Longhorns Elite-Eight Bound After Beating Ohio State

Joanne Allen-Taylor had 17 points to help lift Texas past the Sweet 16 for the second straight NCAA Tournament

The Texas Longhorns will play in the Elite Eight for the second straight season after defeating Ohio State, 66-63, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday.

The Longhorns (29-6), the No. 2 seed in the Spokane Region, will play either No. 1 seed Stanford or No. 4 seed Maryland on Sunday for the right to go to the Final Four. The Longhorns have not been to the Final Four since 2003.

Ohio State (25-7), which was making its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017, fell short of reaching the Elite Eight since 1993, when it reached the national championship game before losing to the Sheryl Swoopes-led Texas Tech Lady Raiders. 

Audrey Warren

Joanne Allen-Taylor

Joanne Allen-Taylor

With Rori Harmon in foul trouble the entire game, Texas had to lean on senior guard Joanne Allen-Taylor to run the offense, and she delivered with a team-high 17 points.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Texas had a 60-50 lead and was seemingly in control before Ohio State went on an 8-0 run, propelled by a 3-pointer by Jacy Sheldon, to help the Buckeyes get back within two points with 3:14 to play.

Two free throws by Texas forward Lauren Ebo pushed the Texas lead to 62-58 with 2:12 left, but Ohio State guard Taylor Mikesell hit a big 3-pointer to cut the Longhorn lead to 62-61 with 1:50 left.

Harmon — who only had six points in 22 minutes — came up with a jumper from the elbow with 1:14 left to push the Texas lead back to three points, but Tanaya Beacham’s jumper moved Ohio State back to within one point, 64-63, with 49 seconds left. After Texas forward Aaliyah Moore missed a layup, Ohio State rebounded and took a time out with a chance to win.

Sheldon took the first shot at winning the game but missed her 15-foot jumper. Taylor Thierry grabbed the rebound and went back up, but Moore blocked the shot and Audrey Warren collected the ball for Texas. She passed to Harmon, who dribbled around until she was fouled with 10 seconds left.

Harmon made both free throws. Ohio State, without a timeout to advance the ball, inbounded to Sheldon, but Ohio State could not get a shot off before the final buzzer.

Aliyah Matharu had 10 points for Texas, including a pair of 3-pointers. Ebo finished with nine points and eight rebounds.

Mikesell had 19 points and Sheldon had 17 points for Ohio State. Beacham had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Texas had to play the majority of the first half without Harmon, who was called for her second foul with less than three minutes to play in the first quarter. Without their All-Big 12 guard, Allen-Taylor came up huge. 

Lauren Ebo

Rori Harmon

Aliyah Matharu

Ohio State built as much as a 20-14 lead late in the first quarter, built in part on a 13-4 run. DeYona Gaston’s baseline jumper for Texas ended the quarter and threw some cold water on the run, and Texas used that as a spark to go on a 9-0 run on their own early in the second quarter to grab the lead.

Allen-Taylor helped Texas secure the halftime lead as she scored nine of her 13-first half points in the second quarter, including a three-point play with two seconds left in the quarter to push Texas’ lead to 32-30.

Ohio State went the final 4:49 of the second quarter without points and with four turnovers. Mikesell, one of the best 3-point shooters in the country, failed to make a 3-pointer in the first half, though she had eight points (Sheldon had nine). But Ohio State failed to make a 3-pointer in the first half. 

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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