GREENVILLE, S.C. — Vic Schaefer shared a group hug with his Texas women’s basketball team Sunday evening and asked excitedly: “Where’s the confetti?”
A moment later, the veteran coach looked up, and the celebratory flakes began falling on the Longhorns from the rafters at Bon Secours Wellness Arena as the last of thousands of disappointed South Carolina fans disappeared through the exits.
The rematch of last year’s SEC tourney final, which was won by the Gamecocks, turned out not to be much of a match at all, thanks to Texas.
Junior forward Madison Booker scored 18 points as the fourth-ranked, third-seeded Longhorns sprinted to a 14-0 lead and beat third-ranked, top-seeded South Carolina 78-61 to win the event for the first time in their second try while denying the Gamecocks what would have been their fourth consecutive championship.
Justice Carlton added 15 points and Jordan Lee had 12 for the Longhorns (31-3), who became part of the SEC ahead of the 2024-25 season, when they were joined by rival Oklahoma in exiting the Big 12 and adding to the western wing of what became at 16-team league.