GREENVILLE, S.C. — Preseason All-American Madison Booker had 31 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and fourth-ranked, third-seeded Texas pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat 24th-ranked, seventh-seeded Ole Miss 85-68 in a Southeastern Conference tournament semifinal Saturday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The Longhorns left the Big 12 ahead of the 2024-25 season, and for the second year in a row, they’re in the SEC title game — and set to face South Carolina at 3 p.m. Sunday in a rematch of last year’s final that the Gamecocks won 64-45.
Kyla Oldacre was strong in the paint with 19 points and eight rebounds for Texas, which outscored the Rebels 28-13 in the fourth quarter a day after rolling past 11th-seeded Alabama in a 23-point win that was over early. That was the first game in Greenville this year for the Longhorns, who had a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds in the 16-team bracket, but the Crimson Tide were playing for the third day in a row.
Denim DeShields and Cotie McMahon scored 20 points apiece for Ole Miss (23-11), which had a first-round bye but was playing its third game in as many days Saturday. The Rebels made it to the weekend with a stunning quarterfinal win over fifth-ranked, second-seeded Vanderbilt in which they jumped out to a 23-2 lead and led by 32 in the third quarter before holding off a late rally by the Commodores.
They didn’t start nearly as fast on Saturday. The taller Longhorns used a 12-0 run to build a 16-point lead in the first half, outscoring the Rebels 30-14 in the paint.