Jordan Lee scored 18, Madison Booker had 17 and Rori Harmon nearly recorded a triple-double as top-seeded Texas knocked off fifth-seeded Kentucky 76-54 in a Sweet 16 matchup Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Longhorns advanced to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season.
They’ll take on Michigan, the No. 2 seed, on Monday with a Final Four berth on the line.
Lee helped Texas (34-3) grab control early scoring eight points during a 15-0 first-quarter run. She was the only double-digit scorer of the first half with 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
After missing their first three shots, the Longhorns hit 12 of their next 14 to build a double-digit lead that remained for the rest of the game.
Texas got a scare in the opening quarter though when Harmon suffered a hand injury and went to the bench for a stretch.
Though Harmon was clearly affected by the injury, she returned and was a force, hitting a jumper seconds after returning and fueling the Longhorns’ defense. She finished the game making five of her 10 shots.
She finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six steals with just one turnover.
The Longhorns built their lead as big as 25 in the second quarter, but the Wildcats trimmed the deficit to 15 early in the fourth quarter before Texas responded with nine consecutive points to put the game away for good.
Kentucky (25-11) was led by Clara Strack, who scored 16 points, and Asia Boone who tallied 11 points. Teonni Key nearly chipped in a double-double with 10 points, albeit on 2 of 8 shooting, and nine rebounds.
–Field Level Media
