No. 1 Texas Longhorns Advance To Final Four With Win vs. TCU

Texas Longhorns advance to fourth Final Four in program history and first since 2003 with win over TCU

Mar 31, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; TCU Horned Frogs guard Hailey Van Lith (10) defends against Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) during the second half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

In the Elite Eight Monday night, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns defense suffocated the No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs offense all game long. On TCU's first inbound play of the night, Texas forced a five-second call, and the Horned Frogs were never really able to crack the Longhorns' defense.

The Longhorns pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to forward Kyla Oldacre and advanced to their first Final Four since 2003 with a 58-47 win over TCU.

After reaching four Elite Eights in the past five years, Texas finally got over the hump and is one of the last four teams standing in women's basketball.

While the Texas offense didn't pick up until the second half, the strong defense held TCU to just 27 percent shooting throughout the game, forcing 21 total turnovers and only allowing 12 made field goals.

Mar 31, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) rebounds the ball over TCU Horned Frogs guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu (21) during the second half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Sophomore guard Madison Booker scored just four points in the first half, but came alive in the second and sparked the Texas offense, finishing with 13 points, 11 of them coming in the first quarter. When Booker struggled to score in the first half, senior point guard Rori Harmon found her stride immediately, opening her scoring night with a rare three-pointer. She would finish the game with 18 points, a game high.

In her last NCAA tournament in 2023, Harmon's season was ended early by Van Lith and the Louisville Cardinals, but in the Elite Eight, she got her revenge, locking down Van Lith on defense.

Senior guard Shay Holle was a key part of the Texas defense, putting on a clinic against her TCU matchups. Holle grabbed one steal and blocked one shot, but her defensive plays didn't show up on the stat sheet. She stuck with her man, denying them the ball and causing chaos on defense, forcing several TCU turnovers and denying shots.

Hailey Van Lith led TCU on a second-quarter run to put the Horned Frogs back within two points going into halftime, but her 17 points would not be enough to keep TCU's historic season going.

Former Longhorn Sedona Prince had little impact on the game, fouling out not even midway into the fourth quarter, scoring just four points and making just one basket.

Oldacre and Jones dominated the paint, combining for 16 total points, three steals, five blocks and 11 rebounds.

Now, the Longhorns are heading to Tampa for their first Final Four in 22 years where they will take on South Carolina for the fourth time this season. Texas went 1-2 against the Gamecocks, which included a loss in the SEC Championship.