By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Senior center Aaronette Vonleh tallied a season-high 24 points as No. 17 Baylor women’s basketball never trailed, handing No. 14 Kansas State its first home loss of the season, 79-62, Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.
Picking up their ninth-straight win, the Bears (25-5, 15-2 Big 12) stand alone atop the Big 12 and will play No. 10 TCU on Sunday to decide the regular-season conference title. Head coach Nicki Collen picked up her third ranked win of the season, pushing Baylor to 3-2 against AP Top 25 opponents.
Vonleh recorded her third double-double of the year, bringing down 12 rebounds in addition to her season-high 24 points. Graduate guards Aliyah Matharu (15) and Sarah Andrews (12), as well as senior guard Yaya Felder (15), joined Vonleh in double figures. The guard trio combined for 10 made 3-pointers as the Bears shot 39% from beyond the arc.
Without the All-American graduate center Ayoka Lee, the Wildcats (25-5, 13-4 Big 12) immediately fell victim to Baylor’s post presence. Vonleh scored Baylor’s first 10 points en route to a 10-2 lead with 5:28 left in the first quarter. Andrews, Felder and senior guard Jada Walker fed the post whenever Vonleh had a smaller defender on her, forcing an early Kansas State timeout. Walker finished with eight points and a team-high 11 assists.
When Vonleh checked out at the 4:09 mark, Felder and Andrews kept the offense rolling, each knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Bears a 16-10 lead by the end of the first quarter. The 3-point barrage continued in the second quarter as Vonleh drew triple-teams, leading to the Bears making four of their next six triples.
Baylor forced 10 Kansas State turnovers in the first half and held the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 5:32 before halftime. Holding K-State to one 3-pointer, the Bears trotted into the break with a 36-26 lead.
Already without leading scorer and rebounder Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, the Bears lost more depth at the eight-minute mark. Chasing a loose ball, junior forward Bella Fontleroy collided with Kansas State senior guard Serena Sundell and was helped to the locker room after laying on the floor for an extended period.
After Fontleroy’s departure, Kansas State pulled the game within four twice. Sundell scored six of her team-leading 20 points in the quarter, and a floater pulled the score to 43-39 with 4:51 on the clock. On the ropes for the first time since tipoff, the Bears answered with a 7-0 run to build a double-digit lead and later closed the third with a 56-45 advantage.
The Wildcats ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, as the Bears took their largest lead of the game — 19 points — twice. Baylor shot 53% in the final 10 minutes and held Kansas State to 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Vonleh eclipsed her season-high with one minute left in the game, prompting Collen to sub her out so she could take in the moment and hug everyone on the bench. The Bears made two final free throws to cement a 79-62 upset win over the 14th-ranked Wildcats.
Baylor will wrap up the regular season against No. 10 TCU (26-3, 14-2 Big 12) at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Foster Pavilion.
