By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
No ice, no freezing temperatures — and no Cougars in Waco to slow down No. 14 Baylor women’s basketball, as the Bears outlasted Houston 82–66 on Tuesday night at Foster Pavilion to extend their eight-game win streak.
Despite a six-day break caused by winter weather in Central Texas, Baylor (19-3, 8-1 Big 12) leaned on its offense to stay a step ahead as its defensive edge eased in the second half. Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs set the tone inside, finishing with 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting while adding eight rebounds, while fellow senior forward Bella Fontleroy followed with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes.
“When you get ranked and you’re on a win streak, everyone’s going to try to knock you off,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “So you don’t get to take days off — not if you really want to be a conference champion. You asked me whether we’re hitting our stride, I hope not, because I didn’t like the way we turned the ball over without needing to today. We still have a lot of room to grow.”
Tied atop the Big 12 standings with No. 9 TCU, Baylor controlled the numbers against Houston (6-14, 0-9 Big 12), shooting 52% from the field, winning the rebounding battle 41–25 and out-assisting the Cougars 21–9, led by seven from graduate point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek.
Going 10 deep behind its seniors, Baylor found scoring throughout its rotation, placing four Bears in double figures. Houston head coach Matthew Mitchell echoed that depth, citing Baylor’s tenacity on offense and the depth of the Big 12.
“They are really skilled basketball players, very difficult to guard,” Mitchell said. “The quality of our league is really deep, with fantastic teams in this conference, and Baylor is just a great example of the quality of teams we have in the Big 12.”
But the night wasn’t perfect as Baylor’s defense unraveled after halftime, allowing six offensive rebounds in the third quarter after giving up just two in the first, along with more points than the entire opening half.
“We have to be disciplined every possession,” Fontleroy said. “It’s been a big point of emphasis for us to come out in the second half and stay as intense on the defensive end, and we didn’t do that tonight.
“We’re headed to West Virginia, and playing there is tough. We know they’re going to be physical, so we have to be ready to match that on the defensive end and stay disciplined.”
Despite a defensive lull in the third quarter, Baylor pushed the pace offensively, knocking down shots from deep and getting downhill to close the game on an 8–0 run in the fourth quarter and put the game out of reach.
The Bears head east to face No. 22 West Virginia (17-5, 7-3 Big 12) in Morgantown on Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for noon at the Hope Coliseum and will be broadcast on ESPN.
