By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Plagued by a program-record 30 turnovers, a 34–8 points-in-the-paint deficit and 38 points allowed off turnovers, No. 14 Baylor women’s basketball fell to No. 22 West Virginia 70–60 on Sunday afternoon, marking just the Bears’ second loss in conference play and fourth of the season.
Despite an early defensive spark that held West Virginia (18–5, 8–3 Big 12) to a 1-for-11 shooting start, the Bears (19–4, 8–2 Big 12) struggled to settle under the Mountaineers’ backcourt pressure, as a disjointed first quarter set the tone for a choppy, low-flow game that pulled Baylor outside its identity in Morgantown.
“Nobody else plays the way they play in our league, and it’s hard to replicate,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “I was disappointed in our execution. I thought we had three really good days of practice, then we came out and didn’t execute early.”
Unbeaten away from home entering Sunday and having won 16 of its last 18 road games, the Bears briefly settled in to open the second quarter, as a 9–0 run led by redshirt sophomore Taliah Scott gave Baylor the lead with 3:20 remaining in the half before a West Virginia surge, fueled by 21 points off turnovers, swung momentum back in the Mountaineers’ favor.
An 11–2 West Virginia run continued to disrupt Baylor’s offense, forcing rushed possessions and stripping the Bears of any sense of rhythm and pace.
Fighting back, the Bears compensated at the free-throw line, where 27 of their 60 points came as Baylor capitalized on West Virginia’s aggressive defense.
“There are a lot of pieces to why you turn the ball over 30 times,” Collen said. “Sometimes you’re trying to do too much, sometimes you’re trying to do too little. When they saw blood in the water, I thought their pressure amped up, and that’s why we were able to work our way back into it and get to the foul line.”
Limited to just seven second-chance opportunities, Baylor shot 14-for-47 from the field as turnovers mounted and efficiency never took hold. Six of Baylor’s 10 available players finished the game with a negative plus-minus.
“Believe me, if we play them in the conference tournament, we’ll look different,” Collen said. “I’m disappointed in our execution, but I thought our effort was great. We control our own destiny, so when you have games like this — which we haven’t had in a while — it’s about how you respond.”
The Bears will look to bounce back Wednesday night as they head north to face Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
