Just 60 hours following the final buzzer of Texas women’s basketball’s dominant win over No. 23 Georgia in Moody Center on Thursday night, the Longhorns tipped off from Tuscaloosa, Alabama against the No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday.
It wasn’t pretty, but head coach Vic Schaefer’s team got the job done, winning its regular-season finale, 72-65, and moving to a 28-3 record on the campaign.
The contest marked Texas’ 15th game against a ranked opponent this season, and its 12 victories over ranked opponents lead the nation. Sunday was the fifth time in 2026 Southeastern Conference play that Texas never trailed throughout the game.
Both sides within Coleman Coliseum struggled offensively to start the game, combining for 19-55 on field goals through the first half. No Longhorn scored over seven points in the opening 20 minutes.
But behind a 10-0 run between the end of the first and beginning of the second half, Texas grew a highly important double-digit lead. The Crimson Tide cut its deficit to five points with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter after an 11-0 run, though the Longhorns never let the margin get closer than that down the stretch.
“You know they’re going to make a run. I think we got up 14 or 15 in the second half, and they certainly made a run like we know they’re going to do,” Schaefer said postgame. “But you know, we found a way to win on the road against the top 25 on not our best day. And again, you give Alabama credit for creating that a little bit. But I am just really proud of my team. It is really hard to do what they’ve done and continue to do every night.”
Junior forward Madison Booker and senior center Kyla Oldacre scored 14 of Texas’ final 20 points in the last six minutes of game time.
Booker finished with 21 points on 60% shooting along with nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, demonstrating a persistent all-around impact crucial to the Longhorns’ postseason hopes.
Oldacre played just 12 minutes, yet made her presence known with 11 points, five of which came from the free-throw line.
Sophomore guard Jordan Lee added 11 points with two three-point makes, while junior forward Breya Cunningham and sophomore forward Justice Carlton contributed 16 points total.
Outside of Oldacre, Texas got very little contribution from its bench, as each Longhorn starter spent 28 or more minutes on the floor. Sophomore guard Bryanna Preston played a season-low five minutes, and freshman guard Aaliyah Crump went scoreless in her nine minutes of play.
The reliability of its depth will be a factor that the Longhorns look to reestablish heading into the postseason.
And, fouling will certainly continue to be another point of focus. Carlton and Cunningham each accumulated four fouls, while Booker, Lee and Oldacre had three. Alabama outshot the Longhorns at the free-throw line by four attempts.
“We talk about it every day. We gotta be careful,” Schaefer said after Georgia in relation to his bigs’ fouling issues. “If you’re going to get one, earn it. That’s kind of been my message to them. Let’s don’t get any ticky tacks. Let’s don’t get anything 90 feet from the rim, 45 feet from the rim. If we’re going to get one, let’s get one.”
On Sunday morning, the NCAA revealed its top-16 teams in the field, now days away from conference tournaments and two weeks away from Selection Sunday. The Longhorns’ win likely keeps them at No. 4 overall and as the final No. 1 seed to close the regular season.
However, that ranking could very well change with multiple rematches potentially on the slate in the upcoming SEC Tournament.
