AUSTIN, Texas - Ariel Atkins scored 22 points and No. 2 seed Texas earned its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 with a 73-55 win against No. 10 Missouri on Monday night with an impressive display of speed and athleticism that overmatched the bigger Tigers.
Lashann Higgs scored 11 points and was a sparkplug off the bench for the Longhorns (30-4), who head to the Bridgeport, Conn., Regional looking to make their deepest run in the postseason since a Final Four appearance in 2003. Texas will play UCLA in the Sweet 16. Missouri's starting lineup is 6-feet or taller and Texas simply turned any matchup problem on its head with aggressive defense on the perimeter that gave the Tigers no easy looks at the basket up close.
Sophie Cunningham scored 23 points for Missouri (22-10), which had made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.
Cunningham looked to have Missouri rolling early when she hit two 3-pointers for the game's first baskets and pumped her fist as an exclamation point. But the rest of her team couldn't match her.
The Longhorns shook off a 0-for-7 shooting start with a 17-3 run that pushed the ball in transition and kept the bigger Tigers backpedaling.
Despite their quick start, the Tigers were just 3-of-16 shooting in the first quarter and launched 11 3-point attempts instead of trying to attack Imani Boyette under the basket.
Unwilling to challenge Texas inside, Missouri attempted 28 3-pointers and made eight.