The TCU Horned Frogs defeated the Baylor Bears, 64-59, to win the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday.
TCU (31-3) won its first Big 12 tournament title in women’s basketball, one week after winning its first Big 12 regular-season title. The Horned Frogs did it the same way they did it last week in the regular-season finale against the Bears — withstanding a late rally by the Bears.
Baylor (27-7) struggled in the first half and got into massive foul trouble in the second half. Yet, the Bears overcame all of that to close to within two points late in the game.
Baylor even had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime. But Aaronette Vonleh 3-pointer in the final seconds refused to fall.
With that, TCU’s magical season continued. First Big 12 regular-season and tournament title. First 30-win seasons. Worst to first in two seasons. And their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
A WEIRD FIRST HALF
There was just some weird stuff going on in the first half of this game.
TCU turned the ball over 14 times in the first 20 minutes. The Horned Frogs turned the ball over just 12 times to West Virginia on Saturday, and one could argue the Mountaineers have the best pressure defense in the conference.
So, Baylor led at the break, right? Nope. The Bears were only able to score six points off those mistakes. In fact, TCU scored more points (nine) off of Baylor’s eight turnovers.
Why? Because Baylor shot awful for the first 20 minutes. The Bears shot 26% from the floor. They made one 3-pointer. They shot four free throws and made all four. Baylor only had four second-chance points, in part because TCU’s Sedona Prince had 10 rebounds. She finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
TCU only had two second-chance points, but the Horned Frogs shot 50%, so the second-chance points didn’t matter too much.
A SCINTILLATING SECOND HALF
Baylor lost Bella Fontleroy and Jada Walker for parts of the second half to foul trouble. Yet, the Bears overcame it, shot nearly 60% in the second half and put their trust in Vonleh, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds, most of which came in the second half.
Baylor played sped up most of the first half and it settled down in the second half. Four players had four fouls, but no one fouled out. Sarah Andrews had 13 points and Yaya Felder had 12 points. It was a terrific comeback.
But, in the final minute, the Bears gave up a driving lay-up to TCU’s Hailey Van Lith to push TCU’s lead to four points. That basket turned out to be the game, even with all the timeouts and strategy that followed in the final seconds.
Baylor deserves a home sub-regional. The Bears have played like a Top 16 team all season. They’re an incredibly balanced offensive team and normally dictates pace defensively. The fact that it took them 20 minutes to settle down offensively was probably their downfall in this one. A second straight trip to the Sweet 16 wouldn’t be a surprise, especially if Darianna Littlepage-Buggs returns.
HAILEY’S MILESTONE
The Bears held Hailey Van Lith to four points in the first half. They tried everything. She ended up with 20 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. She was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, to go along with her Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year award.
But one more first came her way. In her first four years of college basketball, she was never part of a team that won a conference tournament title. Not at LSU. Not at Louisville. I saw meaning in her eyes when ESPN’s Kris Budden asked her about it.
I’ll make the same point I made earlier this week when I unveiled my All-Big 12 teams. This is Van Lith’s best season. She’s a complete player now — scorer, passer, defender, teammate, leader. She’s playing the best basketball of her college career at the perfect time.
TCU will get a home sub-regional, a first in program history. It’s well-deserved. Van Lith was the catalyst.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
