Oklahoma
Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (01/31/2026) — The No. 4 Texas Longhorns secured a crucial home victory Saturday, holding off a determined comeback from the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners to win 78-70 in front of a packed house of 10,155 at the Moody Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Texas jumped out to a commanding lead, building a 21-point advantage late in the second quarter. The Longhorns' offense was clicking, shooting 51% from the field for the game, while their defense stifled the Sooners, forcing 21 turnovers. Freshman Aaliyah Crump provided a significant spark off the bench for Texas, scoring 10 of her 12 points in a six-minute span during the second quarter to help build the substantial lead.
Oklahoma, however, did not back down. The Sooners came out of halftime with renewed energy, using a barrage of three-pointers to chip away at the deficit. Payton Verhulst hit two of her four third-quarter threes to pull Oklahoma back into contention. The Sooners cut the lead to as few as seven points in the fourth quarter after a basket by Zya Vann with just over seven minutes remaining.
TURNING POINT
With their lead dwindling, the Texas Longhorns responded decisively. Following Vann's basket that brought the score to 62-55, Texas immediately answered with a 6-0 run. A jump shot by Madison Booker was followed by quick layups from Rori Harmon and Justice Carlton, pushing the lead back to 13 and effectively ending the Sooners' threat.
STAR OF THE GAME
Madison Booker and Justice Carlton shared the offensive load for the Texas Longhorns, each scoring 16 points. Carlton was a force in the paint, adding eight rebounds and two steals. Booker contributed a well-rounded performance with five rebounds and five assists. For the Oklahoma Sooners, Payton Verhulst led all scorers with 18 points, while Zya Vann added 15, with 10 of her points coming in the fourth quarter.
WHAT IT MEANS
For the Texas Longhorns, the victory extends their impressive home winning streak to 38 games and improves their record against ranked opponents this season to 7-2. It was a critical win to maintain their position at the top of the SEC standings.
The loss for the Oklahoma Sooners snaps a three-game winning streak. Despite the loss, their resilient second-half performance against a top-five team on the road shows their capability to compete with the nation's best. The Sooners' star freshman, Aaliyah Chavez, was held to 11 points on 3-for-13 shooting, well below her average, largely due to the defensive efforts of Texas's Rori Harmon.