Sports
Smith 35 points as No. 5 Baylor women clinch Big 12 outright
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NaLyssa Smith had a career-high 35 factors with 12 rebounds in her senior day sport for fifth-ranked Baylor, and the Bears clinched the outright Large 12 girls’s title with an 82-57 win over Texas Tech within the regular-season finale Sunday.
The Bears (25-5, 15-3 Large 12) have been assured at the very least a share of their twelfth consecutive Large 12 title and thirteenth general after an 87-62 win at ninth-ranked Iowa State final Monday. Baylor needed to beat Texas Tech for the outright championship after the Cyclones ended their common season with win Saturday evening at West Virginia.
Bryn Gerlich had 12 factors and Taylah Thomas 12 for Texas Tech (11-18, 4-14), which as a workforce wasn’t in a position to outscore Smith by herself till the second half. Smith had 22 factors at halftime, when Baylor had a 45-22 lead. Vivian Grey completed with 10 factors, held to half of her season common.
Baylor ahead NaLyssa Smith (1) shoots in opposition to Texas Tech defenders Tatum Veitenheimer (32), Ella Tofaeono (1) and Vivian Grey (12) through the first half of an NCAA faculty basketball sport in Waco, Texas, Sunday, March 6, 2022.
(AP Picture/LM Otero)
After Smith’s two free throws within the opening minute, Tech tied the sport at 2-2 earlier than Smith and Grey traded jumpers for a 4-4 tie. The Bears then constructed a four-point lead earlier than Smith’s fastbreak layup that started her stretch of 12 consecutive factors over a four-minute span.
Grey’s free throw with 8:07 left within the third quarter was Tech’s twenty third level, yet another than Smith on the time. Smith instantly adopted with a layup for her twenty fourth level earlier than the Purple Raiders had consecutive discipline targets for the primary time within the sport although that 22-point deficit was the closest they might be the remainder of the sport.
A day after the reigning nationwide champion Baylor males celebrated a share of their second consecutive Large 12 title with a win at residence ver Iowa State, extra inexperienced and gold confetti fell onto the court docket for a championship celebration. The ladies have been introduced their newest trophy on a stage with an extended desk in entrance of that with the 12 earlier trophies on show.
Jaden Owens had 13 factors on 5-of-5 taking pictures, together with three 3-pointers, for Baylor. Smith completed together with her twenty first double-double this season and forty ninth in her 127 profession video games.
BIG PICTURE
Texas Tech: The Purple Raiders have been coming off an 83-79 win over TCU of their residence finale, after dropping 10 of their earlier 11 video games.
Baylor: After successful the final 11 Large 12 titles underneath Kim Mulkey, Baylor misplaced their first two convention video games underneath new coach Nicki Collen. However the one loss since for the Bears was when Oklahoma hit a buzzer-beating shot. They carry a 10-game successful streak into the postseason.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Baylor might transfer into the highest 4 for the primary time this season. Fourth-ranked Louisville is coming off a surprising loss to Miami within the quarterfinal spherical of the Atlantic Coast Convention event
UP NEXT
The Large 12 event in Kansas Metropolis. Texas Tech, the No. 8 seed, performs Oklahoma State on Wednesday evening. That winner of that first-round sport faces Baylor in a quarterfinal sport Thursday.