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No. 14 Aggies Make Fifth Straight Big 12 Championship FinalNo. 14 Aggies Make Fifth Straight Big 12 Championship Final
Women's Basketball

No. 14 Aggies Make Fifth Straight Big 12 Championship Final

Kelsey Bone's 16 points led No. 22/14 Texas A&M past Oklahoma 79-66 in the semifinals of the Big 12 women's tournament Friday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kelsey Bone's 16 points led No. 22/14 Texas A&M past Oklahoma 79-66 in the semifinals of the Big 12 women's tournament Friday.

The third-seeded Aggies (22-9) will face top-ranked Baylor for the championship Saturday.

Skylar Collins scored 15 points, Alexia Standish 13 and Sydney Carter 10 for Texas A&M, which becomes the first school in league history with five straight appearances in the title game. Kristi Bellock's eight rebounds spearheaded a 38-27 edge on the boards.

Whitney Hand's 24 points paced the second-seeded Sooners (20-12), who shot just 38 percent (20 of 53). Aaryn Ellenberg added 13 and Sharane Campbell 11.

An 8-0 run by the Aggies broke a tie and put them ahead 25-17 with 8:18 left in the first half. They never trailed again. The run was sparked by Collins who had an assist on a jumper by Elonu and back-to-back 3's from the corner.

Oklahoma closed within 49-45, but Texas A&M ripped off a 12-3 run for a 61-48 lead with 9:35 left to virtually seal it.

The Aggies led 40-35 at halftime and shot a staggering 54 percent.

Top-seeded Baylor cruised past Kansas State 86-65 to reach the final.


POSTGAME NOTES

  • For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Alexia Standish, Sydney Carter, Skylar Collins, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone.
  • Texas A&M moves to 20-27 in the all-time series with Texas A&M. The Aggies have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two rivals.
  • The Aggies are 4-2 when playing OU in the Big 12 Championship and have faced the Sooners in the tournament each of the last three years.
  • The Aggies move to 5-2 all-time in the semifinals, 3-1 against the No. 2 seed and 15-13 overall in all Big 12 Championship games.
  • The Aggies are 8-5 on national TV this season.
  • The Aggies are 11-2 this season when four or more players score double figures.
  • The Aggies are 15-1 when scoring over 70 points this season.
  • The Aggies are 18-2 when leading at the half.
  • A&M took advantage of 16 OU miscues, outscoring the Sooners 17-8 off turnovers.
  • A&M dominated down low, doubling up OU's points in the paint, 32-16.
  • For just the fifth time this season and second straight game, A&M made five 3-point field goals.
  • Collins had a first-half career-best 10 points on the way to a career-high 15.
  • Bellock's eight rebounds were a career-best and she added 6 points and two assists in just 13 minutes of action.
  • Standish continues her hot streak from 3-point range going 13-18 (.722) in the last five games.
  • Bone scored in double figures for the 23rd time this season, Carter for the 19th, Standish for the fourth and Collins for the third time.