By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Baylor women’s basketball took the floor for the first time this season Saturday in an exhibition matchup against West Texas A&M, shaking off early rust as graduate point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek steadied her team, leading the Bears to an 86-46 win at Foster Pavilion.
In her first game back since suffering a season-ending injury nearly a year ago, Van Gytenbeek displayed veteran poise, finishing in double figures with 11 points and 10 assists while guiding a Baylor team still establishing its identity.
After opening the first quarter zero-for-four from the free-throw line and struggling to find rhythm offensively, Baylor relied on its defense to set the tone. The Bears held West Texas A&M scoreless for nearly four minutes and forced five turnovers in the opening frame to take a 16-5 lead after one.
With Baylor’s offense still finding its footing early in the second quarter, senior Darianna Littlepage-Buggs went to work inside. The Preseason All-Big 12 forward controlled the paint with 16 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Bears stay in front going into halftime.
“Buggs was Buggs,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “I thought she was the one early who really was a catalyst for us to build a double-figure lead. She wanted the ball, protected the ball and rebounded the ball. She really got us off to a good start when the others kind of weren’t.”
Settling in as the first half wound down, Baylor closed the half shooting 39% from the field while holding the Lady Buffs to 26%, taking a 33-20 lead into the break.
Coming out of halftime, the Bears looked noticeably more comfortable — pushing the pace, communicating on both ends and attacking the rim with confidence. From there, Baylor turned up the tempo and kept it in overdrive until the final horn.
“I think they needed to be out there and get comfortable,” Collen said. “That’s why you play these games — to get comfortable playing in front of people and settle into that comfortability.”
The Bears outscored West Texas A&M 30-19 in the third quarter, shooting 56% from the field, 16% from three and a perfect 100% from the line as their half-court execution and confidence hit another gear. By the end of the frame, Van Gytenbeek had tallied seven assists and Baylor’s lead swelled to 63-34 heading into the fourth.
Despite some early miscues and struggles at the line, Baylor’s starters accounted for 69 of the team’s 86 points as the Bears closed the night on an 11-0 run. Five players finished in double figures as the offense found its rhythm late and never looked back.
Senior forward Kiersten Johnson recorded a double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Littlepage-Buggs matched her with 14 points and 14 boards. Van Gytenbeek added 11 and 10 assists, Bella Fontleroy powered her way to 12 points and Taliah Scott led all scorers with 18 as Baylor’s offense clicked into gear and buried the Lady Buffs down the stretch.
For Van Gytenbeek, the win was about more than the scoreboard — it was about setting the tone for what’s to come.
“I’m really happy with this team,” Van Gytenbeek said. “We have a lot of work to do defensively, but we’re all very motivated. We have great chemistry and we work hard — it’s just the little things we’ll keep working out.”
The Bears will head across the pond to Paris to open the regular season in their first televised game of the year against No. 7 Duke on Nov. 3 at Adidas Arena. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CST.
