Top-seeded TCU advanced to the championship game of the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament with a 71-65 victory over fourth-seeded West Virginia on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
The No. 8 Horned Frogs on Sunday will face second-seeded and No. 17 Baylor, which worked overtime to knock off No. 21 Oklahoma State, the third seed, in the other semifinal.
TCU got a combined 53 points from Hailey Van Lith (19 points), Sedona Prince (18 points and 16 rebounds) and Madison Conner (16 points). The Frogs (30-3) reached 30 wins and qualified for the league tournament title game for the first time in program history.
West Virginia (24-7) was led by JJ Quinerly with 20 points. WVU forced 12 TCU turnovers to keep the game close, but it snapped a 53-game streak of forcing at least 15 turnovers.
No. 17 Baylor 84, No. 21 Oklahoma State 74 (OT)
The Bears outscored the Cowgirls 18-8 in overtime to advance to the final, where they will go for their 12th Big 12 tournament title, the most in conference history.
Baylor (27-6) got a career-high 37 points by Aaronette Vonleh. The Cowgirls (25-6) were led by Stailee Heard with 25 points and 12 rebounds before she fouled out with 28 seconds left in overtime.
Oklahoma State jumped out to a 19-12 advantage after one quarter, but Baylor grabbed the lead on Vonleh’s layup at the 3:04 mark of the second quarter. The Bears were up 32-29 at halftime.
Baylor stretched the lead to nine points in the third quarter, but Micah Gray hit three 3-pointers as part of an 11-2 run to tie the score. The teams traded the lead throughout the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
