I guess I performed good today,” Booker said. “And then Kevin Durant showed up, so I mean that was nice. He can give me lessons, too, if he hears this.”
After Alabama (24-10) cut Texas’ lead to eight points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Longhorns’ inside attack of Moore and DeYona Gaston (9 points, 7 rebounds) proved to be too much down the stretch. Moore had eight of Texas’ 17 fourth-quarter points, and Gaston added five more as Alabama never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Alabama guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, who led the Crimson Tide with 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting, appreciated having Durant at the game.
“I think just him supporting women’s basketball means a lot even though he was supporting Texas,” Barker said. “Just him being here, that just means a lot to us just knowing that one of the best players ever was watching us play against Texas tonight.”
As a No. 4 seed a year ago, Texas lost a Round of 32 NCAA Tournament game at Moody Center in a 73-51 upset by fifth-seeded Louisville. That loss was a source of motivation for this year’s team. Moore was recovering from an ACL tear nine games into last season and was forced to watch that second-round tourney loss from the bench.
“It’s a little personal just because I wasn’t able to play last year,” Moore said. “I had to sit on the bench and watch that happen and watch my team not play to the best of their ability. So for me to be back on the court this year, and to see how hard we’ve worked to get to this point, and to see us actually executing it – I’m so proud of them.”
Texas was able to get the win over Alabama despite tough shooting nights for senior guards Shay Holle, who went 1-of-7, and Shaylee Gonzales, who was 1-of-5 from the floor. Gonzales had a team-leading three steals and a block, while Holle had two steals and a block.They went 2-for-12. It’s not the first time it’s happened,” Schaefer said. “But they fill up a stat sheet in a different way. Those kids help you win a different way. I don’t have to worry about them scoring. Neither one of them are selfish. Those two are so incredibly special in what they mean to this team.”
