No. 2 Baylor Bears 67

No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowgirls 62

RECAP:

OKLAHOMA CITY- Even without their team leader in points and rebounds on the floor with them, the No. 7 Baylor Bears managed to come back from a double-digit second half decifit to slip past tenth-seeded Oklahoma State 67-62. Danielle Wilson could only watch from the sidelines with a torn ACL as the Bears fell behind early in their first game of the Big 12 Tournament.

Oklahoma State was firing on all cylinders immediately after the opening tip, though it wasn’t a result of stellar offensive efficiency. The Cowgirls had trouble finding the bottom of the net consistently to start the half, but their hustle after the ball was in the air helped them snag 12 offensive rebounds in the first 15 minutes and earned them 13 second chance points. Oklahoma State led 37-26 at halftime thanks to an overall rebounding advantage of 28-17.

The Cowgirls continued to run a double-digits lead over the Bears for the start of the second half, but increased defensive pressure by Baylor led to several turnovers and easy buckets for the Bears. The game quickly turned into a rough, physical dogfight in the second half, as no team led by more than six at any point in the final eleven and a half minutes of the game. Baylor led for just the second time in the game at 1:51 with a 63-62 lead, their first lead since being up 4-2 at the 17:42 mark of the first half.

Oklahoma State had a chance to take the lead on their ensuing possession, but Baylor guard Melissa Jones took a charge from Oklahoma State’s Andrea Riley, and the Bears were fouled on their next trip up the floor. Jessica Morrow proceeded to hit both free throws and take a three-point lead with fourteen seconds remaining.

The Cowgirls missed a three-point shot with four seconds left and Jones hit two free throws to seal the game for Baylor.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Melissa Jones, So. Guard, Baylor (15 points, 8 rebounds, 8/8 FT)

Jones not only scored a team-high 15 points along with Jessica Morrow, but she also took a change from OSU leading scorer Andrea Riley with 23 seconds. The charge came while the Bears were leading 63-62, and the Cowgirls were attempting to take the lead on their final possession.

WHAT IT MEANS:

No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 3 Iowa State/ No. 6 Texas winner

Semifinal #2: 2:30 pm, Saturday March 14, Fox Sports Net

Baylor will move on to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Bears will face the winner of the Iowa State vs. Texas quarterfinal on Friday night. Baylor beat Iowa State at home by a score of 68-57, and split their season series with the Longhorns with a 58-55 loss at home and a 66-57 victory on the road in Austin.