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TAMPA, Fla. — A Texas women's basketball blue-chip freshman guard may be breaking out at the season’s most critical point.
At halftime of the Longhorns' Final Four showdown against South Carolina, Jordan Lee had a team-high 10 points. Texas trailed the defending champion Gamecocks 39-35. It’s a striking rise to the occasion for a first-year player who averaged just 5.6 points on 20 minutes per game in this season.
But Lee, admittedly, isn’t exactly the most unlikely candidate for a performance like this. She joined Texas this season as ESPN’s No. 7 player in the class of 2024. Scouts raved about her disruptive defensive skills and shot-making ability.
That scoring talent showed in the first half of Friday night’s game. Lee went on a tear, scoring all 10 of her first-half points in during the second quarter. She drilled three jumpers and a 3, confidently getting to her spots and hitting contested looks. Her scoring could become even more pivotal in the second half since star Texas forward Madison Booker had three fouls at the half.
Bo Underwood is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Jordan Lee? Texas basketball guard shows Final Four spark
