The No. 2 Texas Longhorns (16-0) opened up conference play in Columbia against the Missouri Tigers (12-4) on Thursday and remain undefeated in taking the first conference showdown, 89-71, led by 28 points from junior wing Madison Booker and 23 points from sophomore guard Jordan Lee.
The stifling Longhorns defense forced 30 turnovers by the Tigers to gain a 36-15 edge in points off turnovers as senior point guard Rori Harmon recorded a career-high eight steals to lead Texas, which poached Missouri
for 18 steals.
In the first period, Missouri was able to jump out to a 14-2 lead, but Texas used an 11-2 run and got within three at 19-16 on a three-pointer by Booker. The Longhorns were able to cut into the Tigers lead by shooting 40 percent from the field to end the first quarter down 24-20.
As the first half continued, defense was the strategy while the Tigers and the Longhorns went for nearly three minutes without scoring. Texas was eventually able to take their first lead of the night after converting on three out of four shots from senior guard Ashton Judd just under three minutes to go in the second. Mizzou responded by making two of its final three attempts while Texas’ senior center Kyla Oldacre knocked in a put-back to close out the opening half, 41-38.
Booker and guard Rori Harmon each recorded three steals in the first half while the Texas defense forced 15 Missouri turnovers.
As the second half started, the Longhorns outscored Missouri 27-18 in the third quarter, hitting 61.1 percent of their shots from the field to go on a 11-0 run to take a 64-49 lead on a pull-up jumper by Lee before sophomore forward Justice Carlton closed out the third with a break away layup to take a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Booker scored seven points for Texas as she made three of her four shots in the quarter.
In the final period, the Tigers cut the deficit to 10 after junior guard Grace Slaughter got to the rim for an uncontested layup to open the final frame of action. The Tigers shot 53.5 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from three-point range and managed to stay within striking distance of the Longhorns, but Missouri was unable to close the gap and ultimately lost the conference opener.
Booker recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds, four steals, and three assists while recording her 34th career game with 20 or more points. Lee recorded her third game of the season scoring 20 or more points and now has 249 points this season through 16 games after scoring 227 points in her entire freshman season. Lee recorded a season-high five three-pointers in the game alongside Judd recording a season-high 12 points.
Texas also snagged 21 offensive rebounds to take a 24-8 advantage in second-chance points. Off the bench, Longhorns bench players recorded 20 points, led by Judd.
Next, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns will host a top-25 showdown against No. 15 Ole Miss at the Moody Center on January 4 at 2 p.m. Central on ESPN2.
