Marta Suarez recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead top-seeded TCU to a 74-62 victory over No. 12 seed Kansas State on Saturday in Kansas City to advance to the championship game of the Big 12 women’s tournament.
Olivia Miles added 18 points and eight rebounds in the semifinal matchup as the No. 10-ranked Horned Frogs (29-4) shot 63.3% from the field in the second half to finish at 50% overall. Suarez and Miles each made three 3-pointers as TCU shot 9 of 23 from long range.
Jordan Speiser scored 16 points and Nastja Claessens added 14 for the Wildcats (18-17), who were looking for their fourth win in four days. Kansas State forced 16 turnovers while committing just six, but the team was done in by 7-of-26 3-point shooting and a 36.9% overall clip from the field.
Still, the Wildcats were within five after Speiser’s basket with 5:14 remaining. But Donovyn Hunter and Miles made consecutive treys, and TCU finished off the victory. The Horned Frogs will meet No. 2 seed West Virginia in Sunday’s championship game.
No. 15 West Virginia 48, Colorado 47
Jordan Harrison recorded 15 points and clinched the victory with her fourth steal and Gia Cooke added 14 points as the second-seeded Mountaineers squeezed past the sixth-seeded Buffaloes to reach the championship game.
Colorado inbounded the ball with 2.2 seconds left in search of a winning shot but Harrison stole the ball from Jade Masogayo with under a second left to wrap up the victory for West Virginia (26-6). Kierra Wheeler added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who won despite shooting just 30.5% from the field.
Zyanna Walker scored 16 points and Desiree Wooten added 14 for the Buffaloes (22-11). Anaelle Dutat collected 13 rebounds for Colorado, which shot 36.2% from the field.
The Buffaloes led 45-43 after Wooten’s 3-pointer with 1:08 to play. Cooke drained a trey with 31.4 seconds left to put West Virginia ahead to stay.
–Field Level Media
