The Big 12 Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament continued with four games during quarterfinal action at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
The quarterfinal results included:
Game 9: No. 4 West Virginia 73 No. 5 Kansas State 69
Game 10: No. 1 TCU 69 No. 9 Colorado 62
Game 11: No. 2 Baylor 69, No. 7 Iowa State 63
Game 12: No. 3 Oklahoma State 62, No. 14 Texas Tech 59
Saturday’s semifinal games will include:
Game 13: No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 1 TCU, 3 p.m. CT, ESPN+
Game 14: No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State, 5:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+
Here are three takeaways from the latest day of women’s basketball action.
BAYLOR’S BALANCE
Bella Fontleroy scored 12 points in Baylor’s win over Iowa State on Friday. In doing so, she became the sixth — SIXTH — Baylor player to reach 300 points for the season. She now has 305 points.
The others five are the players you would expect — Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (373), Aaronette Vonleh (440), Jada Walker (357), Sarah Andrews (345) and Yaya Felder (334).
It’s that balance that coach Nicki Collen has preached since she arrived in Waco four years ago. Only now does she have the roster she needs to execute that full vision of a WNBA-style offense on the college level.
With Littlepage-Buggs out, Fontleroy has become more prominent. So has Yaya Felder, the Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year, who has moved into the starting lineup in her absence.
But the real differentiator has been center Aaronette Vonleh. Since media days in October, Collen has talked about the Colorado transfer as the one thing they needed to be able to compete with teams like Iowa State and TCU.
Now, Iowa State center Audi Crooks did have 32 points on Friday. But Vonleh turned in 12 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. And, while Vonleh had three other players around her in double figures, Crooks had none.
That’s the balance that makes Baylor so tough to beat.
WANNA SEE NEXT YEAR’S BIG 12 POY?
TCU guard Hailey Van Lith claimed this year’s Big 12 Player of the Year award, which she received on Friday before the Horned Frogs faced Colorado.
Fans might have gotten a sneak peek at next year’s Big 12 Player of the Year on Friday night — Oklahoma State’s Stailee Heard.
The Cowgirls knew they were in for a close one with Texas Tech, which reached the quarterfinals out of the first round as a No. 14 seed. The Lady Raiders found a way to slow down OSU’s offense. Well, all but Heard, anyway.
The sophomore tied her career high with 34 points, along with 13 rebounds. She shot 7-of-21 from the floor, made three 3-pointers and went 17-of-20 from the free-throw line. Tech threw everything it had at her and just couldn’t slow her down.
Heard is a 5-11 guard who plays like a forward. Her game has developed quickly, even after an all-freshman Big 12 season a year ago. She’s at her best driving to the basket, making tough baskets and getting to the free-throw line.
On Friday, she was the biggest reason OSU moved on to the semifinals.
THE COACHING CAROUSEL SPINS
Two days after Houston’s Ronald Hughey resigned, it appears we have a second opening in Big 12 women’s basketball.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported on Friday night that BYU is expected to part ways with third-year coach Amber Whiting, who was 45-51 in three seasons.
Unlike Houston, which is probably in line for a total rebuild, the Cougars are a plum job. BYU has a great deal of momentum behind it in all sports, including NIL and recruiting. The only proof you need is to see what Kevin Young has done in one year with the men’s program in maintaining, and in ways elevating, what Mark Pope built.
BYU last went to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 under Jeff Judkins, who won 26 games that season. Whiting, who had never been a college coach, never kept the Cougars at that level.
Whoever gets the job has one primary objective — make sure Delaney Gibb doesn’t transfer.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
