Game 1: No. 8 TCU 75, No. 9 Kansas 72
Box Score - Quotes - Notes - Photos
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - No. 8-seed TCU pushed past No. 9-seed Kansas by three, 75-72, on Thursday at Municipal Auditorium. TCU secured its first Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship win over Kansas, advancing their Championship record to 3-7 all-time, 1-0 in Kansas City. The three-point margin of victory is the fifth smallest in first-round tournament history.
A 13-0 run bolstered Kansas (7-18) past TCU to put up 22 points in the first quarter, a team high and 10th-most in a quarter of the Big 12 Phillips 66 Women’s Championship. TCU (10-14) took the momentum back in their favor in the second quarter by scoring 23 points, tying the sixth-lowest point mark in a quarter of the first round. Both teams were knotted at the half 36-36.
A minimal margin of scoring powered the final quarter as three points separated the teams within the final two minutes. Kansas battled back after being behind by as much as 16, but TCU held on to the lead to play in the quarterfinal for just the third time in program history.
Lauren Heard led TCU in points with 26, as she registered her best-career tournament performance, followed by teammate Tavy Diggs claiming a new career-high of 20 points.
Kansas freshman Ioanna Chatzileonti grabbed her third double-double of the season, with two of those performances coming against TCU. The freshman also notched her seventh game scoring in double figures, ending with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
TCU solidifies their spot in the quarterfinals to meet regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Baylor on Friday in a 1:30 p.m. CT tipoff. This will be the second meeting between the two teams in the Championship, with the Lady Bears winning the last match-up, 94-48, in 2018.
Game 2: No. 10 Kansas State 75, No. 7 Texas Tech 65
Box Score - Quotes - Notes - Photos
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 10-seed Kansas State shot past No. 7-seed Texas Tech, 75-65, on Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship. The Wildcats have now advanced from the first round 18 times in the previous 24 championships, improving to 21-23 all-time.
K-State sophomore Ayoka Lee and junior Christianna Carr combined for 43 of the Wildcats 75 points. The duo scored 21 and 22 points, respectively, to lead their team to the win.
In addition to her scoring, Lee’s rebounding and blocks helped the Wildcats secure the victory. She set a school record in a Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship game with seven blocks, with 10 of her 12 rebounds coming in the second half.
K-State’s bench contributed 20 points in the victory, featuring senior Sydney Goodson with 10 points and four assists. Junior Laura Macke added with eight points and three rebounds.
With only six lead changes throughout the game, the teams were tied 11 times. The last lead change was at 4:19 left in the fourth quarter, before Kansas State pulled away for the victory.
The Lady Raiders, now 18-22 in conference tournament, were led by three players in double-digit scoring -- Lexi Gordon with 19, Vivian Gray with 15 and Bryn Gerlich added 13. The team struggled from the field for much of the game with an overall shooting percentage of 35.2, well below their 40.0 season average. Gerlich reached a season high three 3-pointers during the contest.
Texas Tech relied on rebounding, turnovers and second chance points to keep the game close. Gray, Naje Murray, Khadija Faye each pulled down eight rebounds, which was a season high for Murray. The Lady Raider’s 41 rebounds bested their season average of 36.5 per game.
The Wildcats earn their spot in the quarterfinals to meet the No. 2 seed West Virginia on Friday, March 12, at 5:30 p.m. CT. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship, with the Wildcats winning the last match-up, 72-59, in 2019.