Texas Women Cruise Past San Diego in Last-Minute Contest

The No. 11 Longhorns needed an opponent after No. 4 Arizona had to pause its program due to COVID-19 protocols

The No. 11 Texas Longhorns cruised easily to a 74-58 win over San Diego on Sunday afternoon after their much-anticipated matchup with No. 4 Arizona fell through due to COVID-19.

The Texas women (8-1) were supposed to play the Wildcats, who reached the national championship game last April, as part of the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge. But, on Saturday, the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing within the Wildcats' women's basketball program.

San Diego agreed to play the Longhorns in Las Vegas on short notice, as head coach Vic Schaefer took to Twitter to solicit an opponent.

Aliyah Matharu came off the bench to score 22 points and lead the Longhorns in the contest. DeYona Gaston had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Joanne Allen-Taylor and Audrey Warren had 10 points each. Freshman guard Rori Harmon started the game but played just seven minutes as she was in foul trouble the entire contest.

The contest was notable for Texas because guard Kobe King-Hawea, who missed a month with an injury, returned to the floor and played five minutes. This follows Kyndall Hunter’s return to the lineup recently, also from injury. The Longhorns are still missing Aaliyah Moore, who was an instant starter as a true freshman along with Harmon and was hurt last month.

Kiera Oakry led San Diego with 16 points.

The Longhorns have two more home games in December. On Wednesday, the Longhorns will travel to Princeton to take on the Tigers at 11 a.m. central. Then, on Dec. 29, the Longhorns host Alcorn State at 7 p.m.

After that, the Longhorns will travel to Oklahoma State on Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. to open Big 12 play.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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