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Texas Knocked Out Of Big 12 Tournament

By James Caldwell

Mar 5, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns guard/forward Joyner Holmes (24) drives to the basket in front of West Virginia Mountaineers forward Teana Muldrow (11) during the fourth quarter during the women's Big 12 Conference Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns guard/forward Joyner Holmes (24) drives to the basket in front of West Virginia Mountaineers forward Teana Muldrow (11) during the fourth quarter during the women's Big 12 Conference Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Texas Longhorns Women’s basketball team was knocked out of the Big 12 tournament Sunday night in Oklahoma City.

Texas lost 62-59 against West Virginia to end their Big 12 Tournament run before getting to face Baylor in the finals.

The Lady Longhorns were one possession away from facing Baylor in the conference title game for the third straight year. Instead, they have to wonder what went wrong against West Virginia.

The easy answer is Texas was unable to slow down WVU’s Tynice Martin, who scored 29 points and made four three-pointers. Overall, West Virginia made nine three-pointers to Texas’ four long-range shots.

Plus, Texas only shot 34 percent from the field. WVU was not much better at 36 percent, but they only missed one free throw on the night. And, they made four critical free throws late in the game to prevent Texas from pushing the game to overtime. (Full Box Score)

Texas Longhorns Uneven In Critical Game

The Longhorns led by seven at the end of the first quarter, but they had a disastrous second quarter only scoring five points. Within the quarter, Texas only scored three points in the last nine-and-a-half minutes after scoring early to take a nine-point lead.

During the tough quarter, the Horns turned the ball over, missed shots, and freshman star Joyner Holmes committed two critical fouls. Holmes went to halftime with three fouls and the Horns trailed by five points.

In the third quarter, the Horns erased West Virginia’s lead, but they could not slow down Tynice Martin, who sank big three-pointers to keep WVU in the game.

Then, in the fourth quarter, the Horns and West Virginia battled back and forth. But, Texas could not make key shots late in the game.

With WVU up 58-56, Joyner Holmes missed back-to-back jumpers. Senior center Kelsey Lang then missed a jumper. Texas was forced to foul Tynice Martin, who made two free throws.

But, Big 12 Player of the Year Brooke McCarty made a three-pointer to get Texas within one point. WVU’s Chania Ray then made two free throws to grab a 62-59 lead with six seconds left.

On the final possession, Brooke McCarty missed a game-tying three-pointer, just like the Baylor game two weeks ago.

What’s Next After Big 12 Tournament Upset?

Now, Texas is left to wonder what went wrong after failing to make the Big 12 Tournament final. They also have to wonder if they hurt their NCAA Tournament standing by not making the finals.

No matter seeding, for the Texas Longhorns to be successful in the NCAA Tournament, they are going to need Joyner Holmes to regain her mid-season form that sealed Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

Holmes only scored two points Saturday against Oklahoma State and 9 points Sunday night against WVU. Meanwhile, Texas’ bench went from scoring 32 points against OSU to only 13 points against the Mountaineers.

Next: Here's All The Streaks Texas Broke vs. Baylor in Waco

Texas needs to be more consistent if they want to advance far in the NCAA Tournament. Otherwise, they will have a short run. But, we know what the team is capable of after winning 19 straight games during the regular season.

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