Texas women’s basketball had to adjust in a hurry Wednesday night, and the response came with a burst of energy, a big third quarter and a 93-63 win over South Dakota State.
The biggest concern came late in the second quarter, when senior forward Madison Booker finished a layup with 1:30 left and ended up on the floor holding her lower back. The mood inside the Moody Center shifted immediately as teammates gathered around her and glanced toward the Texas bench, unsure of what came next. Booker eventually got back to her feet, drawing a nervous round of applause from the crowd, but she did not return after halftime.
“(Booker) didn’t play tonight because she didn’t feel good,” head coach Vic Schaefer said. “That says a lot about what happened, because (Booker) is tough.”
Without Booker for the final 20 minutes, Texas had to handle what Schaefer called “a big challenge.” The Longhorns did that behind sophomore guard Jayda Clark, who delivered 24 points in her third start in burnt orange and looked far more assertive than she had earlier in the season.
“She’s so worried about stepping on somebody’s toes and fitting in, and I didn’t recruit her to fit in,” Schaefer said. “That third quarter, she took over and really she looked like the kid I thought she was going to be for us. She’s shown flashes of it all year and I just thought tonight she really stepped up.”
Clark said Booker’s exit changed her mindset right away.
“I think when (Booker) went down, the first thing through my mind was ‘ok, yep, let’s step it up, I’ve got some shoes to fill here,’” Clark said. “I kind of found my flow state a little bit, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
Clark finished 10-for-15 from the field and hit three of four attempts from deep. She also continued to show growth on the defensive end, though that part of her game is still developing. She had one steal, while junior guards Bryanna Preston and Zya Vann combined for six steals, with Preston getting four and Vann two.
Texas turned up the pressure defensively and forced 28 points off 21 South Dakota State turnovers. The Longhorns gave the ball away just five times.
Preston and Vann were both active throughout the game, each scoring more than 10 points while logging 30 minutes. Vann posted a 68.7% floor percentage, with Preston close behind at 61.4%.
The bench also gave Texas a lift, adding 25 points. Freshman guard Addison Bjorn was perfect, going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the line for eight points. Freshman forward Isi Etute matched that total, finishing with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting and two made free throws.
Schaefer said the freshmen are still learning what it takes to become reliable two-way contributors, but he believes the growth is coming.
“They’re going to be great (and) again, there’s a process to this,” Schaefer said. “Enjoy the process, be a part of the process, because nothing happens overnight.”
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