Van Lith scores 19, Prince has double-double as No. 8 TCU beats No. 16 WVU 71-65 in Big 12 semifinal

By Canadian Press on March 8, 2025.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hailey Van Lith had 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Sedona Prince added 18 points with 16 rebounds, and No. 8 TCU held off No. 16 West Virginia 71-65 on Saturday to reach the women’s Big 12 Tournament championship for the first time in school history.

The top-seeded Horned Frogs will play No. 21 Oklahoma State or No. 17 Baylor on Sunday.

Madison Conner hit five 3-pointers and added 16 points, and Agnes Emma-Nnopu returned from an injury to score nine, as TCU moved within a game of its first conference tourney title since playing in Conference USA in 2005.

JJ Quinerly had 20 points, Sydney Shaw and Kylee Blacksten scored 11 apiece, and Jordan Harrison had 10 points before fouling out for the fourth-seeded Mountaineers, who were trying to reach their first title game since 2021.

The Horned Frogs were leading 62-51 midway through the fourth quarter when West Virginia ran off seven straight points, closing within 62-57 on Quinerly’s basket with 3:30 to go. But TCU managed three straight offensive rebounds at the other end to set up a 3 from Conner, and coach Mark Campbell’s team held on the rest of the way.

Takeaways

West Virginia struggled to deal with Prince’s size in the paint throughout the game. Several of Van Lith’s eight assists went to the 6-foot-7 forward, who finished 9 of 11 from the field.

TCU was brilliant sharing the ball, piling up 19 assists on 25 made field goals. Donovyn Hunter had six assists.

Key moment

The Mountaineers closed within 62-57 when TCU rebounded a miss by Emma-Nnopu and back-to-back misses by Conner, who then drilled a 3-pointer. That gave the Horned Frogs the cushion they needed down the stretch.

Key stat

The Horned Frogs will be playing for their fourth conference tournament championship.

Up next

TCU plays the Cowgirls or the Bears for the conference championship. West Virginia awaits its NCAA tourney destination.

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Dave Skretta, The Associated Press