No. 6/6 WBB Eases Past TCU, 92-55

Friday, March 12

Kansas City, Mo.

1:30 p.m.

Baylor

23-2,17-1Big 12

TCU

10-15,4-14Big 12

TCU

Baylor

No. 6/6 WBB Eases Past TCU, 92-55

3/12/2021 4:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score WBB_25_TCU

Smith scores 26 to help Lady Bears advance to Big 12 semifinals

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Just a week ago, Kim Mulkey was frustrated when Baylor's backups gave up 30 fourth-quarter points and let the Kansas Jayhawks cut into a 38-point deficit in the Lady Bears' 93-67 win.
            Turning that around, sixth-ranked and top-seeded Baylor (23-2) closed Friday's quarterfinal with 11 unanswered points in finishing off an impressive 92-55 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.
            "I was so glad and impressed with the last five minutes of the game," Mulkey said, "because those minutes matter to me. You're looking at players that are young, and you're looking at payers that you can spot down the road and play and look at what they all do. It was good to see them all on the floor, and they all did something good."
            Presented the Big 12 Player of the Year trophy before the game, NaLyssa Smith looked like she's intent on bringing home another trophy at the end of this tournament. The junior forward finished off her night with layups off alley-oop passes, scoring 14 of her game-high 26 points in the second half and helping the Lady Bears record their 15^th-straight win overall and 32^nd-consecutive in the series.
            "This team has found its little niche on these lob passes and catching it in the air and finishing it," Mulkey said. "The timing of the passes, that's a teammate timing it just right, comfortable with each other. It's kind of contagious, because NaLyssa can do it so effortlessly, the rest of them want to do what she does. When NaLyssa is feeling it, you kind of just smile and go, 'I'm glad she's on my team.'''
            Smith, who scored in double figures for the 23^rd-straight game, said she is playing for the four seniors that didn't get to play in last year's Big 12 and NCAA tournaments because of COVID.
"That's just another lift for us to just come out here and compete every day," she said.
            Led by Tavy Diggs' 22-point outing, TCU (10-15) trailed by just 10 three minutes into the second half. But, DiJonai Carrington and Moon Ursin knocked down 3-pointers to push the lead to 59-42 going into the fourth, and then the Lady Bears blew it open with the highest-scoring quarter (33) in Big 12 Championship history.
            "They, obviously, are very talented, an incredibly confident team right now," TCU coach Raegan Pebley said. "They have had a great Big 12 run thus far."
            Carrington (17) and sophomore guard Jordyn Oliver (11) also scored in double figures for Baylor, while Yummy Morris added 10 points for the Horned Frogs. Led by Ursin and 6-3 junior center Queen Egbo with 10 and 12 rebounds, respectively, the Lady Bears dominated the boards, 52-34, and outscored TCU, 58-24, in the paint.
            Baylor also set Big 12 tournament records for most defensive rebounds (41) and most free throws without a miss (14-of-14), with Carrington going 8-for-8, Smith 4-for-4 and Caitlin Bickle finishing off a three-point play with her only attempt from the line. Egbo added eight points, all in the second half, and finished with a career-high six blocks.
            With senior point guard DiDi Richards picking up two fouls in the first quarter and playing just 17 total minutes, the Lady Bears got solid floor play from Jordyn Oliver and freshman Sarah Andrews, who had three assists apiece and were a combined 8-of-11 from the floor.
            "You can just tell that she's playing with a lot more confidence," Smith said of Andrews, who knocked down two 3-pointers and finished with eight points and three assists.
            "That's nothing but confidence," Mulkey said of Andrews and Oliver. "That's nothing but kids that want to contribute, kids that are more comfortable out there. Because when they become more comfortable, they become more confident."
            TCU senior guard Lauren Heard, a first-team All-Big 12 pick who scored 20-plus points against the other eight teams in the league, was 1-of-17 from the floor and matched her season-low with just six points. In the three games against Baylor this year, she was 7-of-54 overall (13.0 percent) and 2-of-11 from outside the arc.
            "Normally, I would tell you that DiDi did all the shutting down," Mulkey said, "but really, Moon had a lot to do with that today. I think you have to attribute a lot of that to our scouting reports and the fact that we emphasize defense like w do. And again, Lauren Heard did not hurt us today."
            Baylor, advancing to the Big 12 Championship semifinals for the 18^th time, will face fifth-seeded Texas (18-8) at noon Saturday in a game that will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+. All five starters scored in double figures for the Longhorns in an 84-82 overtime win over Iowa State in the early quarterfinal.
            Second-seeded and 17^th-ranked West Virginia (20-5) rallied to beat 10^th-seeded Kansas State, 58-56, and will face third-seeded Oklahoma State (18-7) in the other semifinal at 3 p.m. Saturday, with the championship scheduled for noon Sunday.