LAS VEGAS -- Rori Harmon scored 26 points and No. 4 Texas held on to beat No. 3 UCLA 76-65 on Wednesday and advance to the final of the Players Era Championship.
After building a 23-point lead late in the third quarter, the Longhorns staved off a late surge by UCLA as Harmon had all of the Longhorns' field goals in the final quarter.
"In the fourth quarter, she was about the only one that looked like she wanted it, so I was emptying the playbook for her," Texas coach Vic Schaefer told reporters. "She made some big shots for us."
Texas (6-0) will face No. 2 South Carolina in Thursday's title game, while the Bruins (6-1) will play Duke for third place.
Madison Booker finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Longhorns. Jordan Lee had 13 points and Justice Carlton chipped in 10.
The Bruins trailed by just four after a 24-7 run, sparked Kiki Rice's 12 points. But three failed possessions -- a missed 3-pointer and two turnovers -- allowed Texas to pull away for coach Vic Schaefer's 150th win with the Longhorns.
"In those moments, we understand that the game is about runs, whether we're going on our run or they're going on their run," Booker told reporters. "We have to keep our composure. We have all faith and trust in what we do and trust in each other. We just came together and understood what was at stake here. We just wanted to win that bad."
Gianna Kneepkens and Rice each scored 17 points to lead the Bruins. Charlisse Leger-Walker added 13 points on 50% shooting.
Texas was superior defensively in the first quarter, forcing seven UCLA turnovers and turning them into six points. Despite going 0 for 4 from the 3-point line, the Longhorns were 9 of 15 (47.4%) from inside the arc in the opening period to take a 10-point lead.
The Longhorns doubled their lead in the second quarter to take a 45-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. Texas shot a blistering 51.4% in the first half, while UCLA stumbled to a 44.4% clip after 20 minutes.
UCLA had a scare when AP preseason All-American selection Lauren Betts left the game early in the third quarter with what appeared to be an upper-body injury after colliding with Booker. Betts writhed in pain on the court, grabbing her arm as trainers tended to her.
Betts returned to the game after spending several minutes in the locker room.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.