Texas Longhorns Fall to UCLA in Final Four as Historic Season Ends

PHOENIX — The Texas Longhorns’ quest for a national championship ended in familiar heartbreak Friday night, as No. 1 seed UCLA eliminated Vic Schaefer’s club 51-44 in the Final Four at the Mortgage Matchup Center, sending the Bruins to their first-ever title game and the Longhorns home from the semifinals for the second consecutive season.

Lauren Betts powered UCLA with a game-high 16 points, 11 rebounds and the defining defensive play — a late rejection of All-American Madison Booker that snuffed out Texas’s last rally. The Longhorns, who trailed by 13 with 4:36 remaining, clawed within three but could not push ahead after Booker’s opening basket gave them their only lead of the night.

Booker, hounded by a swarming Bruin defense, finished with a season-low six points on 3-of-23 shooting and added seven rebounds. The normally potent Texas attack managed just six first-quarter points and a 20-17 halftime deficit, relying on its defense to stay within striking distance.

Senior guard Rori Harmon, playing her final game in burnt orange, posted eight points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. She shared an emotional embrace with Schaefer as she exited with seconds left, closing a career that helped elevate the program to national prominence.

UCLA will meet No. 1 overall seed South Carolina, which upset previously unbeaten UConn in the nightcap, for the national title on Sunday. For Texas, the offseason arrives earlier than hoped, with Booker set to return but the sting of another Final Four exit certain to linger.