Madison Booker scores 24, and No. 4 Texas beats Florida 88-68 in front of Shaq

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Madison Booker scored 24 points, Aaliyah Crump added 14 and No. 4 Texas pounded Florida inside on its way to an 88-68 victory Thursday night in front of Shaquille O’Neal.

Playing for the first time in 11 days, the Longhorns outscored the Gators 60-30 in the paint to end a two-game road skid.

Texas (20-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) had its game at Arkansas last weekend postponed because of a winter storm, creating a lengthy midseason break. But the Longhorns showed little, if any, rust against the Gators (13-10, 1-7).

Booker, the reigning SEC player of the year, made 11 of 21 shots to go along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. She scored eight points in the decisive second quarter — helping Texas outscore Florida by 14 in the frame.

Laila Reynolds led the Gators with 18 points. Me’Arah O’Neal, playing in front of her Hall of Fame father, added 17 points. The elder O’Neal wore a purple sweatsuit with “Shaq” emblazoned on the front and sat in a roped-off section of media seats with several friends. He posed for pictures with fans at halftime.

Liv McGill chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for Florida, which led 19-16 after the first quarter but had no answer for the Longhorns’ superior size down low.

Florida fell to 0-2 in its most daunting stretch of the season. The Gators lost to No. 6 LSU on Monday and play at fifth-ranked Vanderbilt in three days. No SEC team has ever played three consecutive games against top-six teams over a seven-day stretch during the regular season.

Up next

Texas: Hosts Oklahoma on Sunday to begin a three-game homestand.

Florida: At No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball