KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It took most of three quarters, but top-seeded TCU pulled away from No. 12 seed Kansas State to advance to the Big 12 Tournament Championship for the second straight season.
TCU (29-4, 15-3 Big 12) struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the first half, committing 12 turnovers. Big 12 Player of the Year Olivia Miles also found herself in foul trouble, subbing out with her third foul at the seven minute mark in the second quarter. She was the team’s leading scorer when she headed to the bench with seven points.
Without Miles on the perimeter, Kansas State fired away, converting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in the final seven minutes of the half. The Wildcats matched the Horned Frogs with five in the first half, including three from Jordan Speiser.
Kansas State (18-17, 8-10 Big 12) held a one-point lead at the break, 33-32, but TCU emerged from the break shooting 73% in the third quarter. Marta Suárez was particularly effective, scoring 14 of her game-high 22 points while shooting 6-for-8. She is now averaging 21.6 points per game over the team’s 8-game winning streak.
“They sped us up in the first half. It made us a little bit uncomfortable, forced us into some turnovers,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “This group at halftime — they’ve done it all year — got in there, took a deep breath, came out in the second half and really played well on both sides of the ball.”
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Midway through the fourth quarter, TCU hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to double digits for the first time. One came from Miles, who played more conservatively but was also more effectively in the second half, shooting 5-for-9 and committing just one additional foul. She finished the game with 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
“Liv’s played so much college basketball, the kid’s so smart and such a sound head that I trust her and she did great,” Campbell said of Miles.
Nastja Claessens led the Wildcats with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Although Kansas State’s run falls short of the Big 12 championship game, the Wildcats made a statement, knocking off two higher seeds and making history as the first No. 12 seed to reach the tournament’s semifinals.
West Virginia 48, Colorado 47
West Virginia didn’t score much in Saturday’s semifinal game against Colorado, but they stayed patient and took care of the ball, eventually battling to a 48-47 defensive victory and advancing to the Big 12 championship game.
“I think we want to be versatile enough to win whatever the game calls for,” West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg said. “If we need a 48-47 win, I think we can do that. If the game calls for us to get going offensively and it’s a little more free flowing, I think we’ve shown we have the ability to put up some points.”
The two sides were tied at 17 at the half, both shooting sub-30%. In fact, neither team made a basket in the last seven-plus minutes of the second quarter. Colorado held a slight edge in that frame, outscoring West Virginia 5-4.
Inevitably, the game sped up in the second half, with West Virginia building a double-digit lead for the first time all game in the midst of an 8-0 run. Colorado responded with one of their own, cutting the lead to 34-30 entering the fourth.
The final quarter took an exciting turn as Colorado surged ahead with 1:08 left on the clock, thanks to a Desiree Wooten 3-pointer. West Virginia’s Gia Cooke answered immediately to put the Mountaineers back up 46-45, and Jordan Harrison hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to three, but Wooten played hero again, drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt.
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Wooten knocked down two of three foul shots, and Cooke missed the front end of a one-and-one on the other end, but it was enough to seal the victory. Harrison, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, forced a turnover on the final possession and was tackled by teammates as she slid to the ground.
“The irony that she makes the big defensive stop there late,” Kellogg said. “I’m proud of her, I’m proud of our team.”
When asked about how she pulled off the winning play, Harrison smiled.
“I saw the back of her numbers, and I just went for it.”
Harrison led West Virginia with 15 points and Cooke added 14. Kierra Wheeler joined them in double digits with 12. Zyanna Walker led Colorado with a game-high 16 points.
TCU will face West Virginia on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.
