Jayda Clark Scores 24 as No. 6 Texas Beats South Dakota State 93-63 After Madison Booker Injury

AUSTIN, Texas. The scariest moment of the night at Moody Center had nothing to do with the scoreboard. With 1:30 left in the first half, Madison Booker went up for a layup, was fouled by South Dakota State's Mahli Abdouch and landed hard on her back, according to the Associated Press. The two-time AP All-American did not return, and No. 6 Texas spent the rest of Wednesday, Nov. 11, proving it could still play like a top-10 team without its best player.

Jayda Clark made sure of it. The guard scored 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting, Zya Vann added 14, and the Longhorns pulled away from South Dakota State for a 93-63 win. Texas moved to 3-0. The Jackrabbits fell to 1-2.

Texas did not provide an update on Booker during the game, according to AP. Booker finished with nine points on 4 of 8 shooting, three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes. Here is the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and Texas' game preview (opens in a new tab).

How the game unfolded

Texas set the tone early, winning the first quarter 26-15 in front of a Moody Center crowd of 9,700, according to ESPN. South Dakota State kept the second quarter close, losing it only 19-16, and trailed 45-31 at halftime. That was also the moment the mood in the building changed, with Booker headed to the locker room in the final 90 seconds of the half.

If the injury rattled Texas, the third quarter did not show it. The Longhorns outscored the Jackrabbits 29-18 in the period to take a 74-49 lead and turn the fourth quarter into a formality. Texas won the final frame 19-14.

Clark answers the question nobody wanted to ask

Every contender eventually has to find out what life looks like when its star sits. Texas got a first look in November, in a game it already led, against a Summit League opponent it has handled in each of the last two seasons. That is about as gentle a version of the test as exists, and Clark aced it.

Clark made 10 of 15 shots, 3 of 4 from 3-point range and her only free throw, and added five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34 minutes without a single turnover. She played more minutes than anyone on either roster. According to AP, Clark joined the program on Aug. 24, and Texas has said she spent two years as a developmental player in Australia's WNBL. That background makes a 24-point night in the third game of her Texas career even more striking.

Afterward, in a postgame video posted by ESPN, Clark credited the support of her teammates and coaches for helping her settle into a rhythm.

Clark had already shown flashes. Against Northern Colorado on Saturday, she scored eight points during a first-quarter run. On Wednesday, with Booker in the locker room, Clark became the player the offense ran through.

The guards took over

Booker's absence pushed the ball into the hands of the backcourt, and the backcourt handled it. Vann scored 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting, including 2 of 3 from deep, with two assists and two steals in 30 minutes. Bryanna Preston scored 11 points and ran the offense with a team-high five assists and four steals in 32 minutes.

Together, Clark, Vann and Preston combined for 49 points, 10 assists, seven steals and one turnover. That ratio is the reason the game never got tight. Texas turned the ball over just five times as a team all night, and it assisted on 16 of its 39 made baskets.

The Longhorns also lived in the paint. AP credited Texas with 46 points inside, and the team shot 39 of 68 from the field, 57 percent, while attempting only nine 3-pointers. Breya Cunningham chipped in 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting with six rebounds, the most on the team.

Fifteen steals and a long night for the Jackrabbits

Vic Schaefer's teams are built on defense, and this one forced 21 turnovers, 15 of them on steals. Isi Etute had three steals in 22 minutes off the bench, Preston had four, and nine different Longhorns recorded at least one. The Jackrabbits came up with one steal all night, and Texas won the turnover battle 21-5.

That margin covered for an otherwise even night in other areas. South Dakota State shot 44 percent from the field and made 8 of 18 from 3, a 44 percent clip, and it actually won the rebounding battle 31-30. The Jackrabbits simply could not hang on to the ball long enough to make it count. Abdouch finished with four points, four rebounds and five assists, but also five turnovers, and Maggie Hartwig turned it over five times in 15 minutes.

Brooklyn Meyer held in check

The matchup to watch coming in was Brooklyn Meyer against the Texas frontcourt. The 6-foot-2 Meyer scored 20 points in last season's 70-51 Texas win at South Dakota State, according to AP, and she entered this game averaging 15 points per game, per ESPN. Meyer is playing a fifth season after receiving a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in late October that granted her temporary eligibility, AP reported.

Cunningham and Etute took turns on her, and Meyer finished with nine points on 4 of 8 shooting and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. That was six points below her average, per AP.

Claire Sheppard gave South Dakota State its best stretch off the bench, scoring 12 points in nine minutes on 5 of 7 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Katie Vasecka matched her with 12 points, and Audrey Shindelar added 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting with two 3s.

Freshmen and the rest of the rotation

Schaefer used 12 players, and the freshmen made their minutes count again. Addison Bjorn scored eight points on 3 of 3 shooting with a block in 14 minutes, and Brihanna Crittendon added seven points in eight minutes. Etute added eight points to go with her three steals, and Amalia Holguin scored two in four minutes. Lizzy Spaight, Grace Prenter and Sarah Graves also got on the floor.

Booker's absence will make those minutes matter even more if she has to miss time. Texas has not said anything about the injury yet, and Undrafted will not guess. What is clear is that the Longhorns have now beaten three opponents by 20 points or more, with Booker scoring 24 in the opener and 30 against Northern Colorado, and they kept rolling on a night when her 19 minutes all came before halftime.

What it means for Texas

The scoreboard result was never in doubt, but the evening could still shape the season. If Booker is fine, Texas learned that Clark can carry an offense for a half, that its guards can protect the ball against a disciplined opponent, and that its defense travels with or without its best scorer on the floor. If Booker misses time, the Longhorns at least know where to start.

The series history also tilted further toward Austin. Texas beat South Dakota State 103-57 in December 2024 and 70-51 last December before Wednesday's 30-point win.

The future got some attention on Wednesday, too. Earlier in the day, Texas announced the signings of Jayla Forbes and Qandace Samuels in its 2027 recruiting class.

Texas hosts Tarleton State on Saturday, Nov. 14. South Dakota State returns home to face No. 19 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Nov. 15.

For more on the Longhorns' start, read about Booker's 30 points and 2,000th career point against Northern Colorado and the season opener against FDU.

Sources: ESPN box score, Associated Press, Texas Athletics.

Photo: Texas Athletics (file photo from Nov. 4, 2026, vs. FDU).