No. 7 Texas pushes past pesky Kansas State in Big 12 quarters

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lauren Ebo tied a career-high with 17 points, Rori Harmon had 16, and No. 7 Texas beat Kansas State 72-65 on Friday night in the quarterfinals in the Big 12 Tournament.

Aliyah Matharu scored 15 and Joanne Allen-Taylor added 12 for the Longhorns (23-6), who'll match up with No. 10 Iowa State in a semifinal on Saturday.

Texas led 47-43 before Matharu nailed two straight 3-pointers to push the advantage to 10 late in the third quarter. The Wildcats got within five in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get any closer.

Ayoka Lee led Kansas State (19-12) with 16 points, shooting 7 of 8 from the field, while Emilee Ebert had 15 and Serena Sundell added 11.

Kansas State shot the ball well — 51% from the field compared to 39% for Texas — but the Wildcats committed 16 turnovers, which turned in to 19 points for the Longhorns.

Kansas State also struggled from the 3-point line, going 3 for 10 while Texas was 7 of 14.

The Longhorns succeed when Ebo gets to shoot the ball as they are 11-0 this season when she scores in double figures. Texas aims to win their first Big 12 Tournament since 2003.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: Was one run away from really giving itself a chance in this game.

Texas: Always seemed to hit a big shot when they needed it. In three games this year, they beat the Wildcats by a combined 36 points.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Awaits seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas: Takes on two-seed Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

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