Texas head coach Vic Schaefer and company had a great season up to this point, but it all came to an end in the Elite Eight in San Antonio on Tuesday. No. 1 South Carolina took the lead early and never let up as they won by a score of 62-34.
There was not an aspect of this game that South Carolina didn’t dominate. Not only did the Gamecocks never trail, but they out shot the Longhorns in all three aspects: field goal percentage (43.9% to 23%), three-point range (42.9% to 20%) and free-throw shooting (90% to 50%).
South Carolina had five different players score in double figures, while Texas only had Audrey Warren to lead the team with 13 points.
Texas’ star forward, and expected top WNBA Draft pick Charli Collier, was largely shut down in this game on offense with four points, despite an impressive three blocks. Her main issue was not only shot selection (shooting 2-of-10), but she also had three personal fouls.
Texas attempted a third quarter comeback and showed some resiliency, although it didn’t last long.
in sync 🤘 pic.twitter.com/tollTQZlkA
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 31, 2021
Not only did South Carolina clamp the Texas offense in the fourth, the Longhorns didn’t score a single point in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Schaefer and his staff had an impressive first season in Austin and they’re certainly well ahead of schedule. It’s a disappointing end to a promising year, but it looks like there’s more excitement to come.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We couldn't have made it this far without the support from our teammates, coaches, and fans 🧡We'll see y'all next season 🤘 pic.twitter.com/BqqreT5xU1
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 31, 2021
Scoring Leaders:
Zia Cooke: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Audrey Warren: 13 points, 5 rebounds
Destanni Henderson: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists