Texas Longhorns Hang On To Beat Ole Miss And Advance To SEC Tournament Semifinals

No. 1 Texas Longhorns beat Ole Miss in SEC tournament

Mar 7, 2025; Greenville, SC, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) handles the ball defended by Ole Miss Rebels guard Sira Thienou (0) during the first half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

GREENVILLE - In the No. 1 Texas first taste of postseason SEC basketball, the second-seeded Longhorns faced the Ole Miss Rebels in the quarterfinals. After a tightly contested fourth quarter, Texas held on to beat Ole Miss 70-63 for the second time this season.

Texas led comfortably for most of the first half and third quarter, but Ole Miss flipped a switch in the fourth quarter. KK Deans scored 12 of her points for Ole Miss in the fourth quarter, including three clutch three-pointers to cut Texas's lead to two.

Even with star sophomore and SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker fouling out with two minutes left, the Longhorns held on to seal the win.

Mar 7, 2025; Greenville, SC, USA; Ole Miss Rebels forward Christeen Iwuala (12) works to the inside guarded by Texas Longhorns forward Kyla Oldacre (00) during the first half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Booker got the Longhorns off to a hot start, opening the game with a three-pointer. By halftime, she led all scorers with 11 points. She would go on to lead Texas, scoring 19 points, but fouling out forced her to the bench for key minutes late in the game.

The Longhorns took care of the ball in the first half, giving the ball up just three times, but turned the ball over four times in the last four minutes. They would turn the ball over 13 times in the game. The fourth quarter switch came after the Rebels scored just seven third-quarter points, making just one field goal.

Fouls were a problem all game, as Texas's bigs Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre got into foul trouble early, each picking up three first-half fouls. Despite the foul trouble, each finished in double figures, with Jones scoring 10 and Oldacre scoring 12.

Despite having offensive trouble in the regular season, senior point guard Rori Harmon scored eight points and dished out nine assists, returning to postseason form. Senior guard Shay Holle also made an impact on offense, scoring 11 points.

The last five minutes of the game were full of fouls, allowing Texas to get back on top from free throws and stopped Ole Miss and Dean's offensive momentum.

Now, the Longhorns will play tomorrow in the semifinals against the winner of Florida and LSU. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. central on ESPN2.

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