HOUSTON (AP) — Madison Booker had 23 points and seven rebounds, DeYona Gaston added 21 points and eight rebounds and No. 5 Texas beat Houston 82-66 on Wednesday night.
Aaliyah Moore had 12 points and eight rebounds for Texas (23-3, 10-3 Big 12), which shot 56% from the field in winning its fifth straight game. The Longhorns had a 42-24 rebounding advantage and outscored Houston 54-22 in the paint.
Laila Blair scored 23 points on 9-of-24 shooting for Houston (12-12, 3-10) to become the ninth player in program history to score 1,500 points. Maliyah Johnson added 12 points and Brittany Onyeje scored 11 points.
Booker scored 12 first-half points, including six in the second quarter, as Texas built a 39-24 halftime lead. She finished 9-of-13 shooting.
The Cougars have lost three straight and seven of their last eight. They shot 42% and 8 of 21 on 3-pointers.
After Houston took a 22-20 lead on Kamryn Jones’ layup with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, Texas ended the half on a 19-2 run that ended with a jumper by Booker to open up the 15-point halftime lead.
BIG PICTURE
Texas: The Longhorns continued to get it done on the offensive end. Texas entered averaging 83 points per game, which leads the Big 12. The 66 points was the 11th time this season the Longhorns had allowed 60 or more points.
Houston: The Cougars continued to struggled in their first season in the Big 12. Seven of Houston’s 10 losses in conference play have been by at least 16 points. Houston fell to 0-4 this season against ranked opponents.
UP NEXT
Texas: Hosts Iowa State on Saturday.
Houston: Travels to Oklahoma State on Saturday.
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