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Texas Longhorns rout West Virginia in women's basketball as Madison Booker leads way

associated press
·2 min read
Madison Booker, who has shifted to point guard since Rori Harmon's season-ending injury, contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds in Texas' 70-49 victory at West Virginia.
Madison Booker, who has shifted to point guard since Rori Harmon's season-ending injury, contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds in Texas' 70-49 victory at West Virginia.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Freshman Madison Booker had 15 points and a season-high 12 rebounds and she shook off a scary fall late to lead No. 10 Texas to a 70-49 win over No. 24 West Virginia on Saturday.

The Mountaineers entered the game third nationally with 25 forced turnovers per game. But Texas (15-1, 2-1 Big 12) fought through their full-court press for easy early layups and never trailed.

West Virginia (13-1, 2-1) couldn’t recover from a poor beginning and saw the second-best start in school history snapped. The Mountaineers opened the game 2-for-12 from the floor and fell behind 23-11.

Booker scored eight points in the second quarter, and the Longhorns' lead grew steadily the rest of the game.

Shaylee Gonzales added 15 points for Texas, and Aaliyah Moore scored 12. Leading scorer Taylor Jones returned after missing four games with a hip injury. She finished with eight points in 21 minures off the bench.

JJ Quinerly led West Virginia with 22 points, and Jordan Harrison added 10. Hounded by Booker, Quinerly made 6 of 20 field goals, including 1 of 12 from 3-point range.

Booker is averaging 18.5 points in four games since moving from her regular forward position to point guard after teammate Rori Harmon was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Booker and West Virginia's Tirzah Moore landed hard on their backs battling for a loose ball late in the third quarter. Moore left the game while Booker stayed in to make two free throws. She rubbed her lower back near the Texas bench after the quarter ended but remained in the game.

Texas committed a season-high 24 turnovers, but it didn’t matter. The taller Longhorns held a 47-24 rebounding advantage, and the Big 12’s second-worst free-throw shooting team made 17 of 19.

West Virginia shot 16 of 60 (27%) from the floor and was held to its lowest scoring output of the season.

Texas will return home to face No. 23 TCU at 7 p.m. Wednesday. West Virginia will play at Iowa State on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Madison Booker leads Texas over West Virginia in women's basketball