AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jordan Lee scored 19 points and No. 1-seed Texas opened the women's NCAA Tournament with an 87-45 romp over Missouri State, building a 32-point lead by halftime as the Longhorns started what they hope will be a return trip to the Final Four.
All-American Madison Booker had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Texas (32-3) against the overmatched No. 16-seed Lady Bears. The Longhorns advance to Sunday's second-round game against No. 8-seed
Oregon, which beat No. 9 Virginia Tech 70-60 earlier Friday.
The Longhorns overwhelmed Missouri State early with their size and speed at both ends of the court. Kyla Oldacre, at 6-foot-6, scored 15 points was an immovable force under the basket. The quickness of Texas guards Lee, Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston created open lanes to the basket or shut them down on defense.
Texas led 19-4 after the first quarter and 44-12 by halftime. Missouri State, which won the Conference USA Tournament, made just four baskets in the first half.
Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 14 points to lead Missouri State (23-13).
It wasn't all smooth for the Longhorns after a two-week break following their Southeastern Conference Tournament championship. They looked rusty early and missed nine of 18 layups and shot just 41% in the first half against a team they could bully on both ends of the court.
Texas is a No. 1 seed for the third consecutive year. The Longhorns advanced to the Final Four last season for the first time since 2003. Texas hasn't won a national championship since 1986 when the Longhorns were the first team to go undefeated for the title.
Oregon coach Kelly Graves beat Texas coach Vic Schaefer to reach the Final Four in 2019 when Schaefer was the head coach at Mississippi State.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
