Austin, TX—The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball delivered a statement performance Sunday night, overwhelming the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball 100-58 to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
At the center of it all was Madison Booker, who put together a historic outing. The standout forward erupted for a career-high 40 points—the most ever scored by a Texas player in NCAA Tournament history—while adding eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
“I think coach Schafer has pushed me into taking a bigger role. Being more aggressive on the offensive end, finding my shot, hunting my shot,” Booker said. “My coach did a good job of drawing up plays and putting me in the right position to score the ball. My teammates did a good job as well. It’s not 1-on-5. It’s 5-on-5. All credit to them.”
After a brief early surge from Oregon, Texas quickly seized control and never looked back. Rori Harmon helped ignite the momentum with her defensive intensity and playmaking, finishing with nine points, six assists, and a team-high five steals.
Head coach Vic Schaefer praised his team’s effort and the atmosphere inside the Moody Center.
“What a day, what a day for these athletes and these fans in this building,” Schaefer said.
Texas steadily built its lead throughout the first half before completely taking over after the break, outscoring Oregon 55-24 in the second half and holding the Ducks to just eight points in the third quarter.
Jordan Lee added 17 points, while Teya Sidberry chipped in 11 points and six rebounds in a balanced team effort.
Schaefer couldn’t hide his admiration for Booker’s dominant performance.
“Booker had 40, I don’t think I’ve had anybody get 40 before. Her statline with zero turnovers… sheesh,” he said.
Harmon saw it coming from the start.
“She had that look in her eye. I knew she was gonna do something like have a quadruple-double,” Harmon said.
Oregon was led by Katie Fiso and Ari Long, but the Ducks struggled to keep pace once Texas found its rhythm.
Late in the game, the spotlight briefly shifted to fan favorite Sarah Graves. After chants from the crowd, the senior checked in and delivered, knocking down back-to-back baskets to bring the arena to its feet.
“It may be some great crowds in other places, but the lid about blew off that place today a couple different times. Just really special for our kids,” Schaefer said. “But I got a feeling there’s going to be people… just talking about these kids and how special they are, how hard they played today. What a great way to send Rory out after five years here.”
The win marks Texas’ 20th appearance in the Sweet 16 and continues an impressive run of success for the program.
Still, the Longhorns know the job isn’t finished.
“I could say it’s over but it’s really not, jobs not finished, gonna try to go out there and get some more wins,” Harmon said.
Texas will now await its next opponent as it continues its pursuit of a national championship.
