Waco, TX— No. 10 Baylor avenged their earlier season loss to Kansas State by leaving no doubt and winning by 45 points, 95-50, at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears teed off on the hapless Wildcats who just dropped out of the top 25 this week. Everybody got theirs:
- NaLyssa Smith: 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds
- Queen Egbo: 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 16 rebounds, and three assists
- Sarah Andrews: 19 points on 7-of-11 (5-of-7 threes) shooting, four boards and seven assists
- Jordan Lewis: 24 points on 7-of-12 (5-of-6 threes) shooting, four boards and seven assists
Caitlin Bickle had six points, five rebounds and three dimes. After recording her triple double, Lewis had combined for 18 points on three made field goals in her last three contests. Baylor only turned the ball over 11 times.
The guard dominance of Lewis, Andrews and Ja’Mee Asberry allowed Baylor to have 30 assists on 35 made buckets. The post dominance of Egbo and Smith helped the Bears outrebound the ‘Cats by 20.
Ayoka Lee had 32 points and 10 rebounds in the Wildcats’ 68-59 win on January 2; however, was limited to only eight points on 3-of-8 shooting and six rebounds tonight. Lee struggled mightily with foul trouble as she picked up three fouls in the first half.
That included a vicious elbow while trying to establish offensive position on Egbo midway through the second quarter. It also induced a technical foul on head coach Jeff Mittie with 4:17 left before halftime.
It resulted in a key four-point swing that Baylor—just like they had in the Texas game— never looked back from in their victory. An ensuing Lewis steal and Andrews three provided the meat of the 9-0 Baylor run to go up 20 and the 16-6 run to end the half.
With how hot the Bears were from beyond the arc there was no hope for any miracle Kansas State comeback as the Bears increased their lead to over 30 in the third. Baylor hit 11 three-pointers (57.9 percent), which was their fifth time this season making over 10 threes.
Baylor ultimately grew their lead to over 40 in the final quarter as there was simply nothing Kansas State could do. Their freshman star point guard Serena Sundell suffered a foot injury shortly after tip and did not return. Lee could not get anything going, and the only Wildcat to score in double figures was Brylee Glenn with 10. Cymone Goodrich had nine points off the bench.
For the time being, the win keeps Baylor in third place of the Big 12 standings. They are only one loss behind both No. 9 Iowa State and No. 12 Oklahoma who are each 20-3 on the season and 9-2 in the Big 12.
After a heck of a stretch where Baylor played four games in seven days was tested in a crippling gauntlet of four games vs ranked foes all jockeying atop the Big 12, the Bears finished at full speed through the finishing tape.
They remain alive to win their 12th straight Big 12 regular season championship, but they need some help from the Sooners. They will host West Virginia on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Kansas State will travel to rival Kansas on Saturday at 6 p.m. Also on ESPN+.