Texas Beats Iowa State To Win Big 12 Tournament Title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Texas made sure it went out a winner, beating Iowa State, 70-53, in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship Game at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday.
Texas (30-4) has been the Big 12’s highest-ranked team in the AP Top 25 most of the season, in spite of not winning the Big 12 regular-season title. Texas made up for it by winning its second Big 12 Tournament title in three years as they prepare for their transition to the SEC in July.
The Longhorns will likely host a sub-regional when the NCAA Tournament starts next week.
The Longhorns robbed Iowa State (20-11) of a defense of its Big 12 Tournament title of a year ago, the last played in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium. The Cyclones should make the NCAA Tournament but won’t host a sub-regional.
The Big 12 announced on Tuesday that both tournaments would remain in Kansas City and in the T-Mobile Center through 2031 and all 16 teams will participate in next year’s tournaments.
Texas put Iowa State in a bad spot by halftime, up 40-21 on the strength of 45% shooting, 5-for-6 shooting from the 3-point line and scoring 13 points of 10 Iowa State turnovers.
Iowa State showed some fight in the third quarter, cutting the lead to as little as 12 points on an Arianna Jackson 3-pointer with 1:21 left. But Texas forward Madison Booker answered at the buzzer with a jumper that returned Texas to a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
In fact it was Booker’s game from the start, as the Big 12 Co-Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year finished with a game-high 26 points.
Booker took over point guard duties after Rori Harmon’s season-ending knee injury and she delivered 12 of her 14 first-half points in the first 10 minutes as Texas took a 19-10 lead.
Her great shooting became contagious as her paced slowed in the second quarter. Shaylee Gonzales drained a pair of 3-pointers, and Shay Holle another, as the Longhorns went on a 11-0 run to start the second quarter to go up 30-10 and take complete control of the game.
Aaliyah Moore scored 14 points and Gonzales added 11 points.
Texas’ defense limited Iowa State freshman stars Audi Crooks and Addy Brown offensively, especially in the first half. Between Taylor Jones and DeYona Gaston, Texas held Crooks scoreless for the first 16 minutes of the game.
Crooks got on track in the second half and gave the Cyclones 25 points and nine rebounds. But Iowa State’s other sensational freshman, Brown, only scored two points as Texas make both a focus of their defense.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
