Madison Booker turned Moody Center into her own personal showcase Sunday night, erupting for 40 points as No. 1 seed Texas overwhelmed Oregon 100-58 in Austin and punched its ticket to the NCAA Sweet 16. The junior forward also stacked eight rebounds and five assists in the rout while knocking down nearly all her free throws in front of an announced crowd of 8,981.
Booker’s Night: All Gas, No Brakes
Booker carved up Oregon with ruthless efficiency, going 14-for-21 from the field and 10-for-11 at the line, then checking out with 3:10 to play in the fourth quarter, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Head coach Vic Schaefer said his team "played their hearts out today," while Booker pointed back to her coaches and teammates for putting her in spots to score. Ducks coach Kelly Graves, the Statesman noted, added that Booker is a nightmare to prepare for.
Not Just A One-Night Show
Booker is a junior forward and a three-time AP All-American who has ranked among the nation’s top scorers this season, per her profile on the Texas Longhorns site. The official roster lays out the national and Big 12 honors that have cemented her as Texas’ go-to offensive option all year. That résumé, combined with her nightly production, has forced opponents to build their entire defensive game plan around her.
Rewriting The Longhorns Record Book
The 40-point explosion was just the seventh 40-point game in Texas women’s basketball history and set the program’s single-game NCAA tournament scoring record, with the previous mark at 32 points, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The performance bumped Booker past Tiffany Jackson into fifth place on the Longhorns’ all-time scoring list and lifted her career total to 1,927 points. Charli Collier’s 44-point outing on Nov. 29, 2020, still stands as the overall program single-game record.
Up Next: Sweet 16 In Fort Worth
Texas moved to 33-3 with the win and locked in a spot in the Sweet 16, with the next stop listed as Fort Worth on the Longhorns’ official schedule, per Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns will look to keep riding Booker’s hot hand as the bracket tightens and the stakes get higher.
