Booker leads Texas to fifth straight win

ORLANDO, FL — Madison Booker had 22 points and five assists to lead No. 5 Texas to an 87-56 victory over UCF on Saturday for its eighth straight win.

The Longhorns (26-3, 13-3 Big 12) held the Knights (12-14, 3-13) to four points in the second quarter to take a 21-point lead into the locker room at halftime. UCF shot only 35.3% for the game.

“That's how you play,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “If you're the fifthranked team in the country and you're supposed to be, that's how the fifthranked team in the country plays. I couldn't be more proud of them.”

Taylor Jones scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Texas, which had five players in double-digit scoring. Guard Shay Holle added 14 points, Shaylee Gonzales had 13 and Deyona Gaston chipped in 12. Texas made 62.5% of its shots to build as much as a 31-point lead.

UCF struggled to get its offense going against Texas' defense, getting outscored 23-4 in the second quarter as the Longhorns broke the game open.

NO. 24 BAYLOR 66

NO. 22 WEST VIRGINIA 65

Jana Van Gytenbeek came off the bench to make two free throws with 4.3 seconds left and the Bears pulled out a wild win over the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W. Va.

Down one, Baylor (21-6, 10-6 Big 12) threw the ball away on a cross-court pass with 7.9 seconds left. On the inbounds after a West Virginia timeout that advanced the ball to midcourt, the Mountaineers threw the ball into the backcourt for JJ Quinerly, who mishandled it.

Quinerly saved the ball from going out of bounds in the corner, but Jada Walker was there to scoop it up.

Walker drove the baseline to the basket, but her layup rolled off the rim as she was fouled from behind by Quinerly. Walker was injured on the play, which led to Van Gytenbeek, a senior transfer from Stanford, being subbed in to shoot.

She swished both of her shots, and Jordan Harrison's potential game winner appeared to be partially blocked by Aijha Blackwell as time ran out.

UIW 61, MCNEESE 48

The Cardinals notched their fifth straight win, using a 17-3 run during the second quarter to cruise past the Cowgirls in Lake Charles, La.

UIW (17-9, 10-5 Southland) hit 10 of 20 shots from 3-point range. Aliyah Collins led the Cardinals with 15 points, while Nina De Leon scored 14, connecting on 4 of 6 attempts from beyond the arc.

McNeese (4-24, 0-14) suffered its 17th consecutive loss and has not beaten a Division I team this season.

Greg Luca

LOUISIANA 55 TEXAS STATE 50

The Bobcats struggled to find a footing on offense, scoring just 20 points through the first 20 minutes and trailing most of the second half in a loss to the Ragin' Cajuns (14-12, 9-7 Sun Belt) in San Marcos.

Texas State (13-16, 3-13) shot 38.3% with 21 turnovers. Ja'Niah Henson was the only player to score in double figures for the Bobcats, netting 11 points while Morgan Hill added eight points and eight rebounds.

Greg Luca