By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
No. 16 Baylor women’s basketball wanted to revamp a roster that saw seven players move on from last season. Redshirt sophomore guard Taliah Scott came in with expectations to be one of the Bears’ top scorers after averaging over 20 points per game in her first two collegiate seasons at Auburn.
Led by Scott’s 24 points, the Bears (1-0) upset No. 7 Duke (0-1) 58-52 in their season opener in Paris.
Scott shot 7-for-18 from the field while accounting for two of the Bears’ three 3-pointers in their season opener. She also tallied five rebounds and three assists.
Duke jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, scoring two buckets off turnovers from Scott and senior forward Bella Fontleroy.
Baylor started to storm back after falling behind 10-4 as Scott hit a three and grabbed a defensive rebound to send her team on a fast break. Redshirt junior forward Kyla Abraham cashed in with a layup to close the gap to 10-9.
Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs kept her squad close with the Blue Devils, scoring Baylor’s last six points in the first quarter to trail by two.
Duke took advantage of the boards early in the second quarter, scoring four second-chance points to extend their lead to six. The Bears turned the tide with a 10-0 run. They made a pair of jumpers off Duke turnovers, as well as two layups from Scott and one from Fontleroy.
The Blue Devils erased Baylor’s four-point lead by ending the first half on an eight-point run, capped off by Riley Nelson’s back-to-back 3-pointers — her only two made field goals of the game.
Through the first 20 minutes, the Bears struggled from the floor, shooting 32.4% from the field and 1-for-9 from three. Scott led the way for Baylor with nine points on 3-for-9 shooting and two free throws.
After falling behind 41-35 early in the third quarter, Abraham landed her second made shot of the game while Scott drained her second three, making both of Baylor’s shots from beyond the arc to that point.
Both squads went quiet in the last 4 1/2 minutes of the third quarter, scoring a combined five points. Duke’s Toby Fournier and Baylor freshman guard Marcayla Johnson both made buckets and Abraham laced one free throw.
The Bears went 1-for-8 to end the quarter, while the Blue Devils went 1-for-6. The teams were tied at 43 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Scott nailed three straight field goals within the first minute and a half of the fourth quarter to help her squad leap ahead 49-43.
After her scoring burst, both defenses started to lock down. In her regular-season return from a season-ending injury in early 2024, graduate guard Jana Van Gytenbeek’s first 3-pointer of the game was Baylor’s only score over the next six minutes. Duke was 2-for-12 from the field in that span.
The Bears had a 56-48 lead with a minute and a half remaining. The Blue Devils tried to claw their way back, denying multiple putbacks from offensive rebounds. They made layups in back-to-back possessions to cut their deficit to four.
Scott nailed two free throws to give her team a 58-52 lead with 25 seconds left to cap off an impressive Baylor debut and put the game on ice. Duke missed its eighth consecutive 3-pointer in the second half, ending its comeback hopes.
The 58-52 upset victory was the Bears’ first top-10 win since their 84-77 victory over No. 4 Utah on Nov. 14, 2023.
Preseason All-ACC selections Fournier and Ashlon Jackson led the Blue Devils in scoring with 16 and nine points, respectively.
Alongside Scott’s 24-point performance, Littlepage-Buggs tallied her 36th career double-double, posting 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Baylor struggled from the field as a team. The Bears shot 31.7% from the field, going 20-for-63 on field goals and 3-for-15 on threes.
While the offense scrambled, the defense picked up the slack, holding Duke to 29% shooting and 4-for-19 from deep. Baylor also out-rebounded the Blue Devils 51-40.
The Bears return home to take on Lindenwood at 2 p.m. Sunday at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
