Jones, Harmon lead No. 5 Texas to 106-62 victory over Long Beach State

By MARK ROSNER
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Taylor Jones scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds and No. 5 Texas defeated Long Beach State 106-62 on Wednesday night to continue its undefeated start to the season.

Rori Harmon scored 17 points and made six steals for the Longhorns (10-0). Backup guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half. Madison Booker led Texas with seven assists against no turnovers, and she made three steals.

DeYona Gaston, making her season debut after missing the first nine games with an ankle injury, produced nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes.

“They have an orchestra of offense,” Long Beach State coach Amy Wright said. “They have the best conductor in the country in Rori Harmon.”

Savannah Tucker led Long Beach State (3-3) with 22 points. She hit 5 of 7 3-point shots.

Jones, a 6-foot-4 senior, scored a career-best 27 points last week against Oral Roberts, converting all 11 shots from the field. In her next game, against UConn, Jones was in foul trouble and hit just 1 of 3 shots. She was back in form against Long Beach, converting 7 of 10 shots from the field in 19 minutes.

Texas had massive advantages in shooting percentage (54.2% to 36.5%) rebounding (56-27), and points in the paint (54-26). Long Beach committed 30 turnovers.

The Longhorns raced to a 57-18 halftime lead, shooting 58% from the field, forcing 20 turnovers and using their height advantage for a 34-10 edge in the paint.

Long Beach shot 27.6% in the half and went scoreless for seven minutes. Long Beach improved to 44 points and 44% in the second half.

“I was proud of our team,” Wright said. “We competed the entire game but especially in the second half.”

Despite the one-sided result, Texas coach Vic Schaefer was not pleased, citing 25 for 42 free throw shooting, 21 turnovers and 44 points allowed in the second half.

“Typical final exam (week) game,” Schaefer said. “Not a lot of focus. It just blows my mind how you can go 25 for 42 at the free throw line. How do you hold them to 18 points in the first half and then give up 44 in the second?”

BIG PICTURE

Long Beach: Playing at a fast pace, Long Beach averages more than 20 turnovers a game, so Texas was not a good matchup. The Longhorns, often using full-court pressure, induce more than 25 a game by opponents.

Texas: The Longhorns should receive a boost with the return of Gaston, a 6-2 forward who averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds last season and was voted first team all-Big 12. Schaefer said Gaston will work on her conditioning while playing limited minutes starting out. “I did get tired,” Gaston said. “I tried to push myself.”

UP NEXT

Long Beach: Hosts Colorado State on Dec. 15.

Texas: At Arizona on Dec. 13.

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