Freshmen help power Texas past Tennessee, Longhorns make 4th Elite 8 in past 5 years

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas defense came through when it had to, and a pair of freshmen were terrific on the offense, lifting the Longhorns to a 67-59 win over Tennessee in the women’s Sweet 16 on Saturday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Texas held the Lady Volunteers to nine points in the fourth quarter, keeping them off the board for the final 3:43 to clinch a berth in the Elite Eight for the fourth time in five seasons. Tennessee committed nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and made just four field goals, meanwhile, the Longhorns knocked down six shots and five free throws in the frame.

Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell said Texas sped them up in the fourth quarter, which led to the inefficiency.

“(Texas) did such a good job taking us out of our offense, rushing us into some shots and forcing turnovers down the stretch when we needed to get some shots off,” she said.

Madison Booker, a first-team all-American, did her thing and scored a game-high 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting, but freshmen Bryanna Preston and Jordan Lee came up big. In the fast-paced, high-pressure style Tennessee likes to play, the Longhorns countered with a quicker lineup that was more adept at ball-handling and included the duo. Preston and Lee scored 25 points and kept the Lady Vols’ terrific guards in check.

Lee hit all three of Texas’ 3-pointers to finish with 13 points, and Preston got to the rim with regularity and scored 12 on 5-for-7 shooting.

“These freshmen might have been the difference today,” Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said. “I knew this was going to be a knock-down, drag-out, and this is our juice. This is our energy. They really stepped up today.”

Lee averaged 19 minutes per game, and Preston was at 12.5 minutes before the tournament began, but since the matchup called for it, they both emptied the tank. Lee logged 33 minutes and Preston played 27, and the Longhorns needed all of them to get back to the regional final.

“My teammates know that I’m capable, my coaches encourage me, and I take that out on the court and just play hard,” Preston said. “I’m here to compete.”

Lee is perhaps the biggest threat from the perimeter for the Longhorns, and when they needed a big shot from outside, she was ready to take it. She nailed a 3-pointer to give the Longhorns a 50-49 lead with 0:25 left in the third quarter. She hit one earlier in the frame to put Texas up 41-34 with 6:57 left, their biggest lead of the quarter.

Preston hit a layup with 7:02 left in the game to tie it at 54-54, and then Booker scored consecutive buckets to complete a 6-0 flurry.

Schaefer said Preston and Lee are “cerebral” and “really smart,” and that’s the kind of player he wants to recruit.

“Jordan Lee may be doing open heart surgery in 10 years,” Schaefer said. “Both are extremely smart and their competitive spirits are off the chart. It’s really special to have freshmen like that.”

Texas finished plus-four in the turnover battle, forcing 18 while committing 14, and held the nation’s top-scoring team to nearly 30 points below their season average. The Longhorns outscored the Lady Vols 40-36 in the paint and 10-2 in transition points.

Taylor Jones had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Rori Harmon chipped in eight points with four rebounds and four assists. Texas shot 47% from the field, 27 for 58, and Tennessee shot 38% at 25 for 66.

For the Lady Vols, Ruby Whitehorn scored 16 on 7-for-13 shooting and Zee Spearman scored 13 of 6 of 11 shooting. Tennessee outrebounded Texas 39-36, including 17-9 on the offensive end.

Texas (34-3) tied the school record for wins in a season. They’ll take on second-seeded TCU at 6 p.m. Monday for a berth in the Final Four. Tennessee ended the season with a 24-10 record.

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