Oklahoma State Falls to Baylor 84-74 in Overtime in Big 12 Semifinals

BOXSCORE

The Cowgirls fought back, but they could not contain Aaronette Vonleh.

Oklahoma State, the 3 seed, fell to 2 seed Baylor 84-74 in overtime in the Big 12 Tournament semifinal on Saturday. The Bears will face the 1 seed TCU for a rematch of last week’s Big 12 regular season title game.

Stailee Heard scored 25 points and two other Cowgirls scored in double figures, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the deep hole the Cowgirls had dug themselves. And there wasn’t anything that looked capable of stopping  Vonleh, Baylor’s center.

Vonleh poured in a career-high 37 points and grabbed nine boards. She was dominant throughout. Then Baylor guard Waiata Jennings made a 3-pointer to push Baylor’s lead to 79-72 with 90 seconds left in overtime. That would prove to be the dagger.

The Cowgirls got off to a fast start, racing off to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the opening quarter. The Bears answered, but OSU was able to keep them at arm’s length the rest of the quarter, leading by as many as nine.

In the second, the Bears overtook the Pokes. Vonleh scored 15 in the period while the Cowgirls shot just 27% and scored just 10 as a team. Baylor doubled OSU up 20-10 in the second quarter to take a 32-29 lead into the break. Heard scored 11 in that opening period and went 1-for-3 for four points in the second. She also picked up two quick fouls in that quarter and was held to just three minutes in the third after she picked up her third personal. Fortunately for OSU, Micah Gray caught fire, scoring all 12 of her points in the third to help OSU keep it close.

The Cowgirls entered the fourth down 56-52 but took a lead midway through the quarter when Tenin Magassa’s layup put OSU up 57-56 with 6:23 to go. Unfortunately for OSU, she picked her fifth foul on the next possession. Magassa finished with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting and grabbed five boards. She was limited to just 17 minutes with foul trouble, one of the problems with trying to contain Vonleh.

Jadyn Wooten made a pair of free throws to tie it at 66 with 1:10 left, but both teams had a chance to take the lead for good. Gray missed a 3-pointer with 31 seconds to go, and then Baylor’s Sarah Andrews missed one at the buzzer, forcing overtime.

The pendulum swung back the Bears’ way during extra time.

Baylor scored four straight before Wooten made a jumper and then Heard took the lead with an old-fashioned 3-point play. But Baylor made three-straight 3-pointers over the course of 47 seconds to turn a 71-70 OSU lead to a 79-72 deficit they were unable to overcome.

Heard led the Cowgirls with 25 points and 12 rebounds. She fouled out with 28 seconds left in overtime. Anna Greta Asi scored 14 and dished out six assists. Gray finished with 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting (she was 3-for-4 in that third quarter).

OSU shot 40% from the field to Baylor’s 45%. Neither team was especially effective from deep with the Cowgirls shooting 25% from 3 while the Bears shot 32%. The last few made the difference, however. OSU was 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter and overtime and missed its last seven attempts. Meanwhile, Baylor made those three deep balls in a row to ice it in OT.

The Cowgirls actually outrebounded Baylor 42-38 and owned a 15-10 edge in offensive boards, but the Bears (Vonleh mainly) held a decided advantage in paint scoring 48-36. OSU also lost the turnover battle allowing 18 points off 18 giveaways.

With the loss, the Cowgirls settle to 25-6 and will await their seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The bracket will be announced at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 16 on ESPN. ESPN’s latest Bracketology projects OSU as a 7 seed.

Baylor will face TCU in a 1-2 matchup for the Big 12 crown. TCU beat Baylor in the teams’ season finales last Sunday to win the Big 12 regular season crown. Now the Bears will get a shot at revenge. The Bears and Horned Frogs tip off at 4 p.m. Sunday for the Big 12 Championship.