Jada Walker scored 26 of her career-high 28 points in the second half to lead Baylor University to a 75-72 victory over Virginia Tech in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
The fifth-seeded Bears (26-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021. Walker, playing in his home state, was 9-of-16 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the foul line.
Matilda Ek held fourth-seeded Virginia Tech (25-8) to 19 points, while Georgia Amoore and Clara Strzok each finished with 18 points. Strzok once again replaced All-American Elizabeth Kitley, who tore her ACL in the final game of the regular season. .
Walker made a big play late and the Bears won for the eighth time in their last nine games. She scored the team's final nine points, but none were bigger than her 3-point play that gave Baylor a 73-69 lead with 19.1 seconds left.
Amoore made a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, and Walker made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to give the Bears a 75-72 lead. Virginia Tech couldn't get a shot off in the final seconds.
Sarah Andrews added 16 points and Dariana Littlepage-Baggs finished with 10 points for the Bears.
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Baylor: The Bears survived despite missing nine free throws in the game. Walker completed all four attempts in the fourth quarter, helping Baylor survive and advance. The Bears were eliminated from the tournament in the second round each of the past two seasons.
Virginia Tech: A great season comes to an end for the ACC regular season champions. They fell behind the Bears early and struggled to get over the hump. Virginia Tech led only once in the game, late in the third quarter, and led throughout the fourth quarter.
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Baylor will play the winner of Monday's game against Southern Cal-Kansas in the Portland 3 District semifinals on Saturday in Oregon.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
