TCU’s Van Lith wins big as Big 12 hands out basketball awards
IRVING, Texas — Hailey Van Lith from Big 12 regular-season champion TCU has been named the conference’s Player of the Year and its Newcomer of the Year after transferring to the Horned Frogs for her fifth and final college season.
The Big 12 announced its award winners Tuesday, as determined by a vote of the its 16 head coaches. Van Lith is the first player in the league’s 29-season history to be picked as the top player and top newcomer in the same season.
TCU’s Mark Campbell was named Coach of the Year after the eighth-ranked Horned Frogs won the regular-season title for the first time in their 13 seasons in the league.
Van Lith joined TCU after going to the NCAA Elite Eight last season with LSU, following three seasons at Louisville that included a Final Four and another Elite Eight. She is averaging 17.6 points and 5.4 assists for the Frogs.
BYU guard Delaney Gibb, who is averaging 17.5 points and 4.2 assists, was voted the unanimous Freshman of the Year. West Virginia guard JJ Quinerly became the first player elected Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons since Baylor’s Lauren Cox in 2018-19.
Baylor senior guard Yaya Felder got the Sixth Player of the Year award.
Lauren Betts scores 17 points as UCLA defeats JuJu Watkins and USC to win the Big Ten title. (0:31)
INDIANAPOLIS — Lauren Betts scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half Sunday and No. 4 UCLA allowed only four baskets over the final 12 minutes as the Bruins rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat No. 2 USC 72-67 in the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
It marked the first time the Bruins (30-2) beat their longtime crosstown rival in three games this season. USC (28-3) won the previous meeting — and the outright regular-season title — nine days earlier at UCLA, and the Bruins made no secret they wanted a rematch.
UCLA still needed an incredible defensive performance to turn the game. The Trojans missed 14 consecutive shots, starting late in the third quarter, and made only four baskets in the fourth as their 48-35 lead withered away.
JuJu Watkins finished with 29 points and six rebounds to lead USC, which had a nine-game winning streak snapped.
Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones each had 13 points for UCLA. Rice also had eight assists, while Betts notched 5 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 steals to win the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
The Bruins got the matchup they wanted — and the finish they dreamed of.
Coach Cori Close challenged her team to be tougher and more aggressive, and it was the difference in the game.
The Trojans appeared to be in good shape when they opened the second half with a 3-pointer to take their largest lead of the game, but they failed to put it away.
USC finished by going 4-of-19 from the field in the fourth quarter, with the first basket coming with 1:12 left.
Janiah Barker’s two free throws with 4:10 to go finally gave the Bruins a 62-56 lead — and the confidence to close it out.
Both teams will take a week off before learning who they will host in Los Angeles for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
South Carolina captures its third straight SEC title in a dominating 64-45 win over Texas. (1:46)
GREENVILLE, S.C. — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said her team deserves to be the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament following a dominant run through the Southeastern Conference tournament, culminating in an impressive 64-45 rout of No. 1 Texas in Sunday’s championship game.
The Gamecocks (30-3) entered the SEC tournament ranked fifth in the country and projected to be a No. 2 seed.
But after throttling three league foes by 18, 21 and 19 points, a No. 1 seed now seems to be a lock.
However, Staley thinks her team has earned more.
“When you win this tournament and play the schedule that we play, I do think we’re the No. 1 overall seed,” Staley said. “We manufactured our schedule to put ourselves in this situation. So I hope the committee doesn’t discount our entire resume. There isn’t anybody in the country that has played the schedule that we have played, that had share of the regular-season title, won this tournament and beat the No. 1 team in the country. … There is no one.”
She argued that the Gamecocks’ 2024-25 resume — which includes 12 wins against top-25 teams, including two against Texas — should count for something. South Carolina boasts a 7-3 record against top-10 teams, with the three losses coming against No. 1 Texas, No. 3 UConn and No. 4 UCLA.
The Gamecocks’ 30-game regular-season schedule included 13 games against teams in the AP top 25 at the time of the game — two more than any other ranked team.
Staley said she was “shocked” to learn her team was projected as a No. 2 seed coming into the tournament.
“If you get so much credit for beating us, and yet when we have had some of the toughest stretches in the country and came out of it unscathed, you can’t discount that,” Staley said. “You can’t discredit that. I’m going to speak up about it because you have to hear the voice of the other side. Because if you don’t think our body of works deserves it, then you need to speak out on it.”
She added: “I’m going to go down fighting for what our team earned.”
ESPN
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No. 8 TCU looks to jolt No. 17 Baylor in Big 12 title game
TCU defeated Baylor on the final day of the regular season to claim the Big 12 regular-season title.
On Sunday, the top-seeded Horned Frogs (30-3) and second-seeded Bears (27-6) will meet again to determine the champion of the Big 12 women’s tournament.
No. 8-ranked TCU, which reached 30 wins for the first time in program history, will make its first appearance in the Big 12 title game. No. 17 Baylor will go for its 12th tournament title, the most in Big 12 history.
In Saturday’s semifinals, the Horned Frogs built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter before a run by West Virginia trimmed the deficit to 62-57 with 3:38 remaining. Madison Conner hit a 3-pointer to halt the momentum and help TCU go on to a 71-65 victory.
The Horned Frogs had a trio of players with at least 16 points, led by Big 12 Player of the Year Hailey Van Lith (19). Sedona Prince had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Conner had 16 points.
TCU coach Mark Campbell passed all of the credit to Van Lith and Prince.
“It starts with these two,” he said. “They’re two of the biggest names in college basketball, and the only reason this thing is working is because they’re selfless. They have truly no ego. All they care about is winning and figuring out what the team needs.”
Baylor outlasted Oklahoma State 84-74 in overtime in the second semifinal Saturday after both teams missed opportunities to take the lead in the final minute of regulation. The Bears outscored the Cowgirls 18-8 in overtime.
Baylor received a career-high 37 points from Aaronette Vonleh.
“(She) was awesome,” Bears coach Nicki Collen said. “I probably believe in her more than she believes in herself. I really don’t expect (37) every night, I promise.
“She was aggressive early. The crazy part was she missed her first four shots, but she was playing to the rim aggressively and making good moves. Once it started to go in, she picked up a couple of fouls, and she just continued to want the ball.”
In the final game of the regular season, the Horned Frogs held a 10-point lead with 1:49 remaining and held off a late charge from Baylor.
–Field Level Media
Hailey Van Lith has led TCU all season, and she did it again as No. 8 TCU defeated No. 17 Baylor 64-59 in the championship game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Van Lith led the Horned Frogs with 20 points to help TCU capture its first title in program history. It was also the team’s first appearance in the championship game.
Baylor, meanwhile, was playing in its 16th Big 12 title game, the most in conference history. The Bears have won a record 11 tournament titles.
TCU (31-3) got a double-double from Sedona Prince with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Donovyn Hunter and Madison Conner each added 11 points.
Aaronette Vonleh led Baylor (27-7) with 20 points. Sarah Andrews chipped in 13 points and Yaya Felder had 12.
The Bears failed to secure a 12th Big 12 title, but they will now shift focus to the NCAA Tournament, which they last won in 2019.
“This team was great,” Andrews said postgame. “You know, we battled back when we were down at halftime. I’m gonna give us a day to hang our heads about it.
“But when 11:59 or 12 o’clock comes tonight, it’s time to move on and get ready for the NCAA Tournament.”
The lead in the third quarter fluctuated between seven and 12 points, with TCU taking a 51-43 lead into the final frame. Felder had 10 points in the third and Vonleh had eight.
Trailing by eight midway through the fourth quarter, the Bears used an 8-0 run to tie the game at 57-57.
Van Lith hit a layup with 48.8 seconds left to give TCU a four-point lead. Baylor cut it to 61-59. Conner hit 1 of 2 free throws and Vonleh’s 3-pointer missed with three seconds remaining.
There was good and bad news for TCU in the first half. The Horned Frogs led 30-19 after grabbing a 21-9 advantage on the boards, including 10 by Prince. That made up for 15 first-half turnovers. TCU’s Conner and Hunter led with eight points each at halftime.
The Bears failed to take advantage of the TCU miscues and didn’t have a player with more than four points in the first half.
Dropping a hard-fought game against the top seed hurts, but centre Vonleh remains confident about her team’s chances moving forward.
“I think the biggest takeaway is just that we have what it takes to play against really good teams and beat them,” Vonleh said. “I think there’s this little switch that has to go off in our heads, and I know that we’re gonna work towards that.
“We just have what it takes in our locker room to win against anybody.”
–Field Level Media
