No. 7 Texas Leans on Veterans in Dominant Win vs. Auburn

The No. 7 Texas Longhorns bounced back from their first SEC loss in dominant fashion, decimating Auburn 74-57 at Neville Arena on Thursday. After jumping out to a nine-point lead in the first quarter, head coach Vic Schaefer's team never looked back, extending the lead to 21 going into halftime.

When Schaefer's jacket stays on into the second quarter, it means Texas is having a good game. When it stays on into the fourth quarter, the Longhorns are playing exceptionally well.

Schaefer did not take his jacket off.

Though she has struggled early in SEC play, sophomore guard Madison Booker has found her stride. She averages 14 points per game, and after the first half, she had 17 and was nearly perfect from the floor. The star sophomore would finish the game with 22 points, leading all Texas scorers.

When the sophomore guard was unable to find the basket, the veteran senior point guard Rori Harmon stepped up. Harmon scored seven in the third and 20 total, along with six assists and three rebounds.

Rori Harmon pleads for a foul against South Carolina — Jan 12, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao (0) celebrates a play as Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) disputes the call in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Texas took advantage of Auburn's aggressiveness, going into contact, leading to 15 first-half free throws and only missing one. Though Texas turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, it forced eight Auburn turnovers, generating 13 points. Auburn forced 19 Texas turnovers leading to 22 points, two turnovers and five points more than the Longhorns in those same categories.

Auburn's leading scorer and former Texas forward DeYona Gaston got into foul trouble in the third quarter, forcing her to the bench. But Gaston would return to the court in the fourth, immediately scoring five points to give the Tigers some momentum. She scored 14 fourth-quarter points and a team-high 18 total, trying to will Auburn over her former team.

Tigers' point guard Mar'Shaun Bostic also had 18 points but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.

Texas took control of the game, and when the Longhorns slowed down after the break, someone was always there to pick up the others' slack. Booker went from being almost perfect in the first half, but scored just one point in the third.

Forward Taylor Jones was the third Longhorn to score in double-figures, finishing the game with 15 points and seven rebounds.

Now, Texas will look to carry this momentum into a non-conference matchup against the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic from Newark, NJ. The top-10 matchup will tip off at 4:30 on Fox.

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