By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
The Bears appear to have righted the ship, at least, over the last four games.
No. 21 Baylor women’s basketball, led by senior guard Jana Van Gytenbeek’s career-high 19 points, made quick work of Cincinnati by a score of 74-53 on Tuesday evening in the Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.
The Bears (22-6, 11-6) have won four straight — including five of the last six — and they hold the fourth-place tiebreaker over No. 24 West Virginia in the Big 12 standings.
“We have big goals still, and there’s no reason why we can’t go attain them at this point,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “We’re not limping into anything anymore, so it’s time to race into things and keep that mentality.”
Van Gytenbeek only missed three shots, as she connected on 8-of-11 attempts from the floor and three of her five 3-pointers. She’s scored in double figures in five of the last seven games.
Sophomore forward Bella Fontleroy (13) and graduate student forward Dre’Una Edwards (10) were the only other Bears in double-figure scoring.
Baylor held Cincinnati to 21 points in the first half, which is what the Bears totaled in the first quarter alone. They jumped out to a 39-21 lead going into the tunnel.
Van Gytenbeek scored 16 of her 19 points in the second half, as Baylor cruised to the 21-point victory. The Bears’ last two wins came on the road, and they finished the regular season 6-4 (5-4 in Big 12 play) in true road games.
Baylor returns to Waco for a Senior Day contest against Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. on Sunday in the Foster Pavilion.
