By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
The No. 15-ranked Bears traveled to Lubbock to continue their Big 12 campaign against the No. 20-ranked Lady Raiders on Wednesday. Baylor lost the battle 87-56 behind 21 turnovers and 3-for-17 shooting from beyond the arc.
Facing their second top-20 matchup in the past 10 days, the green and gold came out seeking to get back in the win column.
Baylor (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) struggled to find the bottom of the bucket early in the first quarter. The shooting struggles from the floor allowed Texas Tech (24-4, 11-4 Big 12) to jump out to a 15-7 lead seven minutes into the game.
The Lady Raiders tried to force fast-break opportunities in the first half, pushing a quick pace and looking for buckets in transition. The quickness of the game got Baylor out of control, leading to seven turnovers just 13 minutes into the game.
The Bears shot 42.3% from the field and 30% from three in the first half, and did not benefit from the high pace of play. Texas Tech shot over 64.5% from the field and 53.8% from three in the first two frames.
Baylor entered the game 2-4 in ranked matchups this season and had no answer in the first half for the Lady Raiders’ fast-break scoring approach, as they went into halftime trailing 48-28. The Bears, who have struggled recently with ball control, went into the break with 12 first-half turnovers.
Of those 28 points, senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and redshirt sophomore guard Taliah Scott combined for 20. At the break, Littlepage-Buggs was perfect from the floor and led the team in rebounds with three.
The Bears appeared exhausted early in the second half as the Lady Raiders continued to run the ball at a high pace. Before long, the home team exchanged its early fast-break play for load-sharing, team basketball in response to adjustments Baylor made at the half.
Baylor’s starting five did not score a single point in the fourth quarter. The quintet went 0-for-7 before head coach Nicki Collen subbed them out with a 31-point deficit and four minutes remaining. The Bears lost 87-56.
Littlepage-Buggs and Scott tied as the Bears’ leading scorers, both totaling 13 points. The team finished with 21 turnovers and allowed 19 points off of those lost possessions.
The Bears will look to bounce back from the 31-point loss against Arizona (11-15, 2-13 Big 12) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
