AP

Harmon leads No. 7 Texas past No. 4 Baylor for Big 12 crown

Mar 13, 2022, 12:31 AM | Updated: 2:24 pm

Texas guard Aliyah Matharu, holding phone, and teammate Audrey Warren, right, take selfies while ce...

Texas guard Aliyah Matharu, holding phone, and teammate Audrey Warren, right, take selfies while celebrating their Big 12 championship over Baylor in an NCAA basketball game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)


              Texas guard Aliyah Matharu, holding phone, and teammate Audrey Warren, right, take selfies while celebrating their Big 12 championship over Baylor in an NCAA basketball game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Two Texas players make their way through a confetti shower for the awards ceremony after they beat Baylor for the Big 12 championship in an NCAA college basketball game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Texas guard Rori Harmon, top, is mobbed by teammates after they beat Baylor in the championship of the Big 12 Conference NCAA college basketball game Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. Harmon was also awarded the Most Outstanding Player trophy after the game. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Texas head coach Vic Schaefer, wearing suit at right, and his bench celebrate a play against Baylor during the first half of an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith reacts after having an offensive foul called against her during the first half of an NCAA college basketball championship game against Texas in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Texas guard Joanne Allen-Taylor (11) and teammate Texas guard Audrey Warren (31) celebrate a play against Baylor during the first half of an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Texas guard Shay Holle (10), Baylor guard Ja'Mee Asberry (21) and Baylor guard Jaden Owens, left, battle for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
            
              Baylor guard Ja'Mee Asberry, top, dives for a ball over Texas guard Rori Harmon during the second half of an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rori Harmon scored 20 points and No. 7 Texas beat No. 4 Baylor 67-58 on Sunday to win the Big 12 Tournament championship.

Harmon, a freshman, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after failing to be selected first-team all-conference, which Texas coach Vic Schaefer considered a snub.

“I was just playing for my teammates,” Harmon said. “It’s really not about awards. I just wanted to win.”

Her coach was a little more emotional about the victory.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” Schaefer said. “I think you saw some really determined kids. They’re not intimidated. Going into competition there are so many things you have to do. Being tough isn’t just about being stronger or more physical.

“Coming off three games in three days, overtime yesterday, that game was won back in August on the track.

“These kids would not be denied.”

The game was projected to be a tussle between the front courts, but foul trouble on both sides put a crimp in that plan. Instead, the guards took over.

Texas (26-6) also got 14 points from Joanne Allen-Taylor and 12 from Aaliyah Moore.

“We’ve been playing incredibly well for the last three months, but we didn’t play well today,” Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. “I credit a lot of that to Texas. Texas’ ball pressure frazzled us all night long. We just didn’t get many clean attacks.”

Baylor (27-6), which swept the regular-season series by an average of 10 points, was led by Big 12 Player of the Year NaLyssa Smith with 21 points, but she only had seven before the fourth quarter and was still below her season average of 22.3.

Jordan Lewis and Ja’Mee Asberry had 13 points each for Baylor.

Texas coasted through the third quarter, keeping the lead at or near double digits. Baylor got a spark at the end of the third quarter when Asberry hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Baylor cut the deficit to seven points in the fourth but could get no closer.

Texas was hampered early when forward Deyona Gaston picked up her second foul with 5:46 left in the first quarter trying to guard Smith. The two bigs battled on both ends of the floor in the opening minutes, with Smith grabbing the upper hand.

“They play aggressive every single time,” Smith said. “I was trying to be as aggressive as they were.”

Smith was not a huge factor in the first quarter statistically, scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds. But she drew three fouls on Longhorns players.

The tide changed early in the second quarter when Smith picked up her second foul at the 8:12 mark with the Longhorns up 18-14. She came back in with 5:21 left in the quarter but picked up her third foul a little more than a minute later on the offensive end.

“We’ve got some really special players down (low),” Schaefer said. “My bigs have continued to develop this season. We were not like this two months ago. You don’t stop in January or February and say, ‘This is what we’ve got.’ You keep working. That’s what these kids have done.”

With Baylor’s best player on the bench, Texas built a 39-28 halftime lead. Harmon, who hit a layup at the buzzer, led Texas with 12 points in the half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas: The Longhorns have the size and strength on the inside to throw plenty of fouls at opposing front-line players.

Baylor: Smith can be thrown off her game with a physical style of play.

BEST OF THE BEST

Joining Harmon and Smith on the all-tournament team were Texas’ Lauren Ebo, Iowa State’s Ashley Joens and Oklahoma’s Madi Williams. The 6-foot-4 Ebo had four points and four fouls in 23 minutes on Sunday, but scored 14 points a day earlier against No. 10 Iowa State and had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas State in the quarterfinals.

UP NEXT

Both teams await seeding, opponent and location for their NCAA Tournament games, which were to be announced later Sunday.

___

More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Harmon leads No. 7 Texas past No. 4 Baylor for Big 12 crown