No. 12 Texas staked its claim in a heated race at the top of the Big 12 with a 61-54 win over No. 2 Kansas State on Sunday.
The Longhorns jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never trailed in a dominant win in front of a home crowd in Austin.
Kansas State kept things close as Texas entered the second quarter with a 14-10 lead. But the Longhorns extended their edge to 20-10 in the second quarter then maintained a double-digit lead through most of the second half. The lead ballooned to as high a 41-22 in the third quarter.
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The Wildcats cut their deficit to 54-47 with 2:26 remaining with a 10-0 run. But Texas was able to run out the clock as Kansas State didn’t get closer than five points.
Freshman Madison Booker led the Texas effort with 20 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal. An and-1 in traffic helped the Longhorns keep the Wildcats at bay early in the fourth quarter.
Senior Taylor Jones added 13 points, eight rebounds and one steal while junior forward Aaliyah Moore posted 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Serena Sundell was the only Kansas State starter to score in double figures with 14 points and eight assists. Eliza Maupin led the Wildcats with 18 points off the bench on a 7-of-7 effort from the floor. Gabby Gregory and Brylee Glenn both went scoreless from the starting lineup on a combined 0-of-8 shooting effort.
The Longhorns limited the Wildcats to 35.8% shooting from the floor including a 3-of-21 (14.3%) effort from 3-point distance. They secured a 39-30 rebounding advantage while shooting 41.4% from the floor.
The Kansas State loss dropped the Wildcats to 20-3 and 9-2 in the Big 12, allowing unranked Oklahoma to move into first place in the conference at 9-1. Texas improved to 21-3 and 8-3 in the Big 12 with the win.
