Longhorns Country

Rori Harmon Hits Game Winner as Texas Gets Thanksgiving Revenge on South Carolina

On the same night she set the Texas Longhorns all-time assist record, Rori Harmon hit the game-winning shot to stun South Carolina.
Zach Dimmitt|
Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon runs the offense against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena.
Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon runs the offense against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns women's basketball team suffered some Final Four heartbreak at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks last season.

This year's team still has a long journey ahead, but a little bit of early-season revenge certainly doesn't hurt.

Texas guard Rori Harmom set the program's all-time assist record before hitting the game-winning jumper with 0.7 second left as the Longhorns beat South Carolina in a 66-64 thriller to win the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Day.

The two teams will meet again in SEC play in Columbia, S.C. on Jan. 15.

"I've been watching it going on four and a half years, and the kid has just got it in her veins," Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said. "She is tough as nails. " ... When it came time for the last shot, it's always going to be her or (Madison Booker)."

Rori Harmon's Historic Day

Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon
Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Harmon finished with just six points on 3 of 8 shooting but added nine assists, giving her the program record for all-time assists with 777, passing Kamie Ethridge.

"It's a pretty big honor," Harmon said. "That means my teammates are making a lot of shots. So all thanks to them. Just all thanks for my whole team. Honestly, I couldn't do it without them."

Jordan Lee led Texas with 19 points while Madison Booker finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

"You look at us, we've got three kids out that are injured, that typically play. I got kids that are playing 40 minutes," Schaefer said. "My guards are just, I'm sure they're going to want a couple days off, you know, coming up, and they have earned it, but it is hard to win period when you beat number three, and then back it up a day later with number two. Again, those teams are so good they're going to win a lot of games. But this group right here down south in Texas, we call that Texas Fight, and this group has got it."

The Longhorns move to 7-0 with the win, picking up their third ranked victory of the season in the process.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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