AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Amina Muhammad had 16 points and a career-best 15 rebounds Wednesday night, helping No. 5 Texas beat Texas Tech 77-72 for its seventh straight win.
The 6-foot-4 Muhammad, making his first start since January, grabbed 10 offensive rebounds.
“They didn't do much boxing,” Muhammad said. “So I was just crashing the paint.”
Muhammad played 35 minutes but had a chance because starter Aaliyah Moore was hurting her knee. She played just two minutes. Despite Muhammad's struggles and rebounds, Texas coach Vic Schaefer was unhappy with his team.
“They kept telling us that for almost 40 minutes,” Schaefer said. “You've worked hard all year to get into this position, and you go out there and lay as big an egg as possible. But don't blame them. You blame me. . I am responsible for tonight's mess.”
Taylor Jones led Texas State (25-3, 12-3 Big 12) with 19 points. Deyonah Gaston scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and Texas won despite Jones spending much of the third quarter and part of the fourth on the bench with three fouls.
Madison Booker, the Longhorns' best player, also spent much of the second half on the bench and had four fouls. Booker returned midway through the fourth quarter and made six straight free throws with 50 seconds left.
Booker made all 10 of his free throws, but Texas missed 10 of 34. Tech (16-12, 5-10) made just 6 of 11 shots.
“We felt like there were times when we could have gotten calls to get a little closer to the line,” Tech coach Krista Gerlich said. “But that rarely happens when you’re playing on the road.”
For Texas Tech, Jasmine Shavers scored a game-high 27 points. She made four of the Red Raiders' 12 3-point baskets. Bailey Maupin had his 22 points. At Tech, he averaged six 3-pointers per game.
“We were very often not up to the task,” Schaefer said.
Tech was down by just four points with about three minutes left, but Jones hit a layup and Shaylee Gonzalez hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to nine points.
The Red Raiders had five points with 13 seconds left when Shavers made a 3, Shea Hall committed a Texas foul, Tech had the ball and scored on Maupin's layup with 1:08 left. Booker (14 points) then made a free throw to seal the victory.
Tech played without its top two rebounders, Kira Freelon (illness) and Jordyn Merritt (concussion protocol). The Red Raiders lost 42-30.
“I’m so proud of my kids and the way we competed,” Gerlich said. “Especially now, our roster is depleted and we don't have the big players we need.”
big picture
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders played harder and more effectively than they have in most games during a losing streak with three losses by 18 points or more. They lost by 29 points to Baylor on Sunday.
Texas: The Longhorns attempt and make the fewest 3-pointers in the Big 12, making just four per game, but they usually make up for it by scoring inside. Texas averages 16 more points than its opponents in the paint. They outscored Tech by just 30-24.
missing longhorn
Forward Khadijah Fay, who was primarily a backup, missed six straight games due to “personal health issues,” Schaefer said. The 6-foot-4 Fay started seven games this season and averaged 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.
next
Texas Tech hosts Cincinnati on Saturday.
Texas is at Central Florida on Saturday.
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