AUSTIN, Texas — The burnt orange wave continued to surge as the No. 12 Texas Longhorns dominated No. 2 Kansas State with a 61-54 victory on Sunday, leaving the Wildcats to taste back-to-back losses and dipping them from their perch atop the Big 12. The Moody Center was witness to Texas' savvy play on both ends of the court, as they exploited a significant size advantage to clean up with a rebounding masterclass and defensive prowess. The home team outbounced the Wildcats 39-30 in rebounds and capitalized on second-chance points, pulling ahead to clearly to take the win, according to KXAN.
🚨LONGHORNS BEAT NO. 2🚨
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) February 4, 2024
No. 12 @TexasWBB get the win over No. 2 Kansas State!!#NCAAWBB pic.twitter.com/040AWiwr8r
Without their towering 6-foot-6 center Ayoka Lee, who's currently recovering from ankle surgery, Kansas State was hard-pressed to assert their usual dominance in the paint. “We wanted to go inside and use what we had,” Texas' Aaliyah Moore said after pocketing a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, as per KXAN.
Kansas State, however, didn't let go without a fight. They managed to mount a 10-0 streak in the fourth quarter, slicing Texas' lead down to just seven with 2:26 on the clock. But their efforts to close the gap fell short after Jones landed a resounding bucket inside, and Texas retained control by sinking critical foul shots in the closing moments. Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said, “We made great strides defensively since we were able to play man all night,” heaping praise on his team's defensive effort.
The absence of Kansas State's Lee was palpable as the Longhorns stomped their way to establish a dominance that's becoming harder and harder to ignore. Madison Booker, Texas' standout, steered clear from a shaky first-half performance and orchestrated her team's offense to lead all scorers with 20 points, as reported by The Score.
