No. 7 Baylor is headed to the Big 12 Tournament championship match after outlasting No. 9 Texas Tech, 2-1, in double overtime Wednesday night at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas.
The Bears had to do it the hard way. Texas Tech struck first in the 16th minute and carried a 1-0 lead into halftime, but Baylor answered after the break and kept pushing until freshman Grace White delivered the winner in the 105th minute. The victory moved Baylor to 17-3-1 overall and 8-2-1 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech finished the night at 13-3-4, 8-2-1.
Aryanna Jimison brought Baylor level in the 61st minute, burying the equalizer for her team-high ninth goal of the season. Theresa McCullough picked up the assist, her ninth of the year and the team lead. From there, both defenses dug in and neither side could break through in regulation or the first overtime.
White eventually ended it with her sixth goal of her rookie season, sending Baylor into the conference title round for the first time since 2018.
The Bears were outshot 23-13, but Azul Alvarez kept Baylor in the fight with six saves. Each team finished with six corner kicks, with both sides taking four in the first half and two in the second.
Baylor now turns to No. 1 seed BYU in the championship match. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 14, back at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium.
Head coach said the performance showed exactly what this group has been about.
"Just tremendous resilience, tremendous heart out there. Being behind at halftime to a team that hardly ever concedes goals is a daunting task and they never looked afraid of the challenge.
They never looked like they felt like we were going to lose this game. We made some tactical changes at halftime.
They took them on straight ahead, executed the game plan really, really well and just stayed with it through the whole time. But the game didn't get easier as it went on, that's for sure.
(It was) more competitive, more physical. And the team just stuck together, continued to fight for one another until finally something fell our way."
In Other News...
Gavin Freeman Is Chasing Something Baylor Receivers Rarely Reach
Gavin Freemans first season at Baylor has already put him in rare company. The receiver was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, an honor reserved for players who started their careers as walk-ons, after standing out nationally in both receptions and receiving yards. From a field of 65 nominees, Freeman has emerged as one of the most notable success stories in the country, and one that fits neatly with the kind of underdog climb the award was built to recognize.
For Baylor, Freemans rise adds another layer to an offense that has found a dependable target in a player whose path to this point was anything but ordinary. The semifinalist nod does not finish the conversation, though, because the Burlsworth Trophy race still has another round to go before the winner is decided. Freeman has already put himself on the shortlist, and now he waits to see whether this breakout season turns into something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Golf's First Hebert Signees Hint At His Roster Vision
Jean-Paul Heberts first recruiting class at Baylor is starting to take shape, and the early message is clear: he wants to build the Bears future around proven junior talent. The program announced the signings of Tripp Depoy and Jayden Jun for the 2027 class, with both players expected to arrive for the 2027-28 season. It is a notable first step for Hebert, who is putting his own stamp on the roster after taking over the program.
Depoy and Jun arrive with strong junior golf resumes, giving Baylor an early look at the kind of player profile Hebert values as he begins shaping the roster in his image. For a program trying to stay competitive in the Big 12 and beyond, landing the first two names in a new era matters, even if the impact will not be felt on the course for a while. The bigger question now is how Hebert uses this opening to fill out the rest of the class. [Read more 🡒]
Sawyer Robertsons Big 12 Standing Just Raised The Stakes For Baylor
Sawyer Robertsons place in the Big 12 conversation is getting harder to ignore, and that matters for Baylor as the season turns toward Week 11. The latest quarterback rankings around the league put a spotlight on how the conferences top passers have been performing, with names like Noah Fifita, Thomas Castellanos and Michael Hawkins Jr. helping shape the discussion after their recent outings.
For Baylor, Robertsons standing is more than a nice individual nod. It raises the profile of a quarterback who has kept himself in the mix among the leagues best, which only adds weight to what comes next for the Bears. With several Big 12 quarterbacks set for marquee matchups in Week 11, Robertson now has a chance to show that his place in the pecking order is no fluke. [Read more 🡒]