If you met freshman forward Madison Booker, you probably would have described her as quiet, shy or introverted. Her responses to the media were short phrases that lacked eye contact. To put it simply, Booker was reserved, seemingly trying to find her place in Texas basketball.
Sophomore Booker, who now plays like a guard/forward combo, is quite the opposite. Her bright energy is infectious, and her aura is radiating. Booker is out of her shell in her second year on the Forty Acres, and even though her numbers are eerily similar to last season’s, it’s easy to see that she’s having a lot more fun.
In No. 4 Texas’ 93-62 bounce-back win against James Madison, that fact most definitely held true.
Booker had a team-high 21 points on just 13 shots. It was her 18th career game breaking the 20-point mark and her fourth of the season. Booker also had three rebounds, four assists, a block and two steals on zero turnovers.
Texas started its night in Harrisonburg with an 11-0 run to start the first quarter of action, with Booker making four out of the points.
But by the end of the period, James Madison bounced back, scoring 20 points and going into the first quarter trailing after Texas’ 31-point lead.
A 20-point quarter is unconventional for a Schaefer-led squad, and the Texas head coach made that known to the media in the post-game press conference.
“We need to play harder,” Schaefer said. “We are not anywhere close to where I want to be defensively. … The first quarter was a nightmare. … Y’all would think we were tied or down 10 the way I was talking.”
The second and third quarters looked more like where Schaefer wanted to be. In a total of 20 minutes of basketball, the Dukes only scored 22 total points, and by the start of the fourth, Texas led 75-42.
“I’m looking for the perfect game,” Schaefer said. “I’m looking to shut people out. You’re never going to shut anybody out but I’m trying.”
Texas held it down in the fourth, walking away with a 93-62 road win to elevate its record to 8–1 on the year.
Senior guard Rori Harmon also had a big night, with her 19-point showing bringing her over her career’s 1,000-point mark.
“She looked really good tonight,” Schaefer said. “When Booker shows up, offensively and defensively, it really impacts our team.”
Texas finally completes its five-game road trip, going 4–1 in the process. The No. 4 Longhorns will be back home in the Moody Center on Wednesday against Southern University at 7 p.m.