Texas reaches its first women’s Final Four since 2003 with win over TCU
TCU guard Hailey Van Lith (10) drives to the basket between Texas guard Rori Harmon and forward Madison Booker (35) during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 31, 2025. in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Madison Booker scored 18 points and No. 1 seed Texas used its stifling defense to reach the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003, beating well-traveled point guard Hailey Van Lith and second-seeded TCU 58-47 on Monday night.
The Longhorns (35-3) will face defending champion South Carolina on Friday night in Tampa, Florida, for a spot in the national title game.
Texas won a regional final for the first time in four tries under coach Vic Schaefer, who previously made two Final Four trips with Mississippi State. The Longhorns’ 35 wins are one more than its only national title-winning squad had in 1986 under Jody Conradt, who was in the stands Monday night.
Van Lith scored 17 points in her collegiate finale for TCU (34-4), but Texas neutralized the Horned Frogs’ star center, Sedona Prince, who had four points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
SPOKANE REGIONAL 4
UCONN 78, SOUTHERN CAL 64
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Paige Bueckers carried UConn to its record 24th Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament, scoring 31 points in a victory over Southern California, which couldn’t overcome the loss of injured star JuJu Watkins.
UConn (35-3) heads to Tampa, Florida, to face overall No. 1 seed UCLA on Friday.
Freshman Sarah Strong added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the second-seeded Huskies, who have won a record 11 NCAA titles, all under coach Geno Auriemma. Their most recent championship was in 2016, the last of a run of four straight.
Rayah Marshall scored 23 points and 15 rebounds for top-seeded USC (31-4) which also lost to UConn in the Elite Eight last year when Watkins was a freshman.