PHOENIX (AP) — Madison Booker has led Texas’ offense all season, so it was little surprise that she hit a jumper less than a minute into the game to give the Longhorns an early two-point lead.
It was the last shot she would make for more than three quarters.
The AP All-America forward missed her next 17 attempts from the field as the Longhorns fell to UCLA 51-44 on Friday night in the national semifinals of the women’s Final Four.
Booker recovered somewhat in the final minutes as the Longhorns made a frantic push, contributing a pair of baskets to help cut the deficit to 47-44 with less than 30 seconds remaining. The rally ended when Booker was stuffed by UCLA’s 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts on a driving layup with 20 seconds remaining.
Trailing 49-44 in the final seconds, Booker slipped and fell to the ground while trying to make a play, ending a night to forget. She finished 3 of 23 from the field, missing all four of her 3-point attempts, and had six points.
It’s the second straight year Booker’s season has ended with a disappointing game. She had just 11 points and one rebound while fighting foul trouble in a 74-57 loss to South Carolina in last year’s national semifinals.
The loss wasn’t all Booker’s fault as the Longhorns struggled offensively the entire night. Texas shot just 30.8% from the field and only one player — Kyla Oldacre — finished in double figures with 11 points.
Texas was one of the hottest teams in the country coming into the Final Four, riding a 12-game winning streak into Friday’s game. During that stretch, the Longhorns beat fellow Final Four participant South Carolina by 17 points in the SEC Tournament championship and crushed Michigan 77-41 in the Elite Eight.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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