AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a top-10 clash honoring one of the nation’s most iconic civil rights leaders, No. 7 Texas rolled to victory Monday.
The Longhorns scored early and often — and then some more — in an 89-51 win over No. 8 Maryland in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
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Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger, right, dribbles the ball against Texas forward Madison Booker, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas forward Aaliyah Moore, center, defends a rebound from Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger, left, and guard Sarah Te-Biasu, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas forward Aaliyah Moore dribbles the ball against Maryland forward Christina Dalce (15), left, and Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas forward Madison Booker, right, looks to pass the ball past Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle, front left, steals the ball from Texas guard Jordan Lee, front right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer stands on the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese claps during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Sarah Te-Biasu (1) dribbles against Texas guard Bryanna Preston, center, and forward Kyla Oldacre, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle, right, dribbles against Texas guard Jordan Lee (7) and Texas forward Aaliyah Moore, third from right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (32), left, dribbles the ball against Maryland forward Allie Kubek during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Ava McKennie (5) and Texas forward Aaliyah Moore, bottom left, fight for the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas guard Jordana Codio (13) dribbles against Maryland guard Mir McLean (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Sarah Te-Biasu, right, dribbles against Texas guard Rori Harmon, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers, right, looks to pass the ball against Texas guard Shay Holle, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland forward Allie Kubek, center left, and Texas guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, center right, chase after the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle (2) shoots a free throw during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas forward Taylor Jones, center left, blocks a shot by Maryland forward Christina Dalce (15) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese points on the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) -
Texas forward Taylor Jones, center, gestures after defeating Maryland in an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Texas shot 54% from the field and sophomore Madison Booker had one of her best performances of her tenure with the Longhorns, scoring a game-high 28 points on 13 of 19 shooting. She had 13 points in the first quarter, outscoring the Terrapins by herself to push Texas to a 28-12 lead.
The Longhorns forced 27 turnovers to score 33 points and held the Terrapins to 17 made field goals. For comparison, Texas made 37 shots. Texas scored 54 points in the paint to Maryland’s 34 and the Longhorns had 20 assists while the Terrapins had nine.
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Kyla Oldacre scored 15 points with six rebounds and Taylor Jones had 13 points with nine rebounds to lead the Longhorns down low. Shay Holle connected on a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12 points. Rori Harmon had seven assists and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda had eight points.
Texas held Maryland to six points in the second quarter. The Terrapins shot 3-for-11 in the frame and committed nine turnovers. Texas never trailed in the game, scoring on 63% of their possessions. The Terrapins had 41% of their possessions end in turnovers and were 13-for-24 on layups.
Kaylene Smikle was the lone Terrapin to score in double figures with 15 points.
Top-ranked UCLA and Baylor played the early game of the Classic on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the day honoring Coretta’s husband. UCLA center Lauren Betts led the No. 1 Bruins to a 72-57 win with 24 points, nine rebounds and a school-record nine blocked shots.
The event was formed to honor Coretta Scott King’s legacy and celebrate female sports empowerment. According to organizers, this is the first time the King family names have been licensed for a sporting event. The King Center, founded by Coretta and currently led by their daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King, helped launch the event.
Texas (18-2, 4-1 SEC) gets back into Southeastern Conference play Thursday at home against No. 17 Tennessee. Maryland (16-2, 6-1 Big Ten) travel to Ohio State on Thursday.