Texas Women Back in Final Four After Big Win Over Michigan

FORT WORTH, TX — Top-seeded Texas nearly shot perfectly in the opening quarter and never looked back, routing Michigan 77-41 on Monday night to reach the women’s Final Four for the second consecutive season.

Madison Booker scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and fifth-year senior guard Rori Harmon dished out 13 assists as the Longhorns (35-3) dominated the Fort Worth Regional 3 championship game from the start. Texas made 11 of its first 12 shots to build a 22-9 lead after one quarter and pushed the margin to as many as 40 points.

Justice Carlton added 15 points, while Kyla Oldacre had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Breya Cunningham contributed 11 points for Texas, which shot 46.9% (30 of 64) from the field.

The Longhorns advanced to their fifth Final Four overall and are making back-to-back appearances for the first time since 1986-87, when they won a national championship with an undefeated 34-0 season before returning to the semifinals the following year. Prior to last season, Texas had not reached the Final Four since 2003.

Texas will face UCLA (35-1) in a national semifinal Friday in Phoenix. The Bruins, also a No. 1 seed, have won 29 consecutive games since a 76-65 loss to Texas on Nov. 26 in the Players Era Championship. The matchup will mark the fifth NCAA Tournament meeting between the programs, which have split the previous four.

Michigan (28-7), making just its second Elite Eight appearance in program history, was led by Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway with 11 points each. The Wolverines, who tied a school record for wins in a season, shot just 22.8% (13 of 57) and struggled throughout, including several missed layups.

Texas seized control early with a 10-0 run to go up 12-2, highlighted by Booker’s scoring and a quick passing sequence from Booker to Harmon and then to Cunningham for an easy basket. The Longhorns maintained a double-digit lead despite a cold stretch in the second quarter, when they missed 12 of 14 shots but still carried a 34-21 advantage into halftime.

After opening the second half 0 for 7, Texas responded with a 3-pointer from Harmon and steadily extended the lead. The Longhorns built a 69-29 advantage with under six minutes remaining before pulling their starters.

The 36-point margin fell short of the largest in Elite Eight history, a 40-point win by UConn over Florida State in 2010.

In the other national semifinal, South Carolina will face defending champ UConn in a rematch of last year’s championship game.