In a thrilling matchup, No. 1 Texas pulled off a 67-59 win over No. 5 Tennessee, fending off a Lady Vols comeback in a game that came down to the final minutes.
The women's Sweet 16 has been delivering plenty of madness, and the matchup between the SEC foes did not disappoint. After a tight start, Texas pulled ahead, going up by as many as eight points as Tennessee struggled to get successful shots.
Tennessee's infamous fast-paced play was a key aspect in this game: The Lady Vols largely controlled the pace, only falling behind Texas as their shots fell short. But in the third quarter, some of those 3s started to land, and Tennessee took advantage of some Longhorns turnovers to make it a close game again.
Throughout a frantic fourth quarter, the two teams traded leads before Texas started to pull away again, holding strong on both sides of the court.
steal ➡️ score ➡️ block#HookEm | @cbg_bryyy | @tayllorjonesspic.twitter.com/HkY9ypILEY
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 29, 2025
In the final minutes, a few turnovers and misses put a win further out of reach for Tennessee. A pair of free throws from Madison Booker, and two more from Bryanna Preston, sealed the eight-point win for Texas.
Booker, the SEC player of the year, had another huge game for Texas, scoring a game-high 17 points and pitching in six rebounds. Freshmen guards Preston and Jordan Lee also showed up big for the Longhorns, contributing 12 and 13 points, respectively, off the bench.
Tennessee's gritty tournament run has come to an end, but the Lady Vols have a lot to be proud of. Head coach Kim Caldwell has exceeded expectations in her first season with Tennessee, building a tenacious team with a revolutionary ...
