Texas Longhorns Trample Incarnate Word in Season Opener

The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team majorly outranks the Incarnate Word Cardinals, and Monday’s matchup demonstrated why.

In their season opener at the Moody Center, the Longhorns easily overpowered the Cardinals, with the final score reading 123-51.

It’s hard to measure how much this says about the team, given the nature of the matchup and the obvious talent difference between the two teams, but a victory as decisive as this one serves as a solid way to get the 2025 basketball season underway.

Who stood out for the Longhorns?

Oct 14, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

This game was marked by a rapid start, and the Longhorns essentially took the Cardinals out of the game before they could even become a part of it.

Several playmakers emerged for Texas in this matchup, and a total of six players finished with points in the double digits.

Sophomore guard Jordan Lee led the Longhorns’ offensive initiative, making nine of 14 shots and finishing with 21 points. Lee also put up a strong defensive performance, helping the Longhorns keep the Cardinals quiet offensively.

Freshman guard Aaliyah Crump finished her first official collegiate matchup with 16 points but a shooting percentage of 43.8%.

Not everything about Texas’ play was neat on Monday, but some of the sloppier moments could be chalked up to constantly changing lineups. Head coach Vic Schaefer seemed to want to see as much of his roster as possible take the court, which makes sense in a lower-stakes matchup like this one once the Longhorns have already started to build a significant lead.

Despite a slower start to the third quarter, Texas came out of a timeout called by Schaefer and outscored its opponent 31-8.

This team will have plenty of time to clean up smaller errors, but regardless of any mistakes, they dominated the Cardinals across the board.

Looking ahead

Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Kyla Oldacre (00) controls the ball against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson (25) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Now that basketball season is officially in motion for the women’s team, intensity is likely to pick up and stay up in the weeks to come.

Their next matchup will likely reveal more about where they stand as a program, as they are set to host the Richmond Spiders on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. CT in Moody Center.

They will then host three unranked opponents before traveling to Los Angeles to take on the No. UCLA Bruins in what is subject to be an extremely tight matchup.

The season ahead could be a historic one, and the fans that gathered on Monday were present for its official commencement.