Cold weather didn’t stop Texas women’s basketball from heating the Moody Center up on Thursday night. The Longhorns took down the Crimson Tide 84-40 at home, handing them their first conference and second loss of the season.
The Longhorns quickly found their offensive rhythm in the first quarter and scored 29 points, while Alabama only put up seven. The Longhorns held the Crimson Tide to their lowest number of points this year, forcing 20 turnovers in Texas’ biggest margin of victory in a top-25 win in 25 years.
Sophomore forward Madison Booker, recently named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List, had an uncharacteristically quiet game against Arkansas on Sunday, scoring only three points. But with 1:28 left in the third quarter, Booker scored 21 points — the same number of points the entire Alabama team had managed at that point.
Booker said she worked with assistant coach Blair Schaefer on going back to basics so that she would be prepared for the next game.
“I credit her for that, because today I came out, and I was ready to shoot,” Booker said. “So thank you, Blair Schaefer.”
The Longhorns faced a Crimson Tide with a missing a key part of its puzzle. All-SEC guard Sarah Ashlee Barker was missing from the Alabama lineup due to an injury. The team is still trying to figure out its way without the veteran as sophomore guard Diana Collins steps into the role. Head coach Kristy Curry said the combination of Barker’s absence and Texas’ dominant performance led to the loss.
“You can sit here and talk about what you didn’t do, or you can just give credit to Texas,” Curry said. “They deserve all the credit in the world today.”
While the game was never really out of the Longhorns’ control, Booker and senior guard Rori Harmon emphasized head coach Vic Schaefer kept high expectations for his team throughout every quarter. Schaefer encourages perfection for his players so it becomes a habit and the standard for his team.
Schaefer looked calm near the end of the fourth quarter. He still had his suit jacket on and was smiling. A minute later, he sat down. Ever the perfectionist, it’s rare to see Schaefer so relaxed, especially during a top 25 matchup.
His team was ready to play, and it showed.
Texas will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to face the reigning national champions and No. 2 team on Sunday at 12 p.m. Schaefer acknowledged the game will be challenging but also expressed his confidence in his players.
“Nobody (is) gonna get killed on Sunday,” Schaefer said. “It’s a basketball game. We’re pretty good. They’re pretty good. Let’s go play.”
