The No. 3 Texas Longhorns (29-3, 13-3) traveled to South Carolina for the SEC Tournament and dominated the No. 11 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (23-10, 7-9) in the quarterfinals, 83-60.
In the opening period, Texas guard Jordan Lee made an impact with 11 points, two rebounds, and an assist while teammate junior forward Madison Booker helped out with four points, six rebounds, and four assists. The Longhorn forced eight turnovers and shot from 50 percent from the field to end the first quarter up 21-10.
In the second quarter, Texas’ defense held Bama’s shooting percentage to 23.1 percent while scoring 13 points off turnovers. Sophomore guard Bryanna Preston aided the Longhorns off the bench with nine points while guard Rori Harmon knocked down eight points to keep a comfortable lead at half, 52-19.
After halftime in the third, Bama answered the back with the help of the true freshman Tianna Chambers hitting six points. The Crimson Tide shot for 46.7 percent from the field while holding Texas’ offense to 40 percent, bringing the third quarter to 67-39.
In the final period, Bama continued to scratch back with assistance from guard Diana Collins hitting for eight points and a rebound, but Texas true freshman guard Aaliyah Crump snatched eight points with a rebound and assist to close out the game with a 23-point victory.
The Longhorns shot 50 percent from the field, forced 21 turnovers, and received 38 points from the bench. Lee led Texas with 16 points, four assists, and two rebounds with teammate Preston leading off the bench with 13 points and three assists while Booker hit for a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Also off the bench, Crump knocked down 10 points with an assist and rebound in the quarterfinal victory.
Next, Texas faces off against No. 7 seed Ole Miss in the semifinal with the tip at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN2.
