Texas Lady Longhorns Survive Late Scare from Ole Miss Lady Rebels to Match Historic ’86 Start

If you checked the score at the end of the third quarter, you probably thought this was another Sunday stroll in the park for Vic Schaefer’s squad. Texas was up big, the defense was suffocating, and the Moody Center was rocking. But by the time the final buzzer sounded, most of the 10,000 fans in Austin were likely checking their smartwatches to make sure their heart rates hadn’t spiked into the danger zone.

In a game that had “blowout” written all over it for 30 minutes, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns had to grit their teeth and hold on for dear life to secure a 67-64 victory over a scrappy No. 15 Ole Miss team.

The win moves Texas to a flawless 17-0 on the season. If that number sounds familiar, it should. The last time a Texas women’s basketball team started 17-0 was the 1985-86 season. You know, the one where they went undefeated and hung the program’s only national championship banner? That one. But if they want to repeat that history, they can’t have many more fourth quarters like this one.

The Tale Of Two Halves

Let’s give credit where it’s due: For the first three quarters, Texas looked every bit the part of a national title contender.

Sophomore Guard Jordan Lee was electric, finishing with a team-high 17 points. She wasn’t just scoring; she was answering the bell every time Ole Miss tried to make a run early on. And then there’s Rori Harmon. While she didn’t light up the scoreboard with points (8), she was the engine room, dishing out 10 assists.

The highlight of the night, and maybe the season so far, came in the third quarter. Harmon channeled her inner Arch Manning, launching a full-court dime to Lee, who caught it in stride and buried a three-pointer. It was the kind of play that makes you jump off the couch and spill your nachos. At that point, Texas was rolling, and Ole Miss looked ready to pack it in.

How Ole Miss Turned the Tables

But here’s the thing about the SEC: nobody quits. Especially not a team coached by Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

Down by as many as 19 points in the third, and trailing by 15 to start the fourth, the Rebels flipped a switch. Suddenly, the rim that had been welcoming to Texas all afternoon put a lid on itself. The Longhorns’ offense went colder than an Austin ice storm, committing turnovers on back-to-back possessions and letting the Rebels go on a tear.

The catalyst for the drama? Cotie McMahon. McMahon had been quiet all game, but she erupted for 12 of her 19 points in the final frame. She was getting downhill, drawing fouls, and making Texas defenders look like they were moving in quicksand.

Then there was the “Revenge Game” narrative. Former Longhorn Latasha Lattimore, now wearing Ole Miss colors, dropped 17 points and seemed determined to spoil the party for her old school.

The Final Seconds: Chaos at the Moody Center

The final minute was pure chaos. Ole Miss had whittled the lead down to nothing. With just seconds on the clock and Texas clinging to a 66-64 lead, McMahon stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to tie it up or cut it to one.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Clank. Missed the first.

Clank. Missed the second.

The collective exhale from the Texas bench could have powered a wind turbine. But it wasn’t over yet. After a scramble, Ole Miss got one last look. A three-pointer from McMahon at the buzzer to send it to overtime. It rimmed out. Game over.

What This Means For the Longhorns

A win is a win. In the record books, 17-0 looks just as pretty whether you win by 30 or by 3. Madison Booker added a solid 15 points, and Breya Cunningham chipped in 10, showing that Texas has the depth to survive when things get muddy.

But Coach Schaefer will have plenty of tape to review this week. The fourth-quarter collapse, where Ole Miss outscored Texas 24-12, is a concern. You can get away with that at home in early January, but do that in March against South Carolina or UConn? That’s a wrap on your season.

For now, though, the dream of an undefeated season is still alive. The ghosts of 1986 are smiling, even if they had to cover their eyes for the last five minutes. Texas survives. And in this sport, survival is the name of the game.