Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 20 Oklahoma repeats as Big 12 champion

 

[February 29, 2024]  Lexy Keys sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds left as No. 20 Oklahoma posted a 71-70 win over No. 3 Texas on Wednesday in Norman, Okla., to clinch a second straight Big 12 regular-season championship.

Keys hit the game-winning bucket for the Sooners (21-7, 15-2 Big 12) after Skylar Vann tracked down her own miss and fed Keys on the left wing. The Longhorns (26-4, 13-4) failed to get a clean shot on their final possession as their eight-game winning streak ended.

Keys' 16 points trailed Payton Verhulst's 18 for the team lead, while Vann paired six points with six rebounds for Oklahoma. Nevaeh Tot tallied seven points, 10 boards and eight assists to help the Sooners erase a 27-12 second-quarter deficit.

Madison Booker powered Texas with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Shaylee Gonzales and Taylor Jones each hit for 10 points in the Longhorns' final Big 12 regular-season meeting with Oklahoma. Both programs will join the Southeastern Conference next season.

No. 6 Iowa 108, Minnesota 60

Caitlin Clark broke three records, posted her second straight triple-double and closed within 18 points of first place on the NCAA Division I career scoring list as the Hawkeyes walloped the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.

Clark finished with 33 points to put her at 3,650 for her career, surpassing Lynette Woodard (3,649 points) for the most points in AIAW major-college women's basketball history, set before the NCAA era. The reigning national player of the year also eclipsed the previous Big Ten record for the most career 3-pointers (497 by Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell) and set the NCAA women's record for most triples in a season at 157, trumping the previous mark of 154 (Taylor Pierce, Idaho).

Clark added 12 assists and 10 rebounds for Iowa (25-4, 14-3 Big Ten). She can break Pete Maravich's all-time Division I career scoring record for men and women of 3,667 points when the Hawkeyes host No. 2 Ohio State in Sunday's regular-season finale.

Amaya Battle led Minnesota (15-13, 5-12) with 18 points. Janay Sanders added 17 points as the Golden Gophers lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

No. 2 Ohio State 67, Michigan 51

Jacy Sheldon scored 22 points and added three steals as the Buckeyes avenged a loss against the Wolverines and clinched the outright Big Ten regular-season title in Columbus, Ohio.

Sheldon hit four of Ohio State's six 3-pointers while Cotie McMahon tallied 18 points and seven rebounds as the Buckeyes (25-3, 16-1 Big Ten) earned their 15th consecutive win. Ohio State's most recent loss was a 69-60 decision at Michigan on Dec. 30.

Laila Phelia's 13 points led the Wolverines (17-12, 8-9), who committed a season-high 29 turnovers. Jordan Hobbs pitched in 11 points and Elissa Brett recorded eight points and seven boards as Michigan lost for the third time in four games.

No. 10 UConn 67, Villanova 46

Paige Bueckers poured in 31 points and Aaliyah Edwards recorded a double-double to help the Huskies close their regular-season home slate with a victory over the Wildcats in Storrs, Conn.

Bueckers made 11 of 15 shots from the field and hit all seven of her free-throw attempts while Edwards racked up 14 points, 11 rebounds and four steals for UConn (25-5, 17-0 Big East), which finished the regular season 13-1 at home.

Kaitlyn Orihel scored 15 points and Zanai Jones added 10 for the Wildcats (17-11, 10-7), who struggled on offense during a down night from Lucy Olsen. UConn stifled Olsen, who entered Wednesday leading the Big East with 23.6 points per game. She finished with a season-low six on 2-of-16 shooting.

Iowa State 82, No. 15 Kansas State 76

Addy Brown racked up 24 points and 11 rebounds to propel the Cyclones past the wilting Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan.

Iowa State (17-10, 11-6 Big 12) also used 14 points and seven rebounds from Audi Crooks along with 11 points and nine assists from Emily Ryan to win its third straight game. The Cyclones shot 50 percent from the field and outrebounded Kansas State 47-30 to sweep the two-game regular-season series.

Ayoka Lee's 20 points and eight rebounds were not enough for the Wildcats (23-6, 12-5), who have lost two straight games and five of their past eight after starting the season 20-1. Serena Sundell and Jaelyn Glenn each notched 15 points in the loss. Sundell distributed a game-high 10 assists.

No. 24 UNLV 63, Boise State 57

Desi-Rae Young collected 13 points and three rebounds to complement her two steals and two blocks as the Lady Rebels outlasted the Broncos in Las Vegas.

Nneka Obiazor posted nine points, Alyssa Brown added seven points and seven boards for UNLV (25-2, 15-1 Mountain West). The Lady Rebels owned a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points and won their 10th straight game.

Tatum Thompson paced Boise State (19-10, 10-6) with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Mya Hansen hit for 12 points. The Broncos made nine of 11 shots in the third quarter to lead 49-46 entering the fourth before shooting 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) in the final period, where they were outscored 17-8.

--Field Level Media

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