By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Behind eight more made 3-pointers than Iowa State and 21 forced turnovers, Baylor women’s basketball extended its winning streak to eight, downing the Cyclones 67-52 Saturday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion.
Without junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs for the second consecutive game, the 19th-ranked Bears (24-5, 14-2 Big 12) scored 26 points off turnovers and had four players finish in double figures. Head coach Nicki Collen snapped a four-game skid against the Cyclones (19-10, 10-6 Big 12), picking up Baylor’s largest win over Iowa State since a 25-point victory on Feb. 28, 2022.
“[I’m] really, really proud of the way we defended, of the way we shot the basketball and our poise,” Collen said. “I thought our poise was really good today.
Senior guard Yaya Felder led all scorers with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Junior forward Bella Fontleroy (14) and senior guard Jada Walker (12) each hit two 3-pointers, while senior center Aaronette Vonleh (11) picked up double-digits from the paint. Fontleroy collected five steals and led the team with six rebounds alongside Vonleh.
“We’ve got a chip on our shoulder, we’re going for it all right now,” Felder said.
Baylor led by as much as seven in the first quarter as the Cyclones struggled, shooting 4-for-17 from the field. The Bears silenced center Audi Crooks, who came into the contest averaging 22.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, throughout the first half. The 6-foot-3 sophomore went 1-for-6 from the floor and picked up two fouls in 11 minutes, holding a game-low plus/minus of -12 in the first half.
With Crooks neutralized, Fontleroy and Vonleh combined for eight points and eight rebounds in the first quarter. Felder took control after the Bears carried a 15-11 lead into the second.
Felder racked up 10 of her 15 points in the second quarter to help Baylor bring a 33-23 advantage into halftime. The senior guard opened the quarter with a fadeaway floater, setting the tone for her offensive surge. Felder then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to put Baylor ahead 27-17 with 4:51 on the clock. The Bears shot 45.5% from long range in the first half to secure their double-digit halftime lead. Meanwhile, the Cyclones made just one 3-pointer all afternoon.
“Ball pressure was the main emphasis,” Walker said. “[We were focused on] really limiting their 3-point shooting, knowing that when they don’t hit a lot of threes, they don’t usually win games.”
Both teams opened the third quarter shooting 4-for-6 from the floor, with Vonleh knocking down three of Baylor’s makes. After a timeout at the 4:50 mark, the Bears broke free from the back-and-forth battle. Fontleroy forced two turnovers, leading to a layup and a 3-pointer from senior guard Sarah Andrews in a 30-second span, forcing an Iowa State timeout.
Clinging to their largest lead of the game, Baylor extended its run to 9-0 before the Cyclones converted an and-1 layup, trimming the deficit to 48-34 with 3:01 in the third quarter. The green and gold finished the half on a 7-1 run, drilling seven of their last nine shots to take a 58-39 lead into the fourth.
Both teams struggled to close the game, going without a field goal for the final 5:45. Crooks knocked down three late shots, finishing with 14 points, but the effort came too late as Baylor secured the 67-52 win.
“I’m very impressed with Baylor. We knew they’d be very good, and they were,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “I’ve been coming to Baylor for a long time and I think this is a team that the fans — I think they need to even get more by them. I really do. They’re really good [and] they’re fun to watch.”
The Bears will be back in action against No. 12 Kansas State (24-4, 12-3) at 6 p.m. Monday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
