AUSTIN (Interstat) — Jayda Clark scored a game-high 24 points, and Texas used a dominant second quarter and a decisive turnover advantage to defeat South Dakota State 93-63 in a women’s college basketball game on Wednesday at the Frank Erwin Center. Attendance was 9,700. Texas improved to 3-0, while South Dakota State dropped to 1-2. The Longhorns shot 39 of 68 from the floor, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range, and committed just four turnovers. The Jackrabbits shot 23 of 52 from the field, 8 of 18 from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 28 Texas points off turnovers. Texas also held a 46-28 advantage in points in the paint and a 28-5 edge in points off turnovers.

Texas raced to an early lead behind layups from Zya Vann and Breya Cunningham. South Dakota State’s Mahli Abdouch made two free throws, and Katie Vasecka hit a 3-pointer to pull the Jackrabbits within 7-5. But the Longhorns responded with an 8-0 run, capped by Vann’s driving layup, to take a 14-5 advantage. South Dakota State’s Brooklyn Meyer kept the Jackrabbits close with two layups, and Claire Sheppard added a jump shot and a layup, but Texas got a 3-pointer from Vann and a layup from Bryanna Preston to maintain its edge. Texas led 19-16 after the first quarter.

The Longhorns exploded in the second quarter. South Dakota State’s Audrey Shindelar hit a 3-pointer early in the period to cut the deficit to 32-21, but Texas responded with a 6-0 run on layups by Cunningham and Clark. The Jackrabbits stayed within reach on 3-pointers from Sheppard, Shindelar and Hadley Thul, but Texas answered each time. The Longhorns closed the half on a 9-2 run, capped by Clark’s three-point play, to take a 48-34 halftime lead. Clark and Madison Booker keyed the surge, combining for 17 points in the half. Booker finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists. Vann added 14 points and two assists, while Preston had 11 points and five assists for Texas.

Texas put the game away in the third quarter. After Emilee Fox hit a 3-pointer to open the second half for South Dakota State, the Longhorns went on a 7-0 run, capped by Vann’s layup, to push the lead to 52-37. Clark then took over, hitting two 3-pointers and a turnaround jumper as Texas extended its advantage to 67-48 after three quarters. Clark scored 11 points in the third quarter alone. Cunningham added 10 points and six rebounds for the game, while Isi Etute had eight points and three rebounds. Addison Bjorn chipped in eight points and two rebounds off the bench. Texas led by as many as 30 points in the second half.

In the fourth quarter, Texas continued to pull away. Clark hit a 3-pointer, Preston made a driving layup, and Cunningham converted a layup as the Longhorns stretched the lead to 81-51. South Dakota State’s Fox hit a 3-pointer, and Sheppard made a layup and a 3-pointer, but Texas answered with baskets from Brihanna Crittendon, Etute and Amalia Holguin. Jaidyn Dunn’s tip-in at the buzzer set the final score. Texas outscored South Dakota State 26-15 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

South Dakota State’s Brooklyn Meyer had nine points and eight rebounds. Claire Sheppard led the Jackrabbits with 12 points and three rebounds. Audrey Shindelar added 10 points and two assists. South Dakota State shot 8 of 18 from 3-point range but could not overcome its 21 turnovers. Texas had 15 assists, nine offensive rebounds and two blocks. South Dakota State had 10 offensive rebounds and two blocks. The Longhorns’ pressure defense forced 21 turnovers, which they converted into 28 points, while South Dakota State managed just 5 points off Texas’s four turnovers.

Clark finished with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. Vann added 14 points and two assists in 29 minutes. Preston had 11 points, two rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes. Cunningham contributed 10 points, six rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes. Booker had nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. Etute added eight points, three rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes. Bjorn had eight points, two rebounds, one assist and one block in 13 minutes. For South Dakota State, Meyer had nine points, eight rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes. Sheppard scored 12 points with three rebounds and one assist in nine minutes. Shindelar had 10 points and two assists in 29 minutes. Clark, who had eight points and two assists against Northern Colorado and seven points and six rebounds against Fairleigh Dickinson in her previous two games, broke out for her best performance of the young season.

South Dakota State had opened the season with a win over Northern Iowa and a loss to Creighton. Texas had beaten Northern Colorado and Fairleigh Dickinson. Texas next hosts Tarleton State, while South Dakota State hosts Oklahoma State. South Dakota State then plays Wyoming.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Texas 76, South Dakota State 73. Interstat’s ELO system gave Texas a 97.6 percent probability to win. Texas was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 28.5, and the total score of 156 went under the over/under line of 137.5.