AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns are headed to the Sweet 16 for the 18th time in school history.
The top seed in Regional 4 turned back eighth-seeded Alabama 65-54 Sunday at Moody Center behind a bruising effort in the paint, blocking 11 shots and outrebounding the Crimson Tide 45-34.
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Aaliyah Moore finished with a double-double for the Longhorns, pouring in 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She made the only 3-point field goal for Texas in the third quarter with the shot clock winding down, bringing the raucous Moody Center crowd to full throat. It was her fourth 3-pointer of the season, giving the Longhorns a 45-32 lead with 3:39 left in the quarter.
“Honestly, I just shot it,” she said with a laugh. “I practice it, but I just don’t show it a lot. When it went in, I was like, ‘Ooo, that’s nice.’”
The Crimson Tide cut the Longhorns’ lead to one point twice in the second quarter, but Texas went on a 6-0 spurt to stretch their lead back to seven points, eventually taking a 31-24 lead into halftime.
“I thought we opened the second half right,” Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said. “We were locked in defensively and offensively we made enough plays. What this team continues to do is really quite amazing. They played their guts out today.”
Madison Booker scored 21 points on 9 of 16 shooting while DeYona Gaston chipped in nine points and seven rebounds. Texas shot 40% from the field and outscored the Crimson Tide 34-22 in the paint.
For Alabama (24-10), Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 17 points on 7 of 19 shooting.
Texas (32-4) will play Gonzaga or Utah in the Sweet 16 on March 29 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Their win total is the most in program history since the 1987-88 season.
More details and quotes will be added to the story following the postgame press conference