In a decisive victory, Texas’ Kyla Oldacre scored 18 points, propelling the No. 1 Longhorns to a 72-46 triumph over Florida on Sunday, securing a share of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season title alongside South Carolina. This season marks Texas’ inaugural participation in the league, during which they’ve amassed an impressive 13-game winning streak.
Texas, now standing at 29-2 overall and 15-1 in the SEC, celebrated coach Vic Schaefer’s 64th birthday in style by extending their home winning streak to 22 games. This season alone, they have notched up 15 home victories. Despite foul trouble causing All-American Madison Booker to miss much of the second half, she still contributed 14 points. Additionally, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda added 11 points, while Rori Harmon showcased her versatility with nine rebounds and seven assists.
On the other side, Florida’s Ra Shaya Kyle led the Gators with 12 points, and Live McGill added nine, falling short of her team-leading average by seven points. The Gators struggled offensively, managing just a 33% shooting percentage from the field.
For Florida, the season has been challenging against top-tier opponents, as they remain winless in 10 outings against teams ranked in the AP Top-25 women’s basketball poll. Meanwhile, the defensively robust Longhorns have consistently outperformed their adversaries. They led Florida 29-18 by halftime—a second instance in recent games where Texas forced their opponents to score under 20 in the first half. Earlier, they restricted Georgia to merely 16 points in the first half and 10 in the second. Overall, Texas dominates the SEC with a striking plus-25 point scoring margin.
Initially appearing sluggish and imprecise, Texas trailed 8-1 at the beginning of the game, missing six shots and committing two turnovers. However, they quickly turned the tide with a 15-0 run, spurred by Booker’s eight points, and thereafter never relinquished the lead.
Florida’s handling of the ball proved to be a liability, as they averaged 18.3 turnovers per game prior to this matchup, ranking last in the SEC. Against Texas, the Gators committed 23 turnovers, which the Longhorns converted into 21 additional points.
Looking ahead, Florida will commence their SEC tournament journey on Wednesday in Greenville, S.C. Meanwhile, Texas enjoys a bye through the first two rounds, with their next game scheduled for Friday.
