By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
With nothing to lose, No. 25 Baylor women’s basketball put No. 1 UCLA on the ropes early, but dominant post-play by the Bruins kept them undefeated, taking down the Bears, 72-57, in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic Monday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
In head coach Nicki Collen’s first-ever matchup against a No. 1 team in the nation, the Bears (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) shot 27.5% from the floor and were outscored 42-20 in the paint. Coming into the affair, only one team had played the Bruins (18-0, 6-0 Big Ten) within 10 points, and four had kept the deficit under 16.
The Bears forfeited three turnovers in the first two minutes, which UCLA capitalized on with an 11-0 run. Collen called timeout after the Bruins hit five of their first six shots and held a 13-2 lead with 6:34 in the first quarter.
Baylor’s bench sparked life as junior forward Kyla Abraham snapped the team’s scoreless streak at four minutes with a transition layup, and freshman forward Kayla Nelms stroked a transition 3-pointer. Senior guard Sarah Andrews connected on a mid-range jumper, and the Bears held UCLA scoreless for over four minutes to cut the deficit to 17-9 with 1:04 on the clock.
The green and gold held the Bruins without a field goal for the final 5:14 of the first quarter to make up for UCLA’s 7-of-9 shooting performance to start the day. However, the Bears shot just 4-for-21 from the floor and totaled nine points in the quarter, the first time they hadn’t scored double-digits in a quarter since March 3, 2024, against Oklahoma State (eight in the first quarter).
Junior forward Bella Fontleroy took two charges in the first four minutes of the second quarter, and senior guard Yaya Felder took advantage with a 3-pointer to claw within five, 23-18, with 6:28 in the second quarter. Felder was the only Bear in double figures with 10 points off the bench in 21 minutes.
Andrews hit two 3-pointers in the quarter, but UCLA went toe-to-toe with Baylor’s comeback effort. Andrews racked up eight points on 3-for-12 shooting. Baylor hit one of their last nine shots to close the half and held the Bruins without a field goal for the final 3:30 to trail 37-29 at halftime.
The Bruins struggled to hold onto the ball early in the second half with four turnovers in the first five minutes. Junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and senior guard Jada Walker each cashed in with buckets off the turnovers. Still, the Bears failed to find separation, trailing 44-36 with 4:46 in the third quarter. Baylor finished the day with 26 points off 18 UCLA turnovers.
The green and gold struggled to finish out defensive possessions late in the quarter, allowing four offensive rebounds. Bruins junior center Lauren Betts went to work in the paint and helped UCLA establish a 52-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Betts finished with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds and a career-high nine blocks.
Fontleroy opened the fourth quarter with a fadeaway jumper in the paint, which was instantly answered by an identical shot by junior Janiah Barker on the other end. Senior center Aaronette Vonleh picked up her fifth foul on an illegal screen at the 7:17 mark in the fourth quarter, trailing 57-44. The Colorado transfer played just 10 minutes as a starter and scored two points on 0-for-3 shooting with three rebounds and four turnovers.
Betts took over down the stretch with nine points in the fourth quarter on 4-of-4 shooting and swatted away three shots. The Bruins fed the post and put the Bears in the rearview mirror to stay undefeated, 72-57.
The Bears will be back in action against No. 9 TCU (19-1, 7-0 Big 12) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth.
