OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — The Lady Bears have punched their ticket to their ninth straight Big 12 Tournament Championship game, after beating the No. 5 seed, Kansas State, 88-60.
Lauren Cox led the way with a double-double: 18 points and 15 rebounds. She was only two assists away from a triple-double.
But, Head Coach Kim Mulkey's team started slow once again. The Lady Bears struggled to hit shots early on, and Kansas State took advantage of it.
Christianna Carr hit a three for the Wildcats for the first points of the day. Rachel Ranke added to the mix early on.
The Lady Bears seemed to be overthinking every aspect of their game: turning the ball over, missing free throws, etc.
But, toward the end of the first quarter, the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena saw a momentum change. The Lady Bears started to work the ball down low, and before anyone knew it, the game was tied 16-16.
Juicy Landrum was the spark for Baylor though. Landrum made several exceptional passes and went on a scoring streak from the perimeter.
She finished the day with 19 points.
The Lady Bears picked up their defense and it truly elevated their game on both ends of the floor. They forced a total of 12 turnovers.
Kansas State Head Coach Jeff Mittie was called for a technical after arguing with the refs, but Baylor missed both free throws. The Lady Bears struggled from the line Sunday.
Kansas State didn't score a single field goal in the final five minutes of the first half, while Baylor went into the locker room on an 8-0 run.
Coach Mulkey's team owned the boards in the second half, and by the end of the third, she didn't have a single starter on the court.
The starters played a bit in the fourth to extend the lead again.
But, it would be a slew of true freshman who finished the game for the Lady Bears, as they defeated Kansas State 88-60 to advance to the championship game.
Baylor will play the winner of Iowa State and Texas for the championship Monday night. Tip off is set for 8.
