Taylor Jones committed six fouls combined.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns took on the challenge as an entire team. Texas recorded nine steals with Holle leading the charge, accounting for four of those steals. In total, the Longhorns forced 20 turnovers and scored 23 points off of those turnovers.
The well-known full-court press defense that Schaefer’s teams are known for playing was on full display right from the tip. Yet, in the second quarter, Texas took its defense to another level.
The Longhorns went on a 16-0 run from the end of the first quarter and didn’t allow the Cyclones to score until 4:30 left in the quarter. Meaning the Texas defense blocked, stole and altered the Iowa State offense for over half of the 10-minute quarter.
The Cyclones never led at any point in the game, and their largest scoring run was seven points. The Longhorns’ largest lead was 22 points, and their largest scoring run totaled 16 points.
The Longhorns now look toward the national selection show to learn their placement in the NCAA tournament. Texas is currently projected as a No. 2 seed, but a conference championship could do just enough for the Longhorns to claim one of the four top seeds in the tournament.
