No. 4 Texas women survive furious rally from No. 3 UCLA

Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

No. 4 Texas women survive furious second-half rally from No. 3 UCLA

By Colby Colwell | Last updated Nov 26, 2025 5:08 PM ET

In what could have easily been a Final Four preview, the No. 4 Texas women escaped with a 76-65 win after withstanding a late rally from No. 3 UCLA.

For most of the game, it looked like the Longhorns would run away with the victory, leading by as many as 23 points. Texas got out to a 20-10 lead after the opening quarter and stretched the advantage to 45-25 at the break.

However, a 9-1 run from the Bruins to end the third quarter was the start of a ferocious comeback that ultimately fell short, despite trimming the deficit to four with just over a minute remaining.

It was a resilient effort from UCLA, but a poor job of maintaining the huge lead by Texas in a game that was not as close for its duration as the final score would indicate.

Rori Harmon shines for Texas in top-five win

The senior guard led the way for the Longhorns with 26 points (9-of-15 FG) and junior forward Madison Booker added 16 points (6-of-17 FG) and seven boards.

Harmon collected her 20th point of the game with this mid-range jumper with four minutes to play.

that's 20 points on the board for @roriiiharmonnn #HookEm pic.twitter.com/yEmf5jUSVk
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) November 26, 2025

Texas forced 20 turnovers and knocked down 16 of its 17 free-throw attempts, fully taking advantage of its opportunities at the charity stripe.

Aside from the turnovers, UCLA made 47% of its shot attempts and hit 13 of its 14 free throws, but could not complete the comeback. Senior guards Kiki Rice and Gianna Kneepkens each had 17 points, while the team's leading scorer, Lauren Betts, was held to just eight.

A lot of the focus for Texas usually goes to Booker, especially considering she leads the team in scoring (17 PPG) and Harmon is only ninth. However, while Harmon leads the Longhorns in assists (6.4 APG), it is not the first time she has stepped up on the big stage.

She scored a career-high 30 points in a Big 12 Tournament semifinal win over Iowa State in the 2021-22 season and put up 27 points and 13 assists in a win over an 11th-ranked UConn team during the 2023-24 campaign.

Wednesday was the latest of Harmon's sensational performances in big games. Texas would certainly like to be able to close out its opponent better than it did against UCLA, but with Harmon stepping up and giving the Longhorns a complete effort on both ends of the floor, they certainly look like one of the best teams in the country.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family

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