Newcomer Jones leads No. 3 Texas past Louisiana
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Taylor Jones had 21 points and five blocks in her debut for Texas after transferring from Oregon State, and the No. 3 Longhorns defeated Louisiana 68-45 Friday night.
The Longhorns opened their season without their best player, point guard Rori Harmon, who wore a protective boot on her right foot. Texas released a statement before the game that gave no details on Harmon's injury and said her status is day to day.
Harmon, a sophomore, led Texas to the Big 12 tournament championship last season.
Jones, a 6-foot-4 junior, made 6 of 9 shots from the field 9 of 14 free throws while playing 22 minutes.
Shay Holle produced 10 points and five steals for Texas, and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored 10.
Tamera Johnson led Louisiana (0-2) with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Lanay Wheaton scored 13.
Neither team was adept on offense. Texas shot 39% from the field, missing 10 of 11 3-pointers. Louisiana hit 25 percent. Louisiana committed 29 turnovers, and Texas made 25.
The teams combined for 55 fouls, 28 by Louisiana. Texas made 29 of 38 free throws, Mwenentanda going 8 for 8..
Texas opened its $375 million Moody Center.
BIG PICTURE
Louisiana: The Rajin' Cajuns were picked by Sun Belt Conference coaches to finish third in the 14-team league. They will have to overcome the loss of their top shooter, Brandi Williams, to a season-ending knee injury, her second in as many years. Williams converted 45 percent of her 3-point attempts in 2020-21 and hit 7 of 11 in three games last season before it was cut short by a knee injury.
Texas: The Longhorns do not have a pure point guard to replace Harmon. Shaylee Gonzales, West Coast Conference player of the year last season at BYU, and Sonya Morris, who transferred from DePaul, handled the job against Louisiana. Kyndall Hunter, Harmon's high school teammate in Houston, was regarded as a combo guard when she was recruited. Hunter, a sophomore, has been away from the Longhorns for several weeks, but she is still on the roster. Coach Vic Schaefer deems her absence a “personal” matter.
UP NEXT
Louisiana faces Colorado on Tuesday in Lubbock, Texas, in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Texas plays at No. 6 UConn on Monday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25