By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
For the 16th time in two decades, No. 14 Baylor women’s basketball is on pace to secure a top-two finish in the Big 12. Standing in the way is No. 12 TCU, with whom the Bears are tied atop the conference.
The 24-time conference champions have opened the new year fueled by a seven-game win streak entering Tuesday’s matchup against Houston, highlighted by road victories in Utah and decisive home wins over Kansas and UCF. With an even split of home and road games ahead in the heart of Big 12 play, No. 14 Baylor (18–3, 7–1 Big 12) remains locked in a tight race with the No. 12 Horned Frogs (19-2, 7-1 Big 12) as the conference title picture begins to take shape.
“There are two good things this time of year: less mileage on their bodies and opportunity,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “You’re not given anything when you play at this level. Everything is earned. But when they do get an opportunity, they work hard, and this is a group where no one in practice is going to quit or feel like they don’t have a chance.”
The “road warrior” label has come to define Baylor’s season away from home. Unbeaten at 4–0 on the road in Big 12 play, the Bears have yet to lose a game outside of Waco, powering their push through the first eight contests of conference action.
Following an evenly distributed scoring effort in a 61–45 win over Utah in Salt Lake City, graduate guard Jana Van Gytenbeek pointed to the team’s collective mindset as the driving force behind its road success.
“We lean on each other every day and every time that we can, we work hard every single day and don’t quit,” Van Gytenbeek said. “We are road warriors for sure.”
Baylor leads the conference in blocks per game at seven and the nation in 3-point percentage defense, while giving up just 56 points per game — third-best in the Big 12. The Bears have leaned on their defense to ignite offense going the other way, turning stops into 15.5 points per game off turnovers. Defense has become Baylor’s calling card.
“There’s not a day that we don’t go super hard on defense, not a day that we don’t take it seriously,” senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs said.
The winning has taken a defensive edge paired with production from Baylor’s leaders. Redshirt sophomore guard and two-time Big 12 player of the Week honoree Taliah Scott ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring at 20 points per game and sits atop the conference from the free throw line, shooting 90%. Littlepage-Buggs leads the league in rebounding, pulling down 11 per game, while Van Gytenbeek ranks fourth in assists at 6.5 per contest.
In a season — and across a sport — plagued by injuries, the Bears’ continuity matters, as Baylor has remained largely intact and, for the first time since 2023, all 12 players on the active roster are healthy and available, something the team says it doesn’t take for granted.
“It’s so good seeing everyone on the court and knowing we finally have all 12 players healthy,” redshirt freshman Ines Goryanova said. “It’s really great. We’re all hungry.”
Sixteen days remain until TCU meets Baylor at Foster Pavilion, but the grind of the Big 12 — and additional ranked tests — still await both programs.
“The challenge right now is, you don’t want to get complacent and you don’t want to get comfortable because anyone in this league can beat you,” Collen said. “You’re trying to hold serve at home and stay tied for first place. There’s a lot on the line every night we step on the court when it comes to our goals and aspirations to become conference champions.”
After a snowed-out weekend, the Bears are set to face Houston (6-13, 0-8 Big 12) on Tuesday night at Foster Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
