By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Senior forward Reese Ross joined Baylor women’s basketball as one of the premiere defensive talents for Utah. She ranked second on the Utes in blocks and third in steals last year, bringing a new fold to the Bears‘ game.
Ross showed out on both sides of the floor Sunday afternoon as Baylor took down West Texas A&M 96-56 in an exhibition game.
“Her energy’s good,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “You know she’s going to get on the glass. … She’s going to be somebody that does a lot of things for us.”
Ross was terrorizing the Buffaloes around the court, posting 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting while tacking on three steals and a block.
The Bears’ full-court defense suffocated the Buffaloes throughout Sunday’s matchup. They forced 30 turnovers and racked up 18 steals.
Baylor wasted no time putting pressure on the West Texas A&M offense. The Bears showed a mix of intensity ahead of halfcourt. They forced 10 turnovers and came up with six steals in the first quarter.
“Our pressure wears you down,” Collen said. “It’s a mindset. … We’re not necessarily trying to turn people over; we’re just trying to be there.”
While Baylor defense kept the Buffaloes down, it also lifted the Bears’ offense, which had 16 turnovers. The defense backed up the team by allowing only 8 points off turnovers.
“We’re going to be talking about our half-court execution because very few of our turnovers led to points for them,” Collen said.
The frontcourt got to work right away on offense. The Bears were forced to work the ball down low because the 3-pointers weren’t falling, going 1-7 beyond the arc. The bigs contributed 13 of Baylor’s 24 points in the first quarter. The group hit on six of its seven shots through the first 10 minutes to lead 24-11.
The Bears continued to force takeaways in the second quarter. West Texas A&M gave up the ball seven times, but Baylor only cashed in for nine points off those turnovers.
While Ross tacked on five more points, junior center Lorena Awou and fifth-year forward Kyla Abraham combined for 14 points off the bench to give the Bears a 43-29 lead into halftime.
“People saw that Lorena can score with her back to the basket,” Collen said. “Our team is starting to figure out how to play through the paint.”
Awou led the team with 19 points despite not being in the starting five.
The Buffaloes started to spread their offense midway through the second quarter. Six of their eight field goals in the period were jump shots outside the paint.
The third quarter saw both sides trading shots for the first five minutes. The Buffaloes looked like they were breaking through the Bears’ defense, hitting four of their first six shots. Baylor shut them down after a Collen timeout as West Texas A&M did not connect on its final six field goals.
The Bears played their most efficient quarter, going 10-for-15 from the field with Ross scoring 7 on 3-for-3 shooting to take a 71-43 advantage into the fourth.
Junior guard Taliah Scott and sophomore guard Marcayla Johnson did not suit up Sunday, allowing Baylor to spread playing time out.
Baylor opens its season against Fairleigh Dickinson at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 at Foster Pavilion.
