Jones and Booker lead No. 5 Texas past Missouri 70-61 for Longhorns' 18th straight home win

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No. 5 Texas' Booker shares what prompted her second-half surge

Madison Booker talks about what adjustments the Longhorns made at halftime to get her the ball more and gives a shoutout to teammate Taylor Jones for her work on and off of the court.

Jan 31, 2025, 04:37 am

AUSTIN, Texas -- — Taylor Jones scored 17 points, Madison Booker added 16 and No. 5 Texas defeated Missouri 70-61 on Thursday night for its fifth straight win and 18th in a row at home.

Jones scored 11 in the first half for Texas (21-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), which began its home winning streak in January 2024. Booker had nine points in the third quarter, when the Longhorns outscored Missouri 19-10 and led for the first time.

Rori Harmon made a jumper with 2:39 left and Shay Holle followed with a 3-pointer 22 seconds later, giving Texas an eight-point lead. Harmon secured the win with two free throws with 38 seconds remaining.

Laniah Randle led Missouri (12-11, 1-7) with 22 points. Grace Slaughter scored 16.

Takeaways

Missouri: The Tigers are improving. Their first six SEC losses were by an average of 18 points, only one by fewer than 15. Then they beat Mississippi State 78-77 and were competitive with Texas.

Texas: Booker has averaged 20.8 points in five games since missing 16 of 19 shots in a loss at South Carolina on Jan. 12. ... Forwards Aaliyah Moore and Justice Carlton missed the game Thursday with the flu. ... Senior guard Laila Phelia will apply for an NCAA medical redshirt season. Phelia, an all-Big Ten guard for Michigan last season, suffered a detached retina in the offseason and played in eight games for Texas.

Key moment

Missouri led 32-21 after a layup and free throw by Randle with 4:21 left in the first half. Texas responded with a 12-3 push to finish the half, starting with its first 3-point basket by Jordan Lee.

Key stat

Missouri shot just 36% in the second half after hitting 55.6 in the first.

Up next

Missouri: Hosts No. 18 Tennessee on Sunday

Texas: Plays at Texas A&M on Sunday.

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