AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 20 Texas Longhorns weathered a fourth-quarter rally by Texas Tech and turned back the Red Raiders 80-71 Wednesday at Moody Center.
It’s the Longhorns’ sixth consecutive win and avenges an earlier 68-64 loss to the Red Raiders on Jan. 18 in Lubbock, and it was a battle of attrition near the end of the game for both teams. A combined five players fouled out and the teams were whistled for 52 fouls, which led to 65 free throws between the two squads.
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When Rori Harmon fouled out with 4:04 left in the game, the Longhorns led by 19 points and looked to be in total control. However, when the team’s best ball handler had to sit, the Red Raiders clawed their way back into the game and cut the Texas lead to 73-63 before the Longhorns stabilized things and hung on for the win.
Before exiting the game, Harmon notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists, and she may have found the 3-point shooting touch she’s been looking for all season. She came into the game with four made 3-pointers the whole season, but buried 3-of-5 long distance shots off great ball movement to leave her wide open.
“Rori made shots from out there because she’s been in the gym for three straight days making 100 a day because she’s been in a little funk,” Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said. “She’s been working on it. The game is fair — if you spend time working on it, it will honor you.”
Shaylee Gonzales scored a team-high 25 points including a perfect 10-for-10 performance from the foul line. She shot 6-of-11 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Gonzales and Harmon fueled the Longhorns to a 38-27 halftime lead with a combined 23 points in the first half.
“It’s a great win for us,” Schaefer said. “We’ll take it and go on to the next one.
DeYona Gaston fouled out after 28 minutes of playing time but managed to score 16 points and grab five rebounds. Gaston was 5-for-7 in the second half, and the Longhorns made it a point to get the ball to her down on the block in the third quarter.
“Coach told us we needed to be more aggressive,” Gaston said, “and I took my time a little bit in the third and go up strong.”
Texas owned the glass, especially on the offensive end. The Longhorns scored 23 second-chance points with 16 offensive rebounds to outrebound Texas Tech 36-23 overall.
Texas Tech shot a better percentage from the field than the Longhorns but made four fewer field goals. Bre’Amber Scott poured in a game-high 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 10-of-11 from the foul line for the Red Raiders. Bryn Gerlich scored 16 points and Bailey Maupin chipped in 13 points. Texas Tech shot 20-for-43 from the field while the Longhorns were 24-for-55.
Texas played without senior guard Sonya Morris who Schaefer said spent Tuesday night in the hospital with an injury that “happened last week” and has “been nagging her.”
“I think she’s going to be fine, and it’s fair to say she’s day-to-day,” he said.
The Longhorns (19-6, 10-2 Big 12 Conference) remain in first place in the Big 12 standings with the win. They’ll host TCU at 4 p.m. Saturday.