3 takeaways from Texas's win over UTRGV

Texas Women's Basketball hosted the UTRGV Vaqueros at Moody Center this afternoon. This afternoon was the Longhorn's final non-conference game before SEC Conference games begin on January 2nd against Oklahoma. It took the ladies a bit to get going this afternoon.

It seems like the starting five had a tough time hitting some shots. Kyla Oldarce would come off the bench and lead the Longhorns to a 94-35 win over the Vaqueros. Oldarce was the leading scorer for Texas, scoring 21 points. While the Longhorns did win today's matchup, I'm getting a little concerned about heading into conference play.

Usually, the Longhorns put a team like UTRGV away by the end of the first quarter. They accomplished that goal. However, Madison Booker had another rough shooting performance in the first half against a team that isn't good defensively. As we head into the conference schedule, I'm worried her lackluster first-half shooting could affect the Longhorns in close games this year. Here are the three takeaways from the massive win against UTRGV this afternoon.

Takeaways from Texas women's basketball's win over UTRGV: 3. Oldarce's performance

Oldarce provided an offensive spark for the Longhorns off the bench today and is one of the takeaways this afternoon. She was diving towards the rim and putting the ball in the basket. Oldarce will be called upon when the starters need a break.

Vic Schaefer and his coaching staff deserve praise for recruiting her out of the transfer portal this past summer. She will be a player to watch when the Longhorns start their conference schedule.

2. Rebounding the ball

Controlling the boards was another reason the Longhorns beat the Vaqueros by a wide margin this afternoon. The Longhorns out-rebounded the ball 44-29. It was another solid day on the boards, and that is a stat that I will start mentioning in the articles moving forward.

The Longhorns must dominate the boards to win the SEC Championship in their first year in the conference. This was the last test before conference games start later this week.

1. Madison Booker finding her rhythm in the second half

I was slightly concerned with how Booker shot the ball in the first half against the Vaqueros this afternoon. In the second half, it seemed like Booker found her rhythm. I'm trying not to harp on her for making bad shots. I want her to take her time and make a quality shot attempt. If she misses the quality shot, I'll be okay with it.

She is an excellent basketball player, as shown on the stat sheets. However, SEC teams are different from Big 12 teams. You can't afford to have a bad shooting performance in an SEC Conference game. SEC teams love it when other conference teams don't rebound or make shots.

An SEC game could come down to a single possession, and I don't want her to feel that one of her missed shots was why they lost a conference game. The Longhorns will start their conference schedule against the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday in Norman.

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