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Texas’ offense settled back to Earth Monday night after a scorching start.
But its defense never let up, and the top-seeded Longhorns cruised to a 77-41 victory over No. 2 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight.
The Longhorns advance to their second straight Final Four, where they’ll take on UCLA in a national semifinal on Friday. Texas handed UCLA its only loss of the season on Nov. 26.
Playing in front of a friendly crowd in the Fort Worth 3 regional final, the Longhorns hit their first nine shots from the field and opened an 18-4 lead. The deficit for Michigan was its largest of the NCAA tournament.
The Longhorns’ offense couldn’t keep up that pace. Texas missed its first 9 3s and scored 12 second-quarter points after posting 22 in the first. But it’s defense didn’t let up, and it posted a 34-21 halftime lead while holding Michigan to a season-low 21% shooting rate for the first half.
The Wolverines had to work for virtually every shot in a halfcourt set and rarely found a decent look against the bigger Longhorns. Their best offense frequently consisted of second-chance looks off offensive rebounds. All Big Ten guard Olivia Olson didn’t hit a field goal in the first half.
Then the Longhorns opened the floodgates after halftime. Texas outscored Michigan, 21-8 in the third quarter. A Kyla Oldacre and-1 layup extended the Texas lead to 52-27 and got the Texas crowd on its feet.
The Longhorns then started the fourth on a 14-0 run and the rout was on. The fourth quarter was a Texas runaway. All-America forward Madison Booker was able to finish the game cheering on her Texas teammates from the bench.
Texas has now won each of its NCAA tournament games by 22-plus points. It enters the Final Four on a dominant 12-game winning streak, having last lost to No. 5 Vanderbilt on Feb. 12. And its arguably playing the best basketball of any team in the tournament.
This story will be updated.
Continue reading...
But its defense never let up, and the top-seeded Longhorns cruised to a 77-41 victory over No. 2 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight.
The Longhorns advance to their second straight Final Four, where they’ll take on UCLA in a national semifinal on Friday. Texas handed UCLA its only loss of the season on Nov. 26.
Texas sets tone from opening tip
Playing in front of a friendly crowd in the Fort Worth 3 regional final, the Longhorns hit their first nine shots from the field and opened an 18-4 lead. The deficit for Michigan was its largest of the NCAA tournament.
The Longhorns’ offense couldn’t keep up that pace. Texas missed its first 9 3s and scored 12 second-quarter points after posting 22 in the first. But it’s defense didn’t let up, and it posted a 34-21 halftime lead while holding Michigan to a season-low 21% shooting rate for the first half.
The Wolverines had to work for virtually every shot in a halfcourt set and rarely found a decent look against the bigger Longhorns. Their best offense frequently consisted of second-chance looks off offensive rebounds. All Big Ten guard Olivia Olson didn’t hit a field goal in the first half.
Longhorns break game open after halftime
Then the Longhorns opened the floodgates after halftime. Texas outscored Michigan, 21-8 in the third quarter. A Kyla Oldacre and-1 layup extended the Texas lead to 52-27 and got the Texas crowd on its feet.
The Longhorns then started the fourth on a 14-0 run and the rout was on. The fourth quarter was a Texas runaway. All-America forward Madison Booker was able to finish the game cheering on her Texas teammates from the bench.
Texas has now won each of its NCAA tournament games by 22-plus points. It enters the Final Four on a dominant 12-game winning streak, having last lost to No. 5 Vanderbilt on Feb. 12. And its arguably playing the best basketball of any team in the tournament.
This story will be updated.
Continue reading...
