A player who raised the ceiling throughout the season became Texas’ Achilles’ heel at the worst possible time. Vic Schaefer and the Texas Longhorns faced a tough 51-44 defeat in their Final Four game against a resilient UCLA Bruins at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday, and one of the main centerpieces of this defeat was their star forward, Madison Booker, whose unwanted record cost Texas a chance to fight for its second title.

Going into the game, Booker was in red-hot form. The scoring leader of the team, Booker, has scored 10+ points in her last 13 games for the Longhorns, and nothing less was expected of her in this game as well. But as reality set in, Booker just became a shadow of her dominant self as she missed 17 shots from the field after checking in the score sheet in the first quarter of the game.

According to ESPN, this was the longest streak of missed field goals in a Final Four game of the March Madness.

As mentioned earlier, Booker tipped off her game quite well on Saturday against the Bruins. She scored an 18-foot jump shot in less than one minute on the clock to start off the proceedings for her team in the game. But her next shot from the field? It came in the fourth quarter of the game when her team was making a late move to break away from UCLA’s tight hold.

All in all, Booker scored just three times from the field during the crucial Final Four game, while missing 20 shots. She contributed 7 rebounds, but her cold shooting, accounting for her 6 points in 35 minutes, plagued Texas’ performance. Her performance raised even more eyebrows, considering Booker has scored north of 52% from the field but just 13% in the crucial Final Four game.

Lauren Betts played a crucial role and was one of the defensive keys that limited Texas’ offense. Furthermore, she recorded a double-double, scoring a team-high 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. When asked about this dismal shooting performance on the night, Booker leaned towards Betts’ and the UCLA Bruins’ physicality for her struggles.

“I actually have no idea. Lauren Betts, she’s 6’7, it bothered a little bit,” Booker said. “Honestly, every shot I took, I thought it was going in. I really can’t pinpoint anything. But I think their length and size definitely bothered us a little bit.”

In the context of the game as a whole, the Texas Longhorns struggled immensely with shooting. Vic Schaefer’s team scored just around 30% from the field, which is quite a dismal number for a team that boasts of being one of the most formidable offensive teams this season. Even before the game, Schaefer had noted that his team’s offense doesn’t give opponents any easy opportunities.

But the dip in the team’s offensive precision heavily spoiled their game. Kyla Oldacre was the only Texas player to score 10+ points in the game. Three-point shooting was also immensely disappointing for the Longhorns in the game. Booker and co managed just two from beyond the line against UCLA, who were also poor but scored four.

However, senior Rori Harmon had a chance to get things back in place in the dying seconds of the game. The scores read 44-47 when Harmon was moving aggressively towards the Bruins’ court, as a two-pointer could have bridged the gap between the teams.

But UCLA senior Betts made an aggressive block as Harmon failed to convert a layup, diminishing all the hopes of the Texas Longhorns, as they bowed out of the March Madness. Yet despite this tough defeat, head coach Vic Schaefer isn’t calling the shots on his players and Madison Booker.

Vic Schaefer Expresses Pride in Madison Booker Despite Her Shooting Struggles Against UCLA

For a head coach who doesn’t hesitate to highlight his players’ faults in the media, Vic Schaefer’s reaction to Madison Booker’s dismal shooting performance was quite contrasting. Speaking at the post-game press conference, Schaefer shifted from putting the blame to highlighting Booker’s prowess and her importance in the team.

“I think Madison has been such a tremendous player,” Schaefer said. “She’s got it all; she’s a three-level scorer. She’s cerebral, and she plays hard. The thing I’m really proud of her for is her leadership in the last few months.”

Schaefer also specifically spoke of his team’s shooting struggles from the game in the post-game press conference, remarking that such slumps can happen, while praising the physicality and defensive output of UCLA.

“We had plenty of looks, but we just missed shots. I don’t have an explanation for it. I mean they got after us pretty good, just like we got after them. But it wasn’t like we were turning the ball over. We had one turnover at the top of the key that we couldn’t defend, ” Schaefer said. “Sometimes it just happens. I’ve been up three nights worrying about it, watching film, because I knew they were going to guard us.”

But for Madison Booker, this wasn’t the first time that she failed to deliver on the big stage. Even last season in the Final Four game, Booker couldn’t manage a substantial outing. Her stay on the court was initially limited by foul troubles. In the 24 minutes she played in the game, Booker managed 11 points, which is of course, far less than what the team expects of her.

All in all, this is quietly growing into a concerning trend for her. Generally, there’s no doubt about the expertise Booker brings to the table for the Longhorns. But it would be immensely important for her to step up in these big games, especially next season when she will be a senior player on the team and will be needed to call the shots on the court in Rori Harmon’s absence.