No. 4 Texas opened up its season with a dominant performance against Southeast Missouri State at the Moody Center, winning 119-47.
Six Texas players scored in the double digits, with junior forward Kyla Oldacre leading the charge with 21, a career high for the transfer from Miami. To go along with her 21 points, Oldacre also set a career high in the rebounding department, cleaning up 14 boards off the glass.
“I have one job, and that’s the five player (center), and that’s what coach wants to do,” Oldacre said. “I felt like I did that today.”
The 119 total points for the Longhorns is the fifth most in program history and the most since Nov. 9, 2021 against New Orleans.
Head coach Vic Schaefer also made history, beginning his 40th year as a coach and 20th as a head coach on Sunday. The victory marked his 110th win at Texas.
Schaefer said he felt pleased with his players’ performance, but said the team needed to work on their press and minimizing turnovers. Mostly, he was happy that senior guard Rori Harmon made her return to the court.
“It’s a lot better having her out there on the floor than having her over there sitting next to me,” Schaefer said.
Harmon received a warm welcome from the crowd in the Moody Center, marking her first official game back after a torn ACL ended her season in Dec. 2023. She put up 10 points, forced three turnovers and played 20 minutes. But for Harmon, today was about more than the stats.
“I’m grateful to be tired. I’m grateful to shoot the ball, make a turnover,” Harmon said. “I’m just grateful to be coached, yelled at, whatever it is, I’m just grateful to be back.”
Harmon is one of three Texas players on the preseason Wooden Watch List. The other two: sophomore forward Madison Booker and senior guard Laila Phelia. Phelia, who was dealing with a minor injury today, did not suit up for the game. Booker, on the other hand, did.
The season opener marked the 13th time Booker got to play alongside Harmon in her collegiate career, and she was all smiles.
“I would just say I’m the happiest person,” Booker chuckled. “Gotta be on this team.”
To go along with 11 rebounds and six assists, Booker scored 18 points on 6-10 shooting.
Fans caught a glimpse of this team’s potential for the season, and not just on the box score. There were possessions where every player touched the ball, moments when Schaefer encouraged his players after strong defensive plays and even flashes of creativity in the passing game.
“I coached that,” Schaefer said in the post game presser.
After a brief pause, the players started laughing, and the media soon joined in. Before long, the whole room was laughing, as it became clear that Schaefer does not, in fact, advocate for flashy basketball. But the man who was celebrating the start of his fourth decade coaching basketball did grin when he saw a no-look pass happen.
“I was smiling when those kids were doing some of that out there today,” Schaefer said. “Because it’s fun, and I know our fans enjoy it.”
Perhaps Oldacre had the most fun in her debut, setting career highs in points and rebounds. Or maybe it was Booker, reunited with Harmon on the court. It could have been Schaefer, celebrating his 20th season opener as a head coach. Or even Harmon, who was simply “grateful to be tired again.” One thing is for sure: Texas is ready to make a statement this season.
Texas starts its year off 1-0 while Southeast Missouri State falls to 0-2. The Longhorns will play their next game against Lamar Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7:00 P.M. back at the Moody Center.
