No. 3 Texas pulls away in 3rd quarter in 71-46 win over BYU

AUSTIN, Texas — Madison Booker had 20 points and five assists and led a third-quarter surge as No. 3 Texas beat BYU 71-46 on Saturday night.

Texas (27-4, 14-4 Big 12) finished the regular season in second place in the conference, one game behind Oklahoma, which swept two games from the Longhorns.

BYU (16-15, 6-12) scored the first basket of the second half to cut its deficit to five points, but Texas then went on a 15-0 run to seize control of the game. Booker, a freshman guard, gave Texas a 13-point lead when she stole an inbounds pass, made a mid-range jump shot and converted a foul shot, completing a three-point play.

Aaliyah Moore had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Taylor Jones (three blocks) and DeYona Gaston each scored 13.

Lauren Gustin had 20 points and 15 rebounds for BYU. Kailey Woolston scored 13.

Booker scored 17 in the first half, and Texas had a 10-point lead in the final minute. But after BYU’s Kaylee Smiler missed two free throws, Gustin beat Gaston to the rebound of the second miss and the Cougars turned it into a 3-point basket by Woolston with four seconds left.

Big picture

BYU: The Cougars’ losing record in Big 12 competition comes as no surprise. They were picked to finish 11th among 14 teams in a preseason poll of the league’s head coaches. … Gustin leads the nation in rebounding with 15.4 per game before Saturday, a margin of 2.4 over LSU’s Angel Reese.

Texas: Senior forward Khadija Faye, primarily a backup, returned to the Longhorns this week after missing seven games with a personal health issue, according to coach Vic Schaefer. The 6-foot-4 Faye started seven games this season. She could provide help for a front court that is deep, but inconsistent. Faye scored two points in nine minutes against BYU.

Up next

BYU: Heads to the Big 12 tournament, which starts Thursday in Kansas City. The Cougars have a bye in the first round.

Texas: As a top-four seed, the Longhorns will not play until the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.