Jones has career day, leads No. 10 Texas to 112-74 victory against Oral Roberts

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This article was published 29/11/2023 (1027 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Taylor Jones had career-bests 27 points and 16 rebounds in 24 minutes and No. 10 Texas defeated Oral Roberts 112-74 on Wednesday to continue its undefeated start to the season.

Jones, a 6-foot-4 senior, converted all 11 shots from the field. Freshman Madison Booker scored a season-best 17 points in 21 minutes for Texas (8-0). Rori Harmon had a typical game, filling the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, five steals and 13 assists, the latter matching the junior point guard’s career best. All that in 25 minutes.

“Our guards did a really good job at attacking and giving me great passes,” Jones said. “It’s my job to finish those easy ones.”

Coach Vic Schaefer was impressed with the totality of Harmon’s production.

“I don’t think there’s anybody else in America that plays the game like Rory Harmon plays it on both ends of the floor,” Schaefer said. “I’ll say it until the cows come home.”

Shaylee Gonzales added 16 points for Texas, hitting 7 of 10 from the field.

Sophomore Taleyah Jones led Oral Roberts (4-3) with a career-high 23 points.

The Golden Eagles shot 38.6% and committed 22 turnovers, largely against Texas’ full-court pressure.

Texas had its own issues taking care of the basketball with 16 turnovers. But it had a huge edge in turning them into points — 32-8.

While both teams had difficulty with ball security, Texas shot much better — 61. The Longhorns scored 70 in the paint.

Oral Roberts coach Kelsi Musick said she was pleased that her team maintained its effort throughout the game. The Golden Eagles, playing at a fast pace, scored 50 in the second half, shooting 53%.

“They played hard for 40 minutes,” Musick said. “That’s something that, no matter what, no matter what the score shows, we can’t take that away from my ladies.”

BIG PICTURE

Oral Roberts: The Golden Eagles have lost to three Big 12 teams — TCU, Oklahoma and Texas, by an average of 29 points. They averaged 18 turnovers in those games. Against Texas they committed five turnovers in the first three minutes and eight in the first quarter while missing 15 of 20 shots from the field and falling behind 28-17.

Texas: Aaliyah Moore, the highest-rated recruit that Schaefer signed at Texas, missed nearly a year after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee last Dec. 11. Moore, a redshirt sophomore, has been back for three games. A former starter, Moore averages 14 minutes and 8.7 points as she works her way back to full-time duty.

“When you bring kids back off injuries, you are always concerned about getting fatigued, because when they get fatigued, that’s when re-injury could happen,” Schaefer said. “We’ll continue to build her up, build her into the rotation. She’s got some rust to knock off.”

FINALLY, A TEST

The Longhorns, who moved into the AP Top 10 this week for the first time this season, will find out if they deserve to remain there when they host No. 11 Connecticut, their first top-25 opponent, on Sunday.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I’ve already been watching film on them,” Schaefer said.

UP NEXT

Oral Roberts: Hosts Oklahoma Wesleyan on Dec. 11.

Texas: Hosts No. 11 Connecticut on Sunday.