Texas Longhorns Take Down Missouri Tigers in Ugly Win

The Texas Longhorns looked jumbled until the third quarter, but were still able to put away the Missouri Tigers.
Jan 30, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Taylor Jones (44) shoots while defended by Missouri Tigers forward Hannah Linthacum (34) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Imagesl
Jan 30, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Taylor Jones (44) shoots while defended by Missouri Tigers forward Hannah Linthacum (34) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Imagesl / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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There are good wins, bad wins and ugly wins and for the No. 5 Texas Longhorns, Thursday's 70-61 victory over the Missouri Tigers was anything but pretty.

In a must-win situation, Texas defeated Mizzou in one of the ugliest games of the season. With players out due to the flu, the Longhorns had a short bench and Ndjackalenga Mwenentanda started in place of senior Aaliyah Moore.

Texas took over in the third quarter, but that was the first time the team had any kind of spark. The Longhorns trailed almost the entire first half and at one point by 11 but held Mizzou to just 10 third-quarter points with Madison Booker scoring nine for the Longhorns.

Rori Harmo
Jan 30, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) shoots over Missouri Tigers guard Averi Kroenke (21) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Taylor Jones was the only offense spark for the Longhorns early, scoring nine first-quarter points while Booker and Rori Harmon both failed to find the basket. Jones, the reigning SEC Player of the Week continued her dominance, ending the game as Texas' leading scorer.

While Texas played hard defense, Mizzou made tough shots. The Tigers pressed hard and refused to go quietly, playing until the final whistle.

With Harmon and Booker both failing to make shots early, Texas turned to other shooters. Freshman Jordan Lee continued to prove herself as an impact player, scoring seven points, including one three. Shay Holle also had a solid scoring performance, tallying eight points of her own. Harmon did what she does best and dished out 10 assists.

Texas forced 18 Mizzou turnovers, but turned the ball over 19 times, leading to 13 Tiger points. Mwenentanda had seven turnovers but also had a team-high seven rebounds and ten points.

Booker found her stride and ended the game with 16 points, but her defensive effort was where she shined.

The Longhorns found their stride in the second half, but against one of the worst shooting teams in the conference, they struggled to stop Mizzou. Texas outrebounded Mizzou 38-25 and had 11 second chance points, continuing to win the battle around the basket.

Now, Texas looks to regroup as it will travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M in a rivalry game on Sunday. The Longhorns are still in second place in the SEC with a 21-2 overall and 7-1 conference record.

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Lindsey Plotkin
LINDSEY PLOTKIN

Lindsey Plotkin is a journalism major and sports media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a double coverage editor for the Daily Texan on the football and baseball beats, and a staff writer for Texas Longhorns On SI.