Texas wins final Big 12 Championship in dominating fashion over Iowa State

As head coach Vic Schaefer received the conference trophy from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, multicolored streamers dropped from the rafters onto the Texas Longhorns. The faces of those sharing the stage at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, were beaming after such a challenging and difficult season.

The Longhorns played the Iowa State Cyclones in their last conference game to determine the Big 12 tournament champion. The Longhorns were dominant from beginning to end, playing tight defense and stepping up when it mattered most. With her shooting prowess, rookie forward Madison Booker once again stole the show as Texas won 70–53.

Booker never felt like the game was too large in her first conference title match as a Longhorn. Booker played the entire 40 minutes and ended with 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Booker scored 12 points at the end of the first quarter, hitting shots from mid-range and beyond the arc. Booker won the title of Most Outstanding Player for her efforts. Only one other person, Rori Harmon, has won the prize as a freshman before Booker.
As the main ball handler for the majority of the game, Booker directed the offense. Booker did not commit a single turnover throughout the whole game, even though he was the Longhorn with the most possession of the ball. All told,

Texas had foul problems earlier in the tournament, but it had a near-perfect game against the Cyclones. DeYona Gaston, a senior forward, was the only player with four fouls. Booker, senior guard Shay Holle, graduate guard Shaylee Gonzales, junior forward Aaliyah Moore, and senior forward Taylor Jones made up the starting five. Between them, they committed six fouls.

The Longhorns as a team rose to the challenge on the defensive end of the ball. Holle led the way for Texas with four of the nine thefts that were recorded. The Longhorns forced 20 turnovers in all, and they used those turnovers to score 23 points.

Schaefer’s teams are known for playing full-court press defense, and that was evident from the first tip. However, in the Texas upped its defense game in the second quarter.

The Cyclones couldn’t score until 4:30 remained in the first quarter after the Longhorns went on a 16-0 run at the end of the first quarter. That means that for more than half of the 10-minute quarter, the Texas defense intercepted, swiped, and changed the Iowa State attack.

The Cyclones’ biggest scoring run was seven points, and they never held a lead during the entire game. The Longhorns’ greatest scoring run amounted to 16 points, while their highest advantage was 22 points.

In order to find out where they will play in the NCAA tournament, the Longhorns will now watch the national selection program. Although Texas is presently ranked as the No. 2 seed, the Longhorns may be able to secure one of the four top seeds in the tournament with a conference title.