– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — If one know their basketball history, then it would be hard to watch Texas superstar Madison Booker and not draw immediate comparisons to another Forty Acres basketball legend, Kevin Durant, from the lanky frame to the smooth jumper to the same uniform number, 35, both wore in Austin. One difference we do know is that Booker, who was a freshman last year, is not a one-and-done like Durant was, and that might lead the Longhorns’ women’s team to a place Durant wasn’t able to head his team while in college: the Final Four.
Booker scored 28 points as Texas passed another test on their schedule, routing No. 8 Maryland 89-51 in the second game of the Coretta Scott King Classic inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Three other players scored in double figures for the Longhorns as Texas scored six of the game’s first seven points while never trailing and opening a lead as much as 40 points.
The win marked the fourth victory against a ranked team for the Longhorns this season, and the 38-point margin of victory is the largest against the Top 10 team in program history.
Booker, who became the first freshman to win Big 12 Player of the Year last season, made 13 of her 19 shots from the field against the Terrapins in her 27 minutes of action in the game.
Texas did not relent in putting the game away early, as a Booker three-pointer capped a 9-0 run that game the Longhorns a 15-5 advantage. Booker found a running Kyla Oldacre for what turned into a three-point play to put Texas up 24-8 late in the first quarter. Texas opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run, as Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda made back-to-back buckets to put Texas up 37-14. The Longhorns outscored Maryland 20-6 in the second quarter.
Maryland was already coming into the game shorthanded, announcing before the game that reserve guard Bri McDaniel was out for the season with a torn ACL, suffered last week against Minnesota, and proceeded to lose their leading scorer, Shyanne Sellers, in the second quarter today due to a knee injury after getting tangled with another player. Sellers came back into the game momentarily before having to come back out of the game for good.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Monday evening’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 18 pictures in total.
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