By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Going dancing at home is more than just a home-court advantage for No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball. A sold-out Foster Pavilion crowd is just as impactful as the comfort of sleeping in a familiar bed and sticking to a routine.
Or, in junior forward Bella Fontleroy’s case, the opportunity to go to an 8 a.m. class before booking it to the practice gym and taking in the NCAA Tournament logo present everywhere along her route.
“It’s been really cool so far to see all of the March Madness stuff everywhere,” Fontleroy said. “Knowing that we put ourselves in the position to be one of the top 16 teams and be able to stay at home … It’s really an awesome opportunity.”
When Fontleroy and fellow junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs arrived on campus for the first time, they made it clear to head coach Nicki Collen that hosting was their first goal. Now, in their third-straight tournament appearance — with three career NCAA Tournament wins — they’ve achieved that goal.
“[Hosting has been] a goal [since] when we went on the road and won last year, how difficult that was and what an emotional advantage Virginia Tech had,” Collen said. “It was always a goal to make this happen.”
The fourth-seeded Bears (27-7) will open their tournament run against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon, a squad riding a 30-game winning streak, at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Foster Pavilion. Friday will mark the first matchup between the two teams with the longest active winning streak in Division I on the line for the Antelopes (32-2).
Led by WAC Player of the Year Trinity San Antonio (17.3 PPG, 5.3 APG) and WAC Defensive Player of the Year Tiarra Brown (12.7 PPG, 2.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG), the Lopes have won 14 of their last 15 games by double digits.
“They play like they expect to win, and I think there’s a difference,” Collen said. “They’ve played in more close games than you think, but they get to the fourth and know how to finish … I don’t think they feel less or more pressure. I just think they know how to win.”
Captained by head coach Molly Miller, a former Baylor head coaching candidate, Grand Canyon prioritizes defense. The Antelopes rank eighth nationally in defensive rebounding and 48th in 3-point defense while also boasting the nation’s eighth-best 3-point shooting percentage.
“They are a really, really scrappy and defensive-minded team,” Fontleroy said. “They have a lot of people who can score in different ways … We have to utilize our size advantage and our pace and just play Baylor basketball, and we should be all right.”
While the Bears were without Littlepage-Buggs for the last seven games, the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double, she is set to return to action in March Madness. But in the time she was missing, senior center Aaronette Vonleh showed out, averaging 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds — including a career-high 37-point game.
The opportunity to fill in for big minutes allowed the green and gold to understand what they need to clean up before the postseason. It also showed how they could excel with Littlepage-Buggs back.
“The biggest thing we learned, or already knew, is that we need to rebound because Buggs is very elite at that,” Vonleh said. “On the flip side, we also learned that we have people that can contribute and step up if somebody goes down.”
The Bears and Lopes will tip off at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Foster Pavilion. The winner will face the victor of No. 5 Ole Miss and No. 12 Ball State, who face off at 5:00 p.m. Friday, at a to-be-determined time on Sunday at Foster Pavilion.
