Longhorns put their guard up after freshman Madison Booker flounders in win over Zags

Shaylee Gonzales knows good guard play can take you far in the NCAA Tournament.

For four years at BYU, the 5-foot-10 guard from Gilbert, Arizona, led the Cougars to the postseason, twice taking them to the second round, including a 69-66 upset against sixth-seeded Rutgers in 2021. At BYU Gonzales did everything, always, for the Cougars.

Then she transferred to Texas, where she got some help.

But Friday against a familiar foe, when Texas point guard Madison Booker got in foul trouble and headed to the bench, Gonzales slid over to the one position. As usual she was steady.

Or maybe you prefer Texas coach Vic Schaefer’s description. He used the word “spectacular.”

Gonzales scored 15 points in the Longhorns' 69-47 win over fourth-seeded Gonzaga, also handing out four assists while grabbing three rebounds and two steals. The win helped Texas inch closer to the Final Four, a destination the Longhorns haven’t reached since 2003.

“She runs our team, no turnovers, how about that, just playing her guts out,” Schaefer said. “She did a heck of a job tonight. You never know when these things might happen, when you have a young player that might struggle a bit, and (Shaylee) took up the slack.”

Something about playing Gonzaga brings out the best in Gonzales.

In nine career games against the Zags while at BYU, Gonzales averaged 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals. So of course her stat line Friday night was similar. Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier called it doing “Shaylee things.”

“She does a little bit of everything — she can shoot, she can drive, she’s heady, she guards,” Fortier said. “There’s not a lot of holes in her game. She’s a very experienced veteran and a well-rounded player.”

Her biggest basket came with 4:39 to play in the third, when Gonzaga was on a 9-0 run and chipping away at the Longhorns’ double-digit lead. Texas missed a layup, but Shay Holle grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked it to Gonzales. That’s when Gonzales calmly buried a 3, pushing Texas’ lead back to 15.

“I played against Gonzaga for four years, so I had a chip on my shoulder playing them again,” Gonzales said, smiling big. “I know their team very well, obviously, and I didn’t want to lose to them.”

She knows, too, how crucial the perimeter is every game, especially in the postseason.

“Guard play is super important for us, it drives our team,” Gonzales said. “Once our guard play gets going, it brings our whole team together.”

It was especially important for the Longhorns on Friday because Booker played like, well, a freshman. The rookie had just six points on 3-of-8 shooting, turning the ball over seven times. She was visibly frustrated all night, sighing and slumping her shoulders as she threw the ball out of bounds and picked up silly fouls.

Schaefer said Thursday that Booker doesn’t play like a newbie much, but he did get on her Friday as she threw the ball out of bounds a few times, picked up a couple dumb fouls and never found her rhythm.

Enter Gonzales (and don’t forget Holle, who scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, also snagging six rebounds). In reality, Booker was probably due for a game like she had Friday. It’s not realistic for a freshman to play like a veteran her entire first year of college basketball, when she’s still adjusting to this level.

But here’s the good news: the stinker is out of the way. Booker will probably play great against third-seeded NC State, eager to flush the memory of this one. There's a reason she won Big 12 co-player of the year.

In the meantime, a big game from Gonzales can give Schaefer and his coaches confidence that no matter how his freshman plays, they’ll be just fine. Good guard play usually carries teams deep into the tournament. And as Friday proved, Texas has multiple good guards.

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas barrels into Elite Eight, matchup with NC State, behind guard