Texas has won the Big 12 Women's Tournament for the second time in three seasons, as the Longhorns throttled Iowa State 70-53 to claim the conference crown on Tuesday. Like she has all season, Madison Booker led the way for the Longhorns with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists.
This conference tournament win is yet another remarkable achievement for a Texas team that suffered a huge blow early in the season with star point guard Rori Harmon tearing her ACL. With Harmon sidelined, Booker -- a traditional forward -- took on increased playmaking duties, and the freshman has thrived in her unique inside-outside role.
Booker's offensive contributions were critical to Texas' Big 12 title game win, but Shay Holle's defensive impact was nearly as integral. Holle swiped a team-high four steals for Texas, as her strong perimeter defense was a big reason why her team won the turnover battle, 20-7.
Audi Crooks was the lone bright spot for Iowa State, with the 6-foot-3 freshman recording 25 points as the Cyclones' lone double-digit scorer. She has been a revelation throughout the conference tournament, clearing 20 points while making at least 55% of her field goal attempts in all three games.
With Crooks rolling, Iowa State upset Big 12 regular-season champion Oklahoma in the conference tournament semifinals. The Longhorns punched their ticket to the title game by beating Kansas State, 71-64, in the semis.
Texas, which improved one spot to No. 5 in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll, now enters the NCAA Women's Tournament with championship confidence.
2024 Big 12 Women's Tournament scores
First round -- Thursday, March 7
Game 1: No. 12 Texas Tech def. No. 13 Houston, 74-60
Game 2: No. 11 Cincinnati def. No. 14 Central Florida, 67-62
Second round -- Friday, March 8
Game 3: No. 5 Baylor def. No. 12 Texas Tech, 71-60
Game 4: No. 9 TCU def. No. 8 Oklahoma State, 68-66
Game 5: No. 7 Kansas def. No. 10 BYU, 77-53
Game 6: No. 6 West Virginia def. No. 11 Cincinnati, 70-55
Quarterfinals -- Saturday, March 9
Game 7: No. 4 Iowa State def. No. 5 Baylor, 67-62
Game 8: No. 1 Oklahoma def. No. 9 TCU, 69-53
Game 9: No. 2 Texas def. No. 7 Kansas, 76-60
Game 10: No. 3 Kansas State def. No. 6 West Virginia, 65-62
Semifinals -- Monday, March 11
Game 11: No. 4 Iowa State def. No. 1 Oklahoma, 85-68
Game 12: No. 2 Texas def. No. 3 Kansas State, 71-64
Big 12 Women's Championship -- Tuesday, March 12
Game 13: No. 2 Texas def. No. 4 Iowa State, 70-53
