TCU and West Virginia Advance to Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship

Top-seeded TCU defeated Kansas State 74-62 behind Marta Suarez's 22 points and 11 rebounds to reach the Big 12 tournament final. Second-seeded West Virginia edged Colorado 48-47 on Jordan Harrison's game-clinching steal with seconds remaining.

Marta Suarez dominated with 22 points and 11 rebounds as top-seeded TCU defeated 12th-seeded Kansas State 74-62 in Saturday’s Big 12 women’s basketball tournament semifinal in Kansas City, earning the Horned Frogs a spot in Sunday’s championship game.

The 10th-ranked Horned Frogs (29-4) received strong support from Olivia Miles, who contributed 18 points and eight rebounds in the semifinal contest. TCU’s offense caught fire in the final 20 minutes, connecting on 63.3% of their shots in the second half to finish with 50% shooting for the game. Both Suarez and Miles knocked down three shots from beyond the arc as the team went 9-for-23 on three-point attempts.

Kansas State’s Jordan Speiser led the Wildcats with 16 points while Nastja Claessens chipped in 14 points for the team (18-17) that was seeking its fourth consecutive tournament victory. The Wildcats created 16 turnovers while only giving the ball away six times, but struggled offensively by shooting just 7-of-26 from three-point range and 36.9% from the floor overall.

Kansas State remained competitive late in the contest, pulling within five points following a Speiser basket with 5:14 left on the clock. However, back-to-back three-pointers from Donovyn Hunter and Miles sealed the victory for TCU. The Horned Frogs will face second-seeded West Virginia in Sunday’s title game.

In the other semifinal, 15th-ranked West Virginia escaped with a narrow 48-47 victory over sixth-seeded Colorado to punch their ticket to the championship contest. Jordan Harrison paced the Mountaineers with 15 points and secured the win by recording her fourth steal of the game, while Gia Cooke contributed 14 points.

With 2.2 seconds remaining and Colorado attempting to inbound the ball for a potential game-winning shot, Harrison intercepted a pass intended for Jade Masogayo with less than a second on the clock to preserve the victory for West Virginia (26-6). Kierra Wheeler posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who managed to win despite shooting only 30.5% from the field.

Colorado’s Zyanna Walker topped all scorers with 16 points and Desiree Wooten added 14 for the Buffaloes (22-11). Anaelle Dutat pulled down 13 rebounds for Colorado, which shot 36.2% from the field in the losing effort.

The Buffaloes held a 45-43 advantage after Wooten connected on a three-pointer with 1:08 remaining in the game. Cooke responded by sinking a crucial three-pointer with 31.4 seconds left to give West Virginia the lead for good.