By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
With a Sweet 16 berth on the line, No. 6 seed Baylor unraveled Sunday, falling 69-46 to No. 3 seed Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a loss that ended the Bears’ season and marked the end of an era in Waco.
Out of the gate, Duke (26-8, 16-2 ACC) took its home court with urgency, flooring the gas from the opening tip and never letting up for 40 minutes. Discombobulated offensively and flat-footed on the defensive end, the Bears (25-9, 13-5 Big 12) never gave themselves much of a chance, opening the first quarter with nine turnovers, shooting 3-for-11 from the floor and going scoreless until the four-minute mark.
“They didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and we couldn’t shake them,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “I thought we were frantic against their pressure early. Their length bothered us at the rim, their ball pressure was excellent and we were a cat chasing their tail.”
As the opening 10 minutes wore on, the lid stayed on the basket for Baylor, as the Bears went scoreless through the first six minutes and recorded more turnovers (nine) than points (eight) in the first quarter.
Facing their largest halftime deficit of the season at 38-16, the Bears came out of the break looking to shift the momentum. Redshirt sophomore guard Taliah Scott’s continued shooting struggles (3-for-17, 0-for-6 from three), paired with the Bears’ mounting turnovers, proved too much to overcome.
“It’s a bit reminiscent of two of their losses this season when they lost to West Virginia and Texas, when they had 30 turnovers, ” ESPN announcer Kelly Gramlich said. “You kind of saw that going up against another elite defensive team in Duke, which is what West Virginia and Texas are, and how the turnovers are a real issue for them.”
Even as Baylor chased rebounds and applied pressure in the backcourt, the hole it dug in the first half remained too deep, and the Bears never found a steady rhythm.
Still unable to buy a 3-pointer, Baylor never found the spark it needed, while Duke kept the Bears at a distance by continuing to force turnovers and dictate play on both ends. The Bears went on to finish the game 0-for-14 from beyond the arc.
“Full credit to Duke and the fact that Baylor only had single-digit points in each of its first two quarters, but this is truly rather shocking the performance we’re seeing from Baylor,” ESPN announcer Jenn Hildreth said. “This just does not look like the team they felt they certainly could’ve been here in March.”
Duke held the Bears to just 46 points on 16-for-53 shooting in Baylor’s worst shooting and assisting performance of the season.
With the season ending early, Baylor leaned on its veterans in their final moments. Seniors Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Bella Fontleroy were among those playing their final collegiate season.
“Today is the last time this team gets to be in a locker room together, so to me it’s about them, it always has been, and what they are with this senior group that they have,” Collen said. “Buggs and Bella, they’re just really special to me, being the first kids that said yes to me in a post-Mulkey era. They have a different place in my heart, and I’m forever grateful for those kids, so today’s about them.”
Fontleroy echoed that emotion, reflecting on what Baylor had given her beyond the game.
“Our lives were changed for the better, not just as players but as humans because we came through here at Baylor,” Fontleroy said. “I’ve grown up here, learned how to take care of myself and other people around me in any way they need. I’ve learned to show up every day, even when I don’t feel like it, and put my best foot forward, so I’m forever thankful for that and for this university.”
As one chapter closes in Waco, Baylor now shifts its attention to the offseason and the work of retooling its roster.
“We go to the portal like everybody else in America,” Collen said. “Veteran teams win. We’ve got some holes. We’ve got to get playmaking guards and a piece in the paint, and we’ve had really great success [in the portal], so I feel good. Today, Duke was the better team, and they deserved to advance.”
The Bears enter the offseason looking to replace four seniors. The 15-day spring transfer portal window opens April 6.
