Madison Booker led all scorers with 18 points and Texas used a major run spanning the third and fourth quarters to hold off TCU 58-47 in the Birmingham (Ala.) Region 3 final and advance to the program’s first Final Four since 2003 on Monday.
The top-seeded Longhorns (35-3) will face SEC rival South Carolina for the fourth time. They split the two-game regular-season series before South Carolina defeated Texas in the SEC championship game.
Texas set the defensive tone early, holding TCU without a field goal for the opening 5:33. The No. 2 seed Horned Frogs battled back, however, forcing a tie in the third quarter.
Texas responded with a 13-4 run over the period’s final five minutes for a 42-33 advantage. After TCU pulled within six points, a 7-1 surge provided the Longhorns all the breathing room they needed down the stretch. Texas did not allow a field goal for 5:14 during its decisive stretch early in the fourth.
Booker grabbed six rebounds, while Rori Harmon finished with 13 points and a game-high five assists for Texas.
TCU star Haily Van Lith overcame a slow start to finish with 17 points and eight boards. She was the Horned Frogs’ only double-figure scorer.
Texas limited Van Lith to 3-of-15 shooting, however, and successfully neutralized Sedona Prince in the lane. The Horned Frogs’ second-leading scorer on the season, Prince finished with just four points before fouling out on Monday.
TCU (34-4) ended its best season in program history shooting just 12-of-45 from the floor (26.7 percent), including 4-of-20 from 3-point range. Texas also forced the Horned Frogs into 21 turnovers while committing just eight on the other end.
The Longhorns converted those 21 takeaways into 17 points. Booker, Harmon and Kyla Oldacre helped key the turnover-generation with two steals apiece.
Texas outshot TCU from the floor, going 24-of-61 (39.3 percent), but the Horned Frogs’ ability to get to the free-throw line kept them within striking distance. TCU went 19-of-21 at the charity stripe, with Van Lith scoring 10 of her points at the line.
–Field Level Media
