Ft. Worth, TX— No. 7 Baylor (20-5, 10-3 Big 12) outscored TCU (6-16, 2-11 Big 12) by 16 in the second half to again beat the Horned Frogs comfortably 78-59. It was the second game in four days for the two rivals—Baylor won in Waco by 25 just a few days before.
It is also the second time that Baylor has played, and beaten, the same opponent in back to back games on their schedule. They played two games in three games against Texas earlier this season. This resulted from game postponements due to Covid-19.
TCU only scored nine points in the first quarter, yet used a 20-point second quarter to only trail the Bears by three heading into the locker room. They were able to take advantage of Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith struggling with foul trouble as she picked up three in the opening half.
For the third straight game, Baylor lead by no more than three points at but were able to make adjustments in order to cruise to blowout wins with strong third and fourth quarters.
Smith finished tied with TCU’s Okako Adika for a game high 23 points. While Adika made four threes in the contest, Smith did all of her damage inside the arc and also grabbed eight boards.
Queen Egbo helped buoy the Bears in the first half and finished with yet another double double: 14 points and 12 rebounds. She also recorded three blocks, however, was assessed a technical foul near the end of the third quarter for screaming and starring down Aja Holmes. Holmes, who finished with three points, would miss both technical free throws.
Egbo ultimately fouled out early in the fourth quarter and Sarah Andrews—12 points and seven assists— also sat for the bulk of the final quarter due to an injury to what looked to be her non shooting hand. She had an ice pack on it while going through the handshake line once the game was over.
With foul trouble and injuries, the Baylor bench stepped up and gained valuable experience. Jaden Owens had seven points with a nice looking stroke and Caitlin Bickle remained as serviceable as ever with six points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The Bears only turned the ball over eight times and had 20 assists on 28 made field goals. TCU shot 35 percent from three, but could not solve the Baylor defense in the second half and ended with double the amount of Baylor’s turnovers.
Up Next
Baylor will travel to Stillwater to play Oklahoma State on Wednesday at 6:30 pm on ESPN+. Last place TCU will host No. 15 Oklahoma on the same date and time.
Oklahoma is in Ames later this evening to play No. 6 Iowa State for an epic showdown that will have major repercussions on the regular season Big 12 title race.