Longhorns Clear Path to Atlanta

If good things come to those who wait, then Sue Gunter must feel like she needs the patience of Job.

The Louisiana State coach has won 681 games in 39 seasons of Division I basketball but can’t win the game that puts the Tigers into the Final Four.

Texas will be there -- for the first time since 1986 -- after stampeding the Tigers, 78-60, to win the West Regional before 2,902 on Tuesday night at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion.

The Longhorns (29-5) advance to Atlanta to play Connecticut in a semifinal on Sunday. Duke and Tennessee play in the other semifinal.

“I’m speechless,” Texas Coach Jody Conradt said. “How can I describe how good it feels to be with a team that’s playing the way this one played tonight.”

The Longhorns, who got a career-best 32 points from Heather Schreiber, dominated play after the first five minutes.

They reversed an 11-4 LSU lead by outscoring the Tigers, 37-11, to lead, 41-22, at halftime. In the second half, Texas increased the lead to 30 points.

“Texas is a good team and you can’t let yourself get in hole every game and expect to come back,” LSU guard Temeka Johnson said.

“We knew they had come back on us before,” said Texas center Stacy Stephens (14 points and 12 rebounds), referring to the Dec. 28 game between the teams that was won by LSU, 76-58.

Schreiber made 13 of 21 shots in a variety of ways. She had Texas’ only two three-point baskets and was able to drive through the LSU defense for easy baskets.

“I hadn’t been shooting well in the tournament,” Schreiber said. “But in practice yesterday we worked on shooting the same way every time. And our guards were giving us the ball early in the game so I was able to get easy shots. It gave me more confidence to step outside and take jumpers.”

LSU (30-4), which had 14 points from DeTrina White and 12 from Johnson, was stopped in the Elite Eight for the third time.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” said Gunter, describing the loss. “This is a very good basketball team and we had such high aspirations during the course of the year. I would have bet my life they would go out tonight and really compete. And it just didn’t seem to happen for them.

“It’s tough to get this close. But it’s part of what we do. There are no assurances; you have to go out and beat people.”

Texas is the only team in the Final Four that was not seeded No. 1 in its regional. But the Longhorns, who were seeded No. 2 -- the Tigers were the top-seeded team -- are riding a 17-game winning streak.

Texas joins Georgia (1983), Duke (1999) and Oklahoma (2002) as schools to have its men’s and women’s teams advance to the Final Four in the same season.