Aaronette Vonleh delivered a career-high 37 points as No. 17 Baylor used clutch 3-point shooting in overtime to secure an 84-74 victory over No. 21 Oklahoma State on Saturday, sending the Bears to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship final.
In a tightly contested semifinal where neither team led by more than nine points in regulation, Baylor went 5-of-8 from the field in overtime, with Jade Walker sinking four crucial free throws in the final 30 seconds.
The Bears will now face No. 8 TCU in Sunday’s championship game, a rematch of their regular-season finale where the Horned Frogs edged Baylor 51-48 to claim the league title.
Walker contributed 12 points, while Sarah Andrews and Waiata Jennings added 11 and 3-pointers in overtime. Baylor (17-6), the second seed, was 3-of-4 from deep in OT and finished 6-of-19 for the game.
For third-seeded Oklahoma State (25-6), Stailee Heard led the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Anna Gret Asi chipped in 14 points and Micah Gray had 12.
The fourth quarter saw six lead changes before freshman Jadyn Wooten tied the game at 66 with a pair of free throws with 1:10 remaining. Both teams missed their final attempts, forcing overtime.
Vonleh and Heard had an impressive first half, scoring 19 and 15 points, respectively, with Baylor taking a 32-29 lead into the break.
Baylor built a nine-point lead twice in the third quarter, but Gray’s trio of 3-pointers fueled an 11-2 Cowgirls’ run to even the score at 45. Kyla Abraham’s basket for Baylor put the Bears ahead 64-52 entering the fourth.
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