Texas escaped with a dramatic 66–64 victory in the Players Era Women’s Championship after Rori Harmon drilled a baseline jumper with just 0.7 seconds remaining, breaking a tie and sealing the win.
The Longhorns were ahead 64–62 in the final half-minute when Ta’Niya Latson came up with a clutch steal. Dawn Staley quickly signaled for a timeout with 19.6 seconds left. Rather than holding for the final possession, Latson immediately attacked the lane, drew contact, and calmly sank both free throws to knot the game at 64–64 with 15 seconds on the clock.
Texas chose not to stop play following Latson’s free throws, allowing Harmon to control the possession. She dribbled down the clock, made her move, and rose up from her favorite baseline spot, hitting the fadeaway over Tessa Johnson for the decisive shot.
South Carolina used its final timeout to advance the ball, but Texas knocked the inbounds pass away. With just 0.1 seconds remaining, the Gamecocks didn’t have enough time to get off a final attempt.
The Gamecocks had carried a 50–46 lead into the fourth quarter but couldn’t finish the job.
Early on, South Carolina’s inability to convert at the rim put them in trouble. Despite consistently breaking into the paint, they went just 5-for-18 on layups in the first half. Texas capitalized, building an eight-point advantage before settling into a four-point edge at halftime.
But the Gamecocks kept attacking after the break, and eventually the shots started falling. South Carolina opened the third quarter by making its first nine layups, fueling an 11–0 run that flipped the game into a 50–42 South Carolina lead.
Longhorns coach Vic Shaefer halted the momentum with a timeout, and his message settled the team. Texas responded immediately with an 8–0 run of its own, pulling the matchup back even early in the final frame.
