Muhammad leads No. 5 Texas past Texas Tech 77-72

Updated Feb. 21, 2024 11:36 p.m. ET

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Amina Muhammad had 16 points and a career-best 15 rebounds to help No. 5 Texas beat Texas Tech 77-72 on Wednesday night for its seventh straight win.

The 6-foot-4 Muhammad, who was making her first start since January, grabbed 10 offensive rebounds.

“They weren't really boxing out much,” Muhammad said. “So I was just crashing the paint.”

Muhammad played 35 minutes, an opportunity she had because starter Aaliyah Moore has a sore knee. She played only two minutes. Muhammad's hustle and rebounding notwithstanding, Texas coach Vic Schaefer was unhappy with his team.

“They pretty much stuck it to us for 40 minutes,” Schaefer said. “You’ve worked so hard all year to put yourself in this position and you go out there and lay the biggest egg possible. But don’t blame them. You blame me. I’m responsible for that mess tonight.”

Taylor Jones led Texas (25-3, 12-3 Big 12) with 19 points. DeYona Gaston scored all 12 of her points in the second half, enabling Texas to win despite Jones spending most of the third quarter and part of the fourth on the bench with three fouls.

Madison Booker, the Longhorns' best player, also spent a big chunk of the second half on the bench, with four fouls. Booker returned midway through the fourth quarter and made six straight free throws in the final 50 seconds.

Booker made all 10 of her free throws, but Texas missed 10 of 34. Tech (16-12, 5-10) hit just 6 of 11.

“I felt like that there were times that we could have gotten some calls to get to the line a little bit more,” Tech coach Krista Gerlich said. “But, you know, that just doesn’t happen very often when you play on the road.”

Jasmine Shavers scored a game-high 27 points for Texas Tech. She made four of the Red Raiders 12 3-point baskets. Bailey Maupin scored 22. Tech averages six 3-pointers a game.

“We had so many missed assignments,” Schaefer said.

Tech trailed by just four with about three minutes remaining, but Jones made a layup and Shaylee Gonzales added a 3-pointer, increasing the lead to nine.

The Red Raiders scored five points in 13 seconds when Shavers made a 3, Shay Holle committed a foul for Texas, and Tech, retaining possession scored with a layup by Maupin with 1:08 left. Then Booker (14 points) made her free throws to seal the win.

Tech played without its top two rebounders, Kilah Freelon (illness) and Jordyn Merritt (concussion protocal). The Red Raiders were outrebounded 42-30.

“I'm super proud of our kids, the way that we fought,” Gerlich said. “Especially as depleted as our roster is right now and without the bigs that we need."

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders played hard and effectively compared to most games during a losing streak that includes three defeats by 18 points or more. They lost by 29 at Baylor on Sunday.

Texas: The Longhorns attempt and convert the fewest 3-point shots in the Big 12, making just four a game, but they usually compensate by scoring inside. Texas averages 16 more points a game than opponents in the paint. They outscored Tech by a mere 30-24.

MISSING LONGHORN

Forward Khadija Faye, primarily a backup, missed her sixth straight game with “a personal health issue," Schaefer said. The 6-foot-4 Faye started seven games this season and averages 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech hosts Cincinnati on Saturday.

Texas is at Central Florida on Saturday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here

___

AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball