Bears Top the Jayhawks in Dominant Road Win!

Three games, three wins! The Bears took care of business Saturday afternoon, beating #21 Kansas on the road 75-62. This was the first Top 25 matchup for women’s basketball in Allen Fieldhouse in ten years, and the Jayhawks were sitting at #1 in the Big 12 before Baylor took them down.

The first few minutes were a little slow offensively for the Bears, as they committed some key turnovers that resulted in easy points for Kansas. They started to get in a rhythm as the quarter ended though, going on a 10-0 run at the end of the quarter.

The Jayhawks gained momentum to start the second quarter, with guard Wyvette Mayberry scoring a quick three, followed by an offensive foul called against Bella Fontleroy. Taiyanna Jackson sunk two free throws to give Kansas the lead before Sarah Andrews committed a turnover. Finally, near the seven-minute mark, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs nailed a bucket to break Kansas’s run. Ja’mee Asberry drained a 3-pointer on the next possession to get the Bears back on track. The rest of the quarter was back-and-forth, with Baylor up 32-27 at halftime.

The third quarter was the highest-scoring, with both teams scoring 20+ points. Kansas cut the lead to four at one point, but Baylor stayed in control. Jackson got in a bit of foul trouble, earning her third foul early in the second half. Baylor kept things rolling offensively, going on a 7-0 run to end the quarter.

Baylor controlled the fourth quarter, outscoring Kansas 19-15. With five minutes left in the game, Caitlin Bickle and Jaden Owens both had four fouls, but that was no problem for Baylor. The game ended with two free throws from Sarah Andrews and a final score of 75-62.

Both Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Caitlin Bickle (12 points, 12 rebounds) had double-doubles in this game! Sarah Andrews was the leading scorer with 27 points. The Bears defense was great, holding Big 12 Player of the Week Taiyanna Jackson to only eight points. Despite the great showing, there is still room for Baylor to improve. Bella Fontleroy’s single free throw was the only scoring contribution from the bench, and the team had 19 turnovers on the night.

This was a major win for Baylor to cap off a great week of play, but we have yet to see the full potential of this team. This marks the first time in program history that Baylor has earned two consecutive road wins against Top 25 opponents. On to the next!