West Virginia separates from TCU in second half to win Big 12 women’s tournament
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- WVU used press, points off turnovers and rebounding to pull away in second half.
- Jordan Harrison scored 21, played entire game and anchored WVU defense.
- Mountaineers outrebounded TCU and won 62-53 for Big 12 tournament title.
No. 2-seed West Virginia used its press defense, athleticism and efficient shooting to win its first Big 12 women’s basketball tournament in nearly a decade with a 62-53 win over No. 1-seed TCU on Sunday at T-Mobile Center.
Sunday marked West Virginia’s second Big 12 women’s tournament title and first since 2017. The Mountaineers also avenged two losses in the past two months to the regular-season champion and defending tournament champion Horned Frogs.
The win in Kansas City was a special one for West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg. He spent the 2012-2013 season as head coach of Division II Northwest Missouri State in Maryville. His parents are both from the Show Me State. His mother, who died in December, played basketball at Missouri State when it was Southwest Missouri State.
“She would have been here. Obviously ... she loved every second of this,” Kellogg said. “So that’s just some of the emotions that I guess are kind of flooded here.”
After a tight first half, West Virginia went into the locker room ahead 26-23. The Mountaineers used their turnover-creating defense, rebounding and 41% shooting in the third quarter to increase their lead to 11 points.
The Mountaineers led by as many as 14 midway through the fourth quarter. They outrebounded the taller Horned Frogs 41-34 and scored 15 points off turnovers.
West Virginia guard Jordan Harrison showed why she was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The senior led West Virginia with 21 points (50% shooting, 10-for-10 on free throws), six rebounds, four assists and three steals. She never left the floor.
Harrison, listed at 5-6, and her teammates have been the smaller team in many matchups this year. But their pressure defense and physicality have guided them to a 27-6 season.
“Honestly, it just takes heart,” Harrison said after the game. “Coach tells us that rebounding is all about just heart, if you want to do it. He has us do drills for it, but he always just tells us rebounding is just ... you’ve got to have it or you don’t have it.”
WVU senior Sydney Shaw added 17 points and seven rebounds. Forward Kierra Wheeler was a physical presence in the paint with 10 points and eight rebounds.
West Virginia ended the day shooting 40% from the field, 33.3% from 3 and 86.7% from the free throw line.
The Horned Frogs, who ended Kansas State’s run in the Big 12 semifinals, led for just under two minutes of game time Sunday.
TCU senior Olivia Miles, the Big 12 Player of the Year, played with four fouls for almost the entire second half. She committed three fouls in the first half and another in the first minute of the third quarter.
Miles led the Horned Frogs with 17 points and four assists.
TCU forward Marta Suárez contributed 16 points but shot 6-for-19. She added eight rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.
K-State freshman Jordan Speiser, Shaw, Miles, Harrison and Suárez made the All-Tournament team. Harrison was named the event’s Most Outstanding Player.
Both teams are expected to be top-5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced next Sunday.
TCU hopes to play in the Fort Worth Regional, meaning it could stay home for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. TCU was ranked 11th overall and placed in Fort Worth in the latest committee rankings.
“We’ve been chasing that, this group has been chasing that. We’ve been darn-near flawless,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “It’s hard to put together a resume that’s 29-5.
“This sucks, and the feeling, it hurts. But gosh dang, I am so proud of what our program’s accomplished this season. And we’ve done it from scratch.”
The Mountaineers hope their tournament championship will push them to be a host for the first two rounds. And then ... a tournament run.
“I don’t want this to be the defining moment either. I want this to continue,” Kellogg said. “I think we’ve had that group. They’ve been on a mission. We certainly think we’ve done enough to get some home games in Morgantown.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 6:39 PM.
