Box Score | Notes | Quotes
March 12, 2005
By STEVE BRISENDINE
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Sophia Young scored 18 points, earning Big 12
tournament MVP honors, and No. 6 Baylor won its first championship with a 68-55
victory over No. 17 Kansas State on Saturday night.
Steffanie Blackmon had a season-high 14 rebounds for the Bears (27-3), who
won their 14th straight. Chameka Scott added 12 points and Chelsea Whitaker
finished with 10 for the former Southwest Conference members, who added their
first automatic NCAA tournament bid in school history to the Big 12
regular-season title.
It wasn't easy against a Kansas State team that trailed Texas 17-0 in the
semifinals before rallying to win 72-69.
The Wildcats (23-7) started slowly in each half Saturday night, but kept
mounting comebacks that fell just short.
Kansas State, which trailed 47-30 with just over 14 minutes remaining, drew
to three points and was still within 57-53 on Kendra Wecker's free throws with
3:53 to go. But the Wildcats scored only once more after that, and Baylor
closed out the game with an 11-2 run.
Megan Mahoney scored eight points in a 13-0 run that got the Wildcats within
47-43 with 7{ minutes left, and Kansas State got a boost when Young and
Blackmon both picked up their fourth fouls near the end of that run.
But after hitting the front end of a two-shot foul with 7:33 to go, Mahoney
missed the second and then injured her left leg in a collision as she tried to
chase down the rebound. She did not return.
Mahoney still led Kansas State, playing in its first tournament final since
the Big 12 formed in the 1996-97 season, with 17 points. Wecker, the Big 12
player of the year, had 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Laurie Koehn added 11 points for the Wildcats, but the Big 12's career
3-point leader turned cold from outside after the half. Koehn went 3-for-6 from
long range before the break but missed all four of her 3-point tries after
that.
The Bears held Kansas State without a field goal for almost 6 minutes to
open the game and led 23-7 with just under 9 minutes left in the first half.
The Wildcats pulled to 34-28 on Koehn's last 3-pointer with 2:19 left in the
half, but trailed 39-28 at the break.
Wecker, Mahoney, Blackmon and Texas' Tiffany Jackson joined Young on the
all-tournament team.