By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Baylor women’s basketball sealed third place in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, scoring 40 points in the paint and shooting 58.7% from the floor to knockout Villanova, 73-62, Monday afternoon at Atlantis’ Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Senior center Aaronette Vonleh set the tone, scoring the first four points of the game for the Bears (5-2) and swatting a Villanova (4-3) shot into the bleachers two minutes later. Vonleh led the team with a season-high 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
“We have to play to our strengths each game, and I think we get away from that,” head coach Nicki Collen said postgame on ESPNU. “We’ve got a lot of kids who can score, but we need to play through the paint, and that’s off the bounce. That’s off getting Netty (Aaronette Vonleh) to believe that she can be the dominant player she’s capable of night in and night out. It’s really important for us.”
Graduate guard Sarah Andrews bounced back from a 1-for-9 shooting game the day before with 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and senior guard Jada Walker each scored 11 points to round out the four Bears in double figures.
The Bears stayed within one possession of the Wildcats for most of the first quarter as Andrews drilled her first 3-pointer attempt, and senior guard Yaya Felder attacked the rim and spliced the defense on a pair of layups. The green and gold hit six of their last seven shots in the first quarter and shot 63.6% from the floor but trailed 23-19 due to six turnovers.
“I thought Sarah took shots in rhythm, she wasn’t forcing stuff,” Collen said. “Certainly, when she hits a couple, then you can let her go a little crazy with the step back, but before that, see the ball go through.”
Felder built off her Baylor career-high 20 points a day before, totaling eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and earning a nod to the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team. Felder hit five 3-pointers against Indiana and knocked down her first shot from range on Monday, which pulled Baylor within two, 26-24.
The green and gold hit 7-of-11 shots for the second consecutive quarter and finished the half with 22 points in the paint. The Wildcats missed their last eight field goals and went scoreless for the final 5:02 before halftime. Walker scored seven points in the quarter and cut the Villanova lead to 37-36 before the break.
Andrews gave the Bears their first lead since 4-2 in the first quarter with a layup to start the second half. Baylor opened the half on an 8-0 run, as the Wildcats missed their first seven field goals out of halftime. Villanova graduate guard Maddie Burke kept the Wildcats in it, however, as she crafted a 6-0 run on her own with a pair of 3-pointers.
The Bears trailed 53-51 with 20 seconds left in the third quarter. Collen crafted a play where Walker sprinted under the basket and swung the ball to a wide-open Andrews in the corner. Her shot was too hard as it boinked off the back rim and into the arms of Littlepage-Buggs. The junior forward, who tied for the team lead of 9 rebounds with junior forward Bella Fontleroy, spun around and nailed a fadeaway buzzer-beater to even the game, 53-53.
Baylor found separation behind Andrews as she drilled a wing 3-pointer and dished a perfect pass to Vonleh in the post to force a Villanova timeout due to a 9-3 Baylor run to open the fourth quarter. Vonleh scored nine points in the fourth quarter, and when the defense found stops, the offense turned the lights off with a 13-4 run to give Baylor a 73-62 win.
After running away with a win in the quarterfinals, the Bears were plagued by shooting struggles in their semifinal matchup against Indiana, who lost the finals matchup against No. 16 North Carolina, 69-39. But with a win against Villanova, the green and gold earned third place in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
The Bears will be back in action against New Orleans (0-5) at 2 p.m. Friday at the Foster Pavilion.
