It took nine tries, but Texas Longhorns women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer has finally beaten South Carolina in the postseason. Good timing. The Lady Longhorns dominated the Gamecocks 78-61 en route to the program’s first SEC Championship at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
Madison Booker led Texas with 18 points and was named MVP of the tournament. Justice Carlton added 15 points and Jordan Lee had 12 for Texas (31-3). “We belong in the SEC,” Booker said. “We’re here to play and we’re here to win.”
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“When her shot is going in like that, they are very difficult to beat,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said after the game.
This is Schaefer’s third conference title at Texas. He won two when the Longhorns were in the Big 12 and now one in the SEC. UT joined the SEC in 2024. Schaefer became the first coach to win the women’s SEC tournament title at multiple schools. He also won the crown at Mississippi State in 2019.
No. 4 Texas jumped out to a 14-0 lead and dominated the three-time defending champion and No. 3 ranked South Carolina the rest of the way in front of a pro-Gamecocks crowd of 13,000 in the SEC postseason tournament.
Both teams are expected to get a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, but the win probably gives Texas the No. 3 seed and South Carolina the No. 4.
The powerhouses programs split two tightly contested meetings during the regular season. Texas won 66-64 at a neutral site in November and the Gamecocks got revenge with a 68-65 win at home in January.
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The NCAA tournament field will be announced on March 15 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Longhorns women’s basketball crush Gamecocks to win SEC title
