PHOENIX — Texas women’s basketball was arguably the best team in Phoenix.
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This will be one long summer for the Texas Longhorns, who pulled a collective no-show in Friday night’s national semifinals.
UCLA wasn’t a world-beater by any means, but the Bruins were plenty good enough to beat this unrecognizable version of the Longhorns. The 51-44 loss will go down as the most bitter of Vic Schaefer’s long coaching career, much worse than the two NCAA championship game losses at Mississippi State because his team had no juice against a vulnerable opponent. This was his best chance to win that elusive natty and his final chance to do it with point guard Rori Harmon, his first prized recruit.
Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) and forward Madison Booker (35) pause during a timeout in the NCAA Final Four game against UCLA at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Phoenix.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
What happened? It starts with All-America forward Madison Booker, who struggled through a 3-for-23 shooting nightmare after a dream season. Booker made her first shot, then missed 17 straight attempts. She doesn’t miss that many shots in a week, let alone one game.
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And yet the Horns were still alive. With her team trailing 47-44 amid a furious comeback, Booker grabbed a rebound with 25 seconds left and drove the length of the court, but UCLA’s 6-foot-7 post Lauren Betts swatted away her layup attempt.
So it ends at 35-4 for the most complete of Schaefer’s six Longhorns teams and in less than ideal fashion. Who saw this coming? The Horns averaged 85 points per game with Booker on the short list of sweetest shooters in the sport. This wasn’t her night.
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The Bruins will face the South Carolina Gamecocks, who avenged last season’s blowout loss to UConn in the championship game with a 62-48 win in Friday’s first semifinal. The Gamecocks pulled away late in a game that was marred by an ugly postgame exchange between head coaches Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma.
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Slow start, worse finish
As for the nightcap, the Longhorns fell behind 14-4 in the first quarter and Schaefer went with a lineup of Rori Harmon, Madison Booker, Kyla Oldacre, Ashton Judd and Aaliyah Crump. It was a struggle, particularly for Booker. On the rare occasions when Book has struggled, defenses have taken her out of her smooth, seamless rhythm. This was one of those occasions.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer disputes a call during the NCAA Final Four game against UCLA at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
She missed 17 of her first 18 shots, including an airball on a wide open 3-pointer from the corner in the first quarter and several layups. The Texas defense somehow kept things close. Despite missing 24 of their 32 field attempts, the Horns trailed only 20-17 at the half. The 37 points were the lowest combined score in a Final Four game since 2010.
Schaefer decided not to sit Booker, who had logged 20 minutes in the first. He finally sat her with 3 minutes left in the third. She made a couple of fourth-quarter jumpers, but it was far from enough from a player of her caliber.
Betts was most certainly ready for some get-back after the Longhorns held the best big woman in the country to eight points in 37 minutes of a 76-65 win in Las Vegas in late November. She was a real problem Friday for Texas, though, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
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What’s next for Texas?
Schaefer has built a winner at Texas, but a title still eludes him. Assuming the current players with remaining eligibility decide not to enter into the transfer portal, Schaefer will return Booker, point guard Bryanna Preston, forward Justice Carlton and Crump to form the nucleus of the 2026-27 team. The Horns will also welcome Brihanna Crittendon and Addison Bjorn, who were the top gets in the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.
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MORE CED: Texas men’s hoops took important step forward
It’s one thing to be the best team when you arrived for the Final Four, but what happens on the court tells the tale. The Horns under Schaefer are still a championship contender, but also still not a champion.