Baylor ousts Virginia Tech

Ex-Boo Williams player scores career-high 28

Jada Walker scored 26 of her career-high 28 points in the second half to lead Baylor to a 75-72 victory over Virginia Tech in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday night before a sold-out crowd at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

The fifth-seeded Bears (26-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021. Playing in her home state, Walker connected on 9 of 16 from the floor and 9 of 10 free throws.

“She was unbelievable down the stretch,” Baylor coach Nicki Collen said.

Walker, a left-hander who grew up in the Richmond area and whose parents both have been college basketball players and coaches, competed for the Hampton Roads-based Boo Williams AAU program. She played in high school for Highland Springs and Henrico and in college for Kentucky before transferring to Baylor.

Matilda Ekh paced fourthseeded Virginia Tech (25-8) with 19 points, while Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack each finished with 18. Strack again was filling in for All-American Elizabeth Kitley, who tore her ACL in the regular-season finale.

Walker made the big plays down the stretch for the Bears, who won for the eighth time in the past nine games.

She scored her team’s final nine points, and none were bigger than her three-point play with 19.1 seconds left that gave Baylor a 73-69 lead.

Following a 3-pointer by Amoore with 16 seconds remaining, Virginia Tech fouled Walker, who hit two free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining that gave the Bears their final margin.

Stanford 87, Iowa State 81, OT: Brooke Demetre hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in overtime and Kiki Iriafen scored 11 of her career-high 41 points in OT, securing No. 2 seed Stanford (30-5) a place in the Sweet 16 in Portland, Oregon, with a thrilling win over seventh-seeded Iowa State (21-12).

Addy Brown knocked down a 3 from the top of the arc with 31 seconds left in OT to put Iowa State ahead, only for Demetre to answer from nearly the same spot moments later.

Demetre hit two free throws with 11.7 seconds left to help seal it.The Cyclones’ Emily Ryan hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:45 to play, another 3 in overtime and tying free throws with 1:03 left in OT to finish with 36 points.