By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
The No. 7-ranked Bears overcame 22 turnovers to beat Davidson 74-72 in an overtime battle Saturday.
The 2025 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Showcase saw historic programs Baylor (5-1) and Davidson (4-3) tip off in Orlando, Fla., in what shaped up to be a grittier fight than head coach Nicki Collen’s team expected out of the matchup.
The Bears recently dropped their first loss of the season on Thursday night to No. 19 Iowa. The quick turnaround between games was evident in the Bears’ early style of play.
The green and gold trailed from the tip and ended the first half trailing by three. Sophomore guard Taliah Scott, who was nearly non-existent in the first half, led a second-half rally for the Bears as they fought to take and hold onto a lead over the Wildcats. Scott fouled out in the final seconds of regulation after scoring a team-high 22 points and accounting for nine of the 22 turnovers that crippled Baylor’s offense throughout the night.
Scott was one of three Bears to foul out in the game, as senior forwards Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Bella Fontleroy joined Scott on the bench. Buggs reached her foul limit with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, and Fontleroy did so in overtime.
Scott’s final foul opened the door for the Wildcats, who had given up their lead in the fourth quarter, to shoot two free throws to tie the game up and force extra time.
Guard Charlise Dunn led the way for Davidson as an unstoppable force, creating 33 points and 11 rebounds in a career night. Dunn scored all nine points for the Wildcats in overtime, which proved not to be enough to overcome Collen’s extra-time game plan.
Davidson, which came into the night seeking its first win over a top-10 team in program history, collapsed at the hands of sophomore Yuting Deng after fighting for the extra five minutes of overtime. The sophomore Auburn transfer banked in a driving left-handed layup off the glass with three seconds left on the clock to give Collen’s squad the final upper hand.
Baylor will return to Waco for a home matchup against Louisiana Tech at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
