Eyes of Texas on women’s Final Four again after Longhorns beat Michigan in regional final

FORT WORTH, Texas — Madison Booker had 19 points and seven rebounds, fifth-year senior guard Rori Harmon has 13 assists and Texas is going to the women’s Final Four for the second year in a row after a 77-41 rout over Michigan in the Fort Worth Regional 3 championship game Monday night.

The Longhorns missed only one shot in the first quarter, quickly building a double-digit lead and maintaining control even through extended periods of poor shooting by both teams after that in the only regional final matching the top two seeds.

Justice Carlton added 15 points while Kyla Oldacre added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Texas (35-3), which built as much as a 40-point lead.

Top-seeded Texas is going to its fifth Final Four overall, and the only other time the Longhorns had made back-to-back appearances was their undefeated 34-0 national championship in 1986 and semifinal loss the following season.

Before last year’s loss to South Carolina, they hadn’t made it to the final weekend of March Madness since 2003.

Next for Texas is Friday in Phoenix against UCLA (35-1), another top seed and a rematch against the only team to beat the Big Ten champion this season. The Bruins have won 29 in a row since a 76-65 loss to the Horns in the Players Era Championship on Nov. 26.

Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway each had 11 points for Michigan (28-7), which tied the single-season school record for wins, was in the Elite Eight for only the second time and hasn’t made it past that. The Wolverines finished 22.

8% (13 of 57) from the field, included several missed layups. Booker, an AP All-American forward, had bookend baskets in an early 10-0 Texas run that made it 12-2.