No. 3 Longhorns women's hoops blow out DePaul 105-62 in exhibition game

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It was an exhibition game, sure, but the No. 3 Texas Longhorns women's basketball team showed off its offensive firepower Sunday night at Moody Center.

The Longhorns clobbered DePaul 105-62 in an unofficial start to the season.

The game was a fundraiser for the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, and proceeds from the event benefited the Uvalde community's effort to recover from the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24 that killed 19 students and two teachers. The foundation is helping build a new elementary school and will help the district's ongoing needs as it moves past the tragedy.

"That's about as good as we've played, practiced, watched film, done anything since we've gotten together," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said. "I thought we brought a lot of energy."

Sonya Morris, who transferred from DePaul to Texas to utilize her year of graduate student eligibility, led the Longhorns with 21 points on 10 of 16 shooting. She chipped in four rebounds, three assists and a steal against her former team. She's No. 9 all-time at DePaul with 1,668 points and No. 8 all-time with 193 three-pointers made.

Aaliyah Moore had 20 points with a pair of blocked shots and DeYona Gaston shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field to end with 18 points. Khadija Faye had a double-double in just 14 minutes with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Shaylee Gonzales had 15 points with two three-pointers.

It was the first time the team has played in the brand new 15,000-seat Moody Center, and Morris said it already feels like home.

"A lot of arenas have dead spots in the floor and the lights are in your eyes when you shoot, but I felt comfortable on the court," she said.

Moore said the team just needs more practice in the spacious arena, but she's already in love with the program's new home.

"When we ran out, I was like, 'Yeah, this is nice,'" Morris said. "I think today we showed toughness and grit, and that's we're coachable. I think we did a great job as a team just leaving our mark."

Eight Longhorns played double-digit minutes and the Horns shot nearly 61% from the field in the second quarter to turn a 3-point lead after the first quarter to a 57-38 lead by halftime.

Texas had 56 points in the paint to DePaul's 28, and the Longhorns scored 42 points off 29 turnovers by the Blue Demons.

Aneesah Morrow had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Blue Demons.

Texas plays another exhibition game at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 against Wayland Baptist, an NAIA program out of San Antonio. The Longhorns start the regular season Nov. 11 against Louisiana.