Cliffs Notes: SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker scored 25 points to lead No.1 Texas to a 56-49 win over No.9 LSU in the semi-finals of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Participants: No.1 Texas (31-2, 15-1, No.3 NET ranking and No.10 LSU (28-5, 12-4, No.10 NET ranking)
Game MVP: Booker was tremendous in scoring her 25 points on 10 of 19 shooting, while also grabbing 6 rebounds. Maybe the most surprising element of her performance was the 3 of 6 shooting from behind the arc, considering she had made only a single three-point shot in her final 7 games of the season. More of that, please.
It Needs to Be Said: LSU All-American Flau'Jae Johnson missed the game as expected to injury and it was clear the Tigers missed its star.
Dominant Defense: This was Schaefer-Ball at its finest, as the Longhorns held the Tigers to 31.6% shooting from the floor and 20.0% from behind the arc, while dominating (+11) on the glass.
Key Stats: The Longhorns were too sloppy with the ball and finished with 18 turnovers, which is why the game was always within arm's reach for the Tigers until the final minutes. Outside of Booker, only Rori Harmon broke double-digits in points (10), This won't get it done in the title game on Sunday.
Final Thoughts: Bring on, South Carolina. We're getting the game the nation wants... Texas vs. South Carolina III. The Longhorns will have to play better than it did tonight in order to bear the Gamecocks in their backyard, but it would be surprising to see the Longhorns play so inefficiently on offense for a second straight night. Regardless of the outcome, you have to think the Longhorns have locked up a No.1 seed.
