Swish Appeal - 2014 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament: Baylor wins the conference championshipBasketball is basketball.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49391/swish-fave.png2014-03-11T08:00:03-04:00http://www.swishappeal.com/rss/stream/52435872014-03-11T08:00:03-04:002014-03-11T08:00:03-04:00Dance Card: Baylor, Big XII
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<p>Rising to the top in what might be the most relentlessly physical conference in the country.</p> <p><b>Who?</b> <a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/bay-w-baskbl-body.html">The Lady Bears</a> of Baylor.</p>
<p><b>What?</b> <a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/ot/spirit-squad-mascots.html">Bruiser</a> is the fuzzy one; Baylor also has real bears and a real bear habitat. (I guess it's better than <a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/trads/bay-bearname-mascot.html">ferrets...</a>)</p>
<p><b>Where?</b> Waco, Texas, site of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. Okay, Waco, you almost have me convinced to pay a visit. Almost.</p>
<p><b>When?</b> March 10th, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.</p>
<p><b>Why?</b> They won the Big XII conference tournament.</p>
<p><b>How?</b> Niya Johnson and Odyssey Sims each went for 19 points, and Baylor emerged from a nip-and-tuck second half with a <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncw/boxscore?gameId=400544574">74-71</a> win, despite the 24 points of West Virginia's Bria Holmes.</p>
<p><b>Surprise?</b> Predicted to finish second in the conference, they ended up tied for first with West Virginia, winning on the Texas tiebreaker.</p>
<p><b>RPI:</b> 10</p>
<p><b>SOS:</b> 49</p>
<p><b>Record:</b> <a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/sched/bay-w-baskbl-sched.html">29-4</a> (16-2 Big XII)</p>
<p><b>Good wins:</b> At West Virginia. This is not the world's most inspiring non-conference schedule, I'd like you to know.</p>
<p><b>Bad losses:</b> At Kansas.</p>
<p><b>Somewhere in the middle</b>: Because that quadruple-OT thriller with Kentucky (the one that came within one in-and-out three of quintuple overtime) needs to be mentioned <i>somewhere</i>.</p>
<p><b>Who's running this show?</b> <a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/kim_mulkey_247648.html">Kim Mulkey</a>, since 2000. A star point guard at Louisiana Tech, back in the day.</p>
<p><b>Extra, Extra!</b> The <a href="http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/baylor/"><i>Waco Tribune</i></a>. Our fellow travelers over at <a href="http://www.ourdailybears.com">Our Daily Bears</a> have also been known to talk about the Lady Bears.</p>
<p><br>Senior guard Odyssey Sims is no <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2014/1/9/5293098/baylor-womens-basketball-odyssey-sims-brittney-griner-wnba-draft-2014">secret</a>, averaging 28.7 points and hovering around the top of the NCAA leaderboard in that category. She's slid over to the shooting guard more this season, though 4.7 APG say that she can still dish the ball. For good or for ill, she defines high-usage player.</p>
<p>Don't let the big numbers fool you into thinking Baylor's one-dimensional, though. Freshman forward Nina Davis has come on strong in the Big XII tournament, leading the Lady Bears with 9.1 rebounds and second in scoring with 14.6 points. Sophomore guard Niya Johnson is a capable floor general, boasting an almost 4:1 A/TO to go with her 6.4 assists. Sims needs her teammates to step up- but they have the talent and skill to do it.</p>
<p><i>For more on Baylor's tournament run, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/6/5479546/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014">our 2014 Big 12 women's basketball tournament storystream</a>.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/11/5494822/Big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014-championship-baylorQueenie2014-03-11T01:05:49-04:002014-03-11T01:05:49-04:00Lady Bears win Big 12 Crown
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<p>Baylor clinches fourth consecutive Big 12 Tournament Championship behind Niya Johnson's 19 points and six assists.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ourdailybears.com/">Baylor Lady Bears</a> did not quit. They could have given up and dug themselves into a big hole early in the game, but they kept fighting. Even when their All-American, Odyssey Sims went to the bench with just over 17 minutes left to go in the first half.</p>
<p>The Lady Bears (29-4) over came a 1-point deficit inside the final minute to knock off the No. 7 ranked <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.smokingmusket.com/">West Virginia Mountaineers</a> 74-71 to win their fourth consecutive Big 12 Championship.</p>
<p>No other team in the Big 12 Conference has more than two straight (<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.widerightnattylite.com/">Iowa State</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivathematadors.com/">Texas Tech</a>).</p>
<p>They trusted a strong group of underclassmen to carry the load with Sims out.</p>
<p>"I don't think you realize how good they [Baylor's freshman] are because Makenzie Robertson and Sims are having good senior years," head coach Kim Mulkey said. "You can run things, believe it or not, when your All-American is not in there, you can run things a little bit smoother because they're jumping defensively or we're trying to let Odyssey to do too much. I think you saw that tonight."</p>
<p>After falling behind to start the game 5-0 behind Bria Holmes' opening points, Baylor responded over the next 2:28 on a 9-0 run that forced West Virginia head coach, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Mike Carey</a> to call a time out. The run ballooned out to 13-2 when Nina Davis and Sune Agbuke combined to score the next six for Baylor.</p>
<p>Holmes, sophomore, was very unstoppable for the Mountaineers in the first half. She scored 19 points in the first half, leading the game in scoring for the first half. She shot 7-of-9 from the floor and just one turnover. However, she and the Mountaineers found themselves down 38-32 at halftime.</p>
<p>The play of the first half though, was the steal by Holmes near the end of the first half, and lay up with 4.8 seconds, topping off a 7-2 run for West Virginia. It carried over to the second half, as Linda Stepney scored on a quick lay up, just 15 seconds into the half.</p>
<p>"I told the players," Carey said. "Remember how this feels. Because next time going down the stretch, we've got to execute."</p>
<p>Sims, the nation's leading scorer at 28.7 points per game, scored just four points in the first half as two fouls left her on the bench and almost helpless as her team carried the Lady Bears into the locker room. That changed in the second half.</p>
<p>Sims came out and scored the first four points of the second half. She was much more aggressive, and really hands on defensively in the second half - it's the Sims that we had come to see throughout the regular season.</p>
<p>Yet while Sims and Nina Davis were continuing their romp into the paint, West Virginia kept hitting shots. Taylor Palmer and Holmes continued the onslaught from three-point range. Even though, they went just 2-of-5 in the second half, both three's were key to the West Virginia come back.</p>
<p>Davis, selected as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-12-basketball-tournament">Big 12 Tournament's</a> MVP, averaged 18.0 PPG during the tournament, including her 19 points in tonight's victory. She also grabbed five rebounds, moving her average to 8.0 rebounds per game. She was by far the most consistent player of the tournament, and always came up with a really huge defensive stand or a big basket to help put her team in position to win.</p>
<p>Though, just a freshman, Davis continues to impress.</p>
<p>"Coming into the year, I didn't expect I would be where I am now and getting the MVP," Davis said. "But it's a feeling I can't describe. I'm just blessed."</p>
<p>West Virginia's second half comeback came to a full tilt when Avery Fields hit two free throws, tying the game at 49, then Holmes, draining one of her four three-pointers. West Virginia had their first lead since early in the first half at 52-49.</p>
<p>The Mountaineers increased the lead to 56-51 with 9:54 remaining off a Fields lay up. Fields, a junior, scored all 10 of her points in the second half when the Lady Bears allowed their defense to sag more off the guards, and more into defending Asya Bussie.</p>
<p>Holmes finished with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting before fouling out with 19 seconds to go. She did garner All-Tournament team selection with her spectacular play this weekend. She averaged 18.0 PPG in her three games.</p>
<p>West Virginia's Bussie also was selected as an All-Tournament team member. But she was limited in her game time tonight, just six points while guarding Davis all evening long.</p>
<p>The rest of the Mountaineers squad finished with solid scoring all around. Stepney was important as she scored 10 for West Virginia. Christal Caldwell scored six points for the Mountaineers tonight, and Palmer had seven off the bench.</p>
<p>Niya Johnson scored 19 for the Lady Bears tonight on 5-of-8 shooting. Her previous career-high before tonight was just 10 points, done on multiple occasions. Tonight, she led the Lady Bears in scoring, tying Sims with 19 points. Agbuke had eight points and 10 rebounds in the victory. She had just four points coming into tonight's championship.</p>
<p>No one was more impressive off the bench than Cave. She had five points in crucial minutes for the Lady Bears, sealing up this victory.</p>
<p>After the Mountaineers pulled ahead by five, Agbuke and Sims took over. Then Cave had a huge offensive rebound that put the Baylor Bears in the lead at 63-62 with 4:50 remaining. She capped off the and-one situation by sinking the free throws.</p>
<p>Fields and Niya Jonson would trade shots, giving Baylor a 68-67 lead with 2:04 remaining in the contest. That's when Stepney would hit a running lay up, giving West Virginia their final lead at 69-68.</p>
<p>However, the superstar scorer, Sims, hit a shot from the left side. It was almost identical to the same shot she missed against West Virginia just eight days before - this time, it was nothing but net.</p>
<p>"I knew I had to get it -- not a quick shot," said Sims. "But a good looking shot, not a poor shot, not a bad shot. Ball was in my hands, I came off the screen, knew they weren't going to let me penetrate. I jumped up and shot and I made it."</p>
<p>"Just feels great. It feels good to win another championship," Sims said.</p>
<p>West Virginia had a desperation heave with just seconds remaining that missed, allowing Baylor to swim in the championship confetti.</p>
<p>"We discussed it in a time out, do you foul there," Mulkey said. "or do you take your chances that they've got to make a spectacular shot and look at your seniors and say, 'What do y'all want to do?' That's showing ownership of your team and they didn't want to foul there. So that decision quite honestly was left up to seniors."</p>
<p>For Baylor, the championship marks yet another milestone in the belt of a very successful program. No Big 12 program has this many consecutive conference championships, as stated above.</p>
<p>"We've had lots of Big 12 Player of the Years," said Mulkey. "We've had national championships. This is Baylor women's basketball."</p>
<p>Now that the conference tournament is over, the Lady Bears will turn their eyes to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>. They're in the conversation as the fourth No. 1 seed. That will have to wait for next Monday, for now the Lady Bears are Big 12 Champions.</p>
<p><i>For full coverage of the tournament, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/6/5479546/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014">our 2014 Big 12 women's basketball tournament storystream</a>. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/11/5494906/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014-baylor-lady-bears-vswest-virginia-mountaineersChuck Chaney2014-03-11T00:14:52-04:002014-03-11T00:14:52-04:00RGIII congratulates Baylor for winning Big 12 tournament title<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="/rss/stream/5243587">Washington Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin, III congratulates&nbsp;Baylor</a></h3>
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https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/11/5494946/washington-redskins-quarterback-robert-griffin-iii-congratulatesAlbert Lee2014-03-09T20:50:06-04:002014-03-09T20:50:06-04:00Mountaineers eliminate Texas, into Big 12 title
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<figcaption>Bria Holmes goes in for the lay up between 3 Longhorn defenders | Courtesy of Big 12 Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Bria Holmes scores 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting to push the Mountaineers into their first title game</p> <p>The matchup that we all wanted, we're going to get tomorrow night: No. 1 vs. No. 2.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.smokingmusket.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">West Virginia Mountaineers</a> found a way to take down the <a href="https://www.barkingcarnival.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Longhorns</a> (21-11) 67-60 in the second Big 12 semi-final in Oklahoma City, Okla.</p>
<p>Bria Holmes scored 23 points to lead the Mountaineers into the Big 12 Championship on Monday against the <a href="https://www.ourdailybears.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Baylor Lady Bears</a>.</p>
<p>"Everyone wants it bad," said senior Christal Caldwell. "This could be our first chance to win a conference tournament championship."</p>
<p>The Mountaineers led for a majority of the game, trialing after Chassidy Fussell hits a jumper for Texas to start the game. Fussell also hit a three-pointer to score Texas' first five points of the game. Empress Davenport sank a jumper, tying the Mountaineers at 10-all with 11:50 remaining in the half.</p>
<p>Christal Caldwell scored 15 points to help the Mountaineers extend their now school record of wins with West Virginia improving to 29-3 on the season.</p>
<p>West Virginia continued to be physical and grind it out against the Longhorns. They forced the Longhorns into 18 turnovers on the night, in which the Mountaineers scored 23 points off those turnovers. Including 14 of those in the second half to help the Mountaineers win the game.</p>
<p>One of the biggest turnovers came with 2:57 remaining, Brooke Hampton stripped the ball away, and the Mountaineers went down and scored on the ensuing possession by Averee Fields, pushing the lead to 62-57.</p>
<p>After owning a 28-21 halftime lead, the Mountaineers were able to increase the lead to 37-28 with 16:39 remaining. Not counting out Texas, they were able to get the West Virginia lead down to 44-43, the closest they would be, at the 11:36 mark. Nekia Jones was able to hit the lay up for Texas.</p>
<p>Fussell would lead the Longhorns in scoring with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Celina Rodrigo pitched in 10 points. Also, Jones, the true freshman, chipped in 14 points, nine in the first half.</p>
<p>West Virginia held the Longhorns to just 38.2 percent shooting as team.</p>
<p><a href="#" class="sbn-auto-link">Mike Carey</a>, the Big 12's Coach of the Year, is going into his third conference championship as a head coach. He's 0-2 previously. Those losses were to <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Connecticut Huskies</a> in the finals of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wbbstate.com/teams/WVU/schedule/10">the <span class="sbn-auto-link">Big East tournament</span> in 2010</a>.</p>
<p>Texas would cut the Mountaineer lead to 62-60 with 1:27 remaining when Rodrigo scored. Texas would get a stop at the other end and had a chance to tie with under a minute to go, but couldn't capitalize. Rodrigo missed a three-pointer badly, and the ball went off a player and out of bounds with 34 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>The Mountaineers hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the contest.</p>
<p>Limiting Imani McGee-Stafford and Nneka Emamkpali was huge for the Mountaineers. McGee-Stafford did not have a field goal in the first half, and Emamkpali only had one - they were basically non-existent in this contest. That's a huge credit to the defensive effort of Asya Bussie and Fields. They were very aggressive, and kept them under constant pressure. McGee-Stafford and Emamkpali combined to score just two points on the evening of 1-of-7 shooting.</p>
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As their tournament is over, the Longhorns will now await the fate of the selection committee. They're considered a lock into the tournament, currently a 5th seed in the most recent ESPN <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/bracketology" class="sbn-auto-link">Bracketology</a>. The Longhorns will have lots of weapons to use in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness" class="sbn-auto-link">NCAA tournament</a> in McGee-Stafford and senior Fussell. They could be a team causing havoc this season.
<p>This third meeting with the Baylor Bears is what everyone wanted. You heard the Baylor team talking about playing West Virginia in their hotel this morning as they were getting taped up. They knew who they would be facing. That also is a huge challenge for this Mountaineer team that has already beaten Baylor once this season, in Waco.</p>
<p>"We haven't covered her [Odyssey Sims] yet, West Virginia head coach," Mike Carey said. "So, I guess I don't have a plan. She had 48 and 38. She's a great player. Our goal is to be it close going into four minutes left. Both teams have pressure on them with four minutes left to go in the game."</p>
<p>This tough win by a tenacious West Virginia program is just indicative of how tough the Big 12 Conference is this season, even comparing to the Big East Conference, according to Coach Carey.</p>
<p>"From top to bottom," coach Carey said. "The Big 12 is the strongest conference I ever coached in, from top to bottom. There's just not a lot of off nights."</p>
<p>Throughout the history of the Big 12 Championships, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams have have played five times previously. The No. 1 seed has yet to be beaten at 5-0. The top two teams also met last year for the title with Baylor winning the Championship.</p>
<p>"Baylor wants us again," Christal said about tomorrow's championship. "Tomorrow is just going to be a big game for both teams."</p>
<p><i>Follow <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/okcchuck">@OKCChuck</a> on Twitter as he covers the Big 12 Championships on on Monday night.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/9/5489108/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014-west-virginia-mountaineers-vs-texas-longhornsChuck Chaney2014-03-09T19:10:29-04:002014-03-09T19:10:29-04:00K-State's Deb Patterson Fired
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<p>Patterson was 350-226 in 18 seasons at Kansas State</p> <p>Kansas State Athletic Director John Currie announced on Sunday, has fired Deb Patterson.</p>
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Patterson had been the head coach of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bringonthecats.com/">Kansas St. Wildcats</a> for the past 18 seasons. The Wildcats went 11-19 this season, finishing with a disappointing 87-84 overtime loss to rival Kansas on Thursday night.
<p>"Coach Patterson and I met Friday night, and I shared with her my decision to make a change in leadership of our women’s basketball program," Currie said. "I want to sincerely thank Coach Patterson for her 18 years of service to Kansas State and our women’s basketball program."</p>
<p>Patterson led the Wildcats to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a> nine times in her 18 seasons, including two Big 12 Championships, in 2003-04 and 2007-08. Her 350 wins at Kansas State is a school record. She's been involved with 41 percent of Kansas State's school total wins.</p>
<p>Kamie Ethridge, team's associate head coach, will be the interim head coach until Currie is able to find a new head coach. It'll be a national search to fill the void for the Wildcats. Kansas State ranks 15th all-time with 853 wins and have a plethora of rich Women's basketball history. They're the second oldest Big 12 team. They've been apart of the conference since 1968.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/9/5488946/kansas-state-fires-deb-patterson-after-18-seasonsChuck Chaney2014-03-09T18:11:13-04:002014-03-09T18:11:13-04:00Women's Big 12 Tourney: Baylor tops Ok State
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<p>Four Lady Bears score in double figures as Baylor advances to their 5th straight conference championship game</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ourdailybears.com/">Baylor Bears</a> (28-4) found a way to keep the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cowboysrideforfree.com/">Oklahoma St. Cowgirls</a> (23-8) at arm's length for pretty much the entire contest. The Lady Bears found a way to close out the game, winning 65-61.</p>
<p>Baylor advances to the championship game against either <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barkingcarnival.com/">Texas Longhorns</a> or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.smokingmusket.com/">West Virginia Mountaineers</a> on Monday, March 9th.</p>
<p>Led by freshman, Nina Davis, Baylor jumped out on the Cowgirls early, leading by as many as nine points in the first half. Odyssey Sims hit a jumper with 8:07 left until halftime to give the Lady Bears a 19-10 lead over Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls responded with a quick 7-2 spurt, cutting Baylor's lead to 21-17 with 6:03 to go in the half.</p>
<p>"Well, I'm really proud of our team. I thought they competed very hard, said Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell. "Also disappointed because I felt like we had a chance to win the basketball game. We cut it to four a few times, and Davis would get a put-back on her. we didn't make enough free throws. To upset a team of this caliber you've got to make sure that you're sticking easy shots and making free throws, and we didn't do that."</p>
<p>When you lose by four points, Oklahoma State will look back at their free throw shooting as a reason why they were unable to upset the top seeded Baylor Lady Bears. The Cowgirls missed seven free throws, finishing at 12-of-19 from the charity stripe.</p>
<p>Four Lady Bears scored in double figures, including Davis as mentioned earlier. Odyssey Sims scored 17 points on 6-of-22 shooting. Makenzie Robertson finishes with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Niya Johnson had 10 points as well.</p>
<p>Throughout the second half, the Lady Bears were able to keep the Cowgirls within a 5 to 7 points deficit. Any time the Cowgirls were able to cut it to a two or a three point deficit. Baylor was able to pound the boards, limiting second chance opportunities for the Cowgirls.</p>
<p>Despite losing today, the Cowgirls had six players score at least eight points. Liz Donohoe and LaShawn Jones both had eight points, Roshunda Johnson and Tiffany Bias each had nine points. Kendra Suttles and Brittany Martin both had 11 points for the Cowgirls today.</p>
<p>With 8:14 remaining, Suttles hit a jumper, cutting the Baylor lead to 52-50. Oklahoma State would not get any closer. They were able to cut it to 57-54 off another Suttles basket with 5:30 remaining. Johnson and Robertson hit three straight baskets to push the Baylor lead to 63-57 and secured the Baylor victory.</p>
<p>Baylor held Oklahoma State to just 35.5 percent for the game.</p>
<p>Oklahoma State finishes the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-12-basketball-tournament">Big 12 Tournament</a> with an overall record of 23-8. They're just 5-5 in their last 10 games, and just never found a way to get over the hump against the really good, quality teams. They will be a team that receives a bid to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>, but the seeding will be a factor and which region they're in will be left to be determined.</p>
<p>"Are there any major BCS leagues that play each other twice," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey asked. "We might be the only two leagues, this league and that one that do it. But what you hope happens is the selection committee understands, wow, let's look at this league they're in and how tough it is and give us a lot of good seeds."</p>
<p>For Baylor, they are in their fifth Big 12 Championship game. That has never happened before in the history of the Big 12 Women's Championships. They have a chance to defend their four-time championship against either West Virginia or Texas tomorrow evening.</p>
<p><i>You can follow <a href="http://twitter.com/okcchuck" target="_blank">@OKCChuck </a>on Twitter for the rest of the Big 12 Champions.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/9/5488604/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014-baylor-bears-vs-oklahoma-state-cowgirlsChuck Chaney2014-03-09T00:43:28-05:002014-03-09T00:43:28-05:00Texas Longhorns slip by rival Oklahoma, 82-72
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<p>Imani McGee-Stafford and Chassidy Fussell combined for 31 points to help Texas beat their rivals</p> <p>After a very solid first half, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma Sooners</a> found themselves frozen in the second half. Behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barkingcarnival.com/">Texas Longhorns</a> starting the second half on a 21-5. That ended up with the Sooners ended up on the negative side of this contest, falling 82-72.</p>
<p>"At halftime they really reset themselves, Texas head coach Karon Aston said. "Which is a sign of a team that's beginning to have terrific chemistry and growing up. By the time our coaches got in there, they knew exactly what they needed to do."</p>
<p>For the Sooners, they were able to come out and hit the three-pointer early on. They were 8-of-16 in the first half from behind the arc. It helped the Sooners continually overcome the Longhorns pounding the ball in the paint. Texas had 10 points in the paint in the first half, and was able to get to the free throw line, shooting 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.</p>
<p>With Sharane Campbell going out early with two fouls, Gioya Carter and Derica Wyatt were thrown into the fire, competing tough. Carter, usually a turnover machine, committed just one turnover in the first half. The Sooners capitalized through the final couple of minutes, outscoring the Longhorns 11-4 down the stretch. That was capped off by the T'ona Edwards three-pointer at the buzzer. Oklahoma went into the locker room with a 6-point halftime lead.</p>
<p>Aaryn Ellenberg, playing in her last <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-12-basketball-tournament">Big 12 Tournament</a> game, struggled shooting the ball. The senior had 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting and 4-of-12 from three-point range. Morgan Hook scored 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Sharane Campbell had 12 points for the Sooners, despite having early foul trouble.</p>
<p>Texas was able to get a large lead of 60-48 with 9:09 remaining in the game. The Sooners had one last grasp in them, pushing it to the edge. The Sooners were able to cut it down to six points after Hook hit a three and Campbell hit a couple of free throws, as did Kaylon Williams hitting one herself. All of a sudden, the Sooners cut it to 60-54 with 6:50 remaining.</p>
<p>"We went for such a long period of time in the second half without being able to put the ball in the basket," Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coal said. "Then we made some defensive mistakes. Then we made a flurry at the end, too little, too late."</p>
<p>However, Chassidy Fussell hit a three, and Imani McGee-Stafford got to the line, then Fussell did. Just as quickly as the Sooners had cut into the heart of the lead, the Sooners found themselves down 69-58 with less than five minutes remaining.</p>
<p>McGee-Stafford was instrumental in the taking down of Oklahoma. She had 15 points and seven rebounds. She also blocked four shots. Fussell contributed 2-of-3 from three-point range, and had 16 points. Nneka Enemkpali had 10 points and 13 rebounds in the Longhorn victory.</p>
<p>"Well, I think we've done enough to get in. I do," Coale said. "When you go 9-9 in the No. 1 RPI league in the country, I think you're in."</p>
<p>Oklahoma ends up at 18-14 with the loss and already on the bubble of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>. This puts this on the cusp of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997-98 season. It's going to be a very nervous Selection Monday for this Sooners squad.</p>
<p>"We need to get back to the hotel and get our legs in some ice," coach Aston said. "and get prepared for a really, really good basketball team. When you play <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.smokingmusket.com/">West Virginia</a>, you know first of all, that they're going to play terrific defense and you have to match their competitiveness defensively and on the boards."</p>
<p>After beating the Sooners and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cowboysrideforfree.com/">Oklahoma St. Cowgirls </a>in to bring their win streak to four consecutive games, the Longhorns are riding a wave of momentum into the West Virginia game. Texas split their season series with the Mountaineers, both teams winning on their home floor. On Sunday, it'll be for the right to play in the Big 12 Championship game against either Oklahoma State or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ourdailybears.com/">Baylor Lady Bears</a>.</p>
<p><i>For more on the conference's tournament, check out <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/6/5479546/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014" target="_blank">our 2014 Big 12 women's basketball tournament storystream</a>. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/9/5486888/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014-texas-longhorns-vs-oklahoma-soonersChuck Chaney2014-03-08T21:44:00-05:002014-03-08T21:44:00-05:00West Virginia Tops TCU, heads to Semi's
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<p>Asya Bussie led the 2nd seeded Mountaineers with 18 points and 13 rebound.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.smokingmusket.com/">West Virginia Mountaineers</a> (28-3) overcame a tenacious <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.frogsowar.com/">TCU Horned Frogs</a> (18-14) team to advance to the semi-finals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament and won 67-59.</p>
<p>For West Virginia it's already the farthest they've advanced in the Big 12 Championships after last year's quarter final exit. West Virginia has already set a new school record for most wins in a single season with 28 victories.</p>
<p>TCU had their largest lead in the first half when Zahna Medley hit two free throws, giving the seventh seeded Horned Frogs a 27-23 lead with 4:38 remaining. The Mountaineers closed out the remaining half on an 8-4 advantage, tying it at 31-all at halftime.</p>
<p>Too much Bussie though, for the Horned Frogs. The senior from Randallstown, Md., Bussie, played all 40 minutes and was able to stay out of foul trouble for a majority of the game. She tallied 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, grabbed 13 boards, seven offensive, and had for assists.</p>
<p>Medley, the sophomore, played lights out for the Horned Frogs, scoring 32 points on 8-of-17 shooting. She hit six treys, four in the first half. When West Virginia began to double her, she would find a way to get her team mates involved. However, she was the only one that scored in double figures.</p>
<p>A real big key was with 2:15 remaining in the game, Latricia Lovings, a big defender for TCU left the game with an apparent injury. Her status at his moment is unknown, but she was grabbing her head and went immediately to the locker room. West Virginia was able to outscore the Horned Frogs 10-3 down the stretch without Lovings.</p>
<p>While Lovings wasn't an enforcer on the offensive side, she did block seven shots, pull down seven boards and really make the paint tough to score in for West Virginia.</p>
<p>Taylor Palmer, the Big 12's Sixth Player of the Year award winner, finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Christal Caldwell contributed 10 points and six assists in the victory for West Virginia.</p>
<p>After going 4-of-8 from three-point range in the first half, West Virginia extended their defense and pushed the Horned Frogs off the perimeter after shooting just 2-of-11 from deep in the second half.</p>
<p>TCU's regular season is now over. They are a very longshot to make the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>, and will be a WNIT participant when the brackets are released in about 10 days. They return a majority of their offense. They lose the big shot blocker in Lovings, but they practically return everyone that is a key contributor to their staunch defense.</p>
<p>West Virginia now waits for a showdown with either the 6th seeded <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma Sooners</a> or the 3rd seeded <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barkingcarnival.com/">Texas Longhorns</a>. West Virginia swept the series with Oklahoma and split with the Longhorns. With Texas, both teams won on their own home court. Then after the conference tournament, the Mountaineers will look to win a national championship.</p>
<p><i>Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/OKCChuck%20" target="_blank">@OKCChuck </a>on Twitter for your Big 12 Championship needs all weekend.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2014/3/8/5486418/big-12-womens-basketball-tournament-2014-west-virginia-mountaineers-vs-TCU-horned-frogsChuck Chaney