Sydney Shaw hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to secure No. 16 West Virginia’s 73-69 victory over No. 20 Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament on Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
The Mountaineers (24-6), seeded fourth, used an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter to grab the lead and hold on. They will face TCU in Saturday’s first semifinal.
The fifth-seeded Wildcats (26-7) jumped out to a 33-23 lead in the first quarter, connecting on 5-of-6 from 3-point range. They slowed in the second quarter, but they still shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half and led 44-36.
West Virginia was led by JJ Quinerly with 24 points, including a jumper for a 71-69 edge with 45 seconds left in regulation. Jordan Harrison added 19 and Shaw had 13. K-State was led by Kennedy Taylor with 21 off the bench and starter Temira Poindexter with 16.
No. 8 TCU 69, Colorado 62
Big 12 player of the year Hailey Van Lith had her 13th 20-point game of the season to lift the top-seeded Horned Frogs past the ninth-seeded Buffaloes in the quarterfinals. Van Lith was 5-for-11 from 3-point range and finished with 24 points.
Colorado (20-12) used a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to help trim a 57-44 deficit to a one-possession game, but the Buffaloes — led by Jade Masogayo’s 22 points — couldn’t get over the hump.
It took a while for TCU (29-3) to get untracked. But a pair of Van Lith 3-pointers late in the first half gave the Frogs a lead they would not relinquish. The Buffaloes shot better in the game from the field, 54.3 percent to 44.8 percent. TCU got 18 points from Sedona Prince and 13 from Donovyn Hunter.
No. 17 Baylor 69, Iowa State 63
Jada Walker had 18 points to lead the second-seeded Bears over the seventh-seeded Cyclones in the quarterfinals.
The Bears (26-6), trailing 61-60 with 4:41 remaining, forced five Iowa State turnovers and outscored the Cyclones 9-2 down the stretch. Aaronette Vonleh, Bella Fontleroy and Aliyah Matharu each scored 12 for Baylor, which will face Oklahoma State in the semifinals.
The Cyclones finished the second quarter on a 9-0 spurt and trailed 38-33 at halftime. Iowa State (22-11) got more than half its points from Audi Crooks (32), who hit 14 of her 18 shots from the field.
No. 21 Oklahoma State 62, Texas Tech 59
Stailee Heard tied her career high — set earlier this season at Texas Tech –with 34 points to help the third-seeded Cowgirls outlast the 14th-seeded Lady Raiders in the quarterfinals.
The Cowgirls’ Tenin Magassa (10 points) sank one of two free throws with seven seconds left, then Jade Wynn’s game-tying 3-point attempt caromed off the rim as time expired.
Oklahoma State (25-5) won despite shooting just 29.8 percent from the field. Texas Tech (17-17), which shot 39.6 percent from the field, was led by Loghan Johnson with 17 points, while Jasmine Shavers and Bailey Maupin each added 16.
–Field Level Media
