Browsing: Bella Fontleroy

Baylor graduates six Bears, with seven expected to return. Battling adversity and playing tough games all year, the Baylor locker room has formed tight-knit connections and friendships.

No. 4 seed Baylor women’s basketball suffered a Round of 32 upset on its home court for the second time in the Nicki Collen era as the fifth-seeded Ole Miss Rebels dominated on the offensive glass and forced 21 turnovers en route to a 69-63 win Sunday at the Foster Pavilion.

After a bitter loss to No. 1 TCU in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, No. 4 seed Baylor women’s basketball walked onto the court ready for a deep NCAA Tournament run starting against No. 13 Grand Canyon in what head coach Nicki Collen called a “potentially bracket-busting game.”

Behind senior center Aaronette Vonleh’s fifth double-double, No. 4 seed Baylor women’s basketball took down No. 13 seed Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon at Foster Pavilion.

The fourth-seeded Bears (27-7) will open their tournament run against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon, a squad riding a 30-game winning streak, at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Foster Pavilion. Friday will mark the first matchup between the two teams with the longest active winning streak in Division I on the line for the Antelopes (32-2).

Reaching the program’s 21st consecutive tournament appearance, graduate guard Sarah Andrews and senior guard Jada Walker leaned on leadership and experience to put No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball in a position to succeed in March.

Early on No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball junior forward Bella Fontleroy’s career head coach Nicki Collen quickly identified her unique defensive poise. From taking charges to blocking shots Fontleroy set out at the beginning of the year to strengthen her defensive game and better understand opponent tendencies.

Senior center Aaronette Vonleh dropped a career-high 37 points to pull No. 2 Baylor women’s basketball past No. 3 Oklahoma State 84-74 in overtime in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinals Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Nicki Collen picked up her 100th win as the head coach of the second-seeded Bears as her team led for 38 1/2 minutes. The green and gold turned the seventh-seeded Cyclones over 22 times which led to 20 points off turnovers and countered sophomore center Audi Crooks’ 32-point outburst.

Unable to overcome their worst shooting night of the season at 27.7% from the floor, the Bears lost the top spot in the Big 12 and saw their nine-game winning streak snapped in a 51-48 loss to the 10th-ranked Horned Frogs on Sunday evening.

Riding a conference-best nine-game winning streak, No. 17 Baylor women’s basketball is rolling into a rematch with No. 10 TCU. With the regular season title on the line, the Bears are looking to secure the top spot in the Big 12 when they tip off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Foster Pavilion.

Senior center Aaronette Vonleh tallied a season-high 24 points as No. 17 Baylor women’s basketball never trailed, handing No. 14 Kansas State its first home loss of the season 79-62 Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.

Behind eight more made 3-pointers than Iowa State and 21 forced turnovers, Baylor women’s basketball extended its winning streak to eight, downing the Cyclones 67-52 Saturday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion.

No. 19 Baylor women’s basketball won their seventh straight game, the longest active streak in the Big 12, taking down Colorado 84-62 Thursday night at the CU Events Center in Boulder. The win keeps the Bears in a two-way tie for first place in the conference with No. 9 TCU.

The 25th-ranked Bears picked up their second ranked win of the year and led for the final 35 minutes of the game. They assisted on 19-of-26 made baskets and shot 50% from the floor as the starting lineup accounted for 70 points.

On the same night she was honored for scoring 1,000 career points, junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs picked up her 10th double-double of the year, leading all players with a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds to push Baylor women’s basketball past BYU 83-71 Saturday evening at the Foster Pavilion.

Baylor women’s basketball rattled off its third straight win Wednesday night, rolling past Houston 92-47 at the Fertitta Center. The Bears’ 45-point victory matches their largest margin of victory over a Big 12 opponent since Feb. 9, 2022.

Behind junior forward Bella Fontleroy’s career-high 29 points and seven 3-point field goals, Baylor women’s basketball shot 61% from long range to down Cincinnati, 98-59, Sunday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion.

For the first time in 35 years, No. 9 TCU women’s basketball knocked off rival No. 25 Baylor, 80-75, after the Bears’ attempted 22-point comeback fell just short.

With nothing to lose, No. 25 Baylor women’s basketball put No. 1 UCLA on the ropes early, but dominant post-play by the Bruins kept them undefeated, taking down the Bears, 72-57, in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic Monday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs racked up a game-high 21 points and 20 rebounds, while senior center Aaronette Vonleh added 20 points as Baylor women’s basketball knocked off UNLV, 71-63, Sunday afternoon at Foster Pavilion.

Baylor women’s basketball sealed third place in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, scoring 40 points in the paint and shooting 58.7% from the floor to knockout Villanova, 73-62, Monday afternoon at Atlantis’ Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

No. 18 Baylor women’s basketball’s trip to paradise took a sour turn Sunday afternoon as the Bears allowed a 17-point Indiana run in the first quarter that was too much to overcome, eventually falling to the Hoosiers, 73-65, in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal at Atlantis’ Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Behind its best shooting day of the season, No. 18 Baylor women’s basketball shot 57.4% from the floor to blitz past Southern Miss, 101-55, in the Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Atlantis’ Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas.

Just three games into the season, junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs is having a career year as the team’s leader in points and rebounds. Littlepage-Buggs led all players with 22 points and 11 rebounds as No. 17 Baylor women’s basketball dropped East Texas A&M, 104-55, Thursday night at the Foster Pavilion.

Despite a 17-2 run in the fourth quarter, No. 12 Baylor women’s basketball couldn’t find its footing until too late as the Bears’ comeback effort came up short. Senior guard Jada Walker inspired the charge with a game-leading 24 points as the green and gold fell to Oregon, 76-74, on Sunday night at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.

Junior forward Bella Fontleroy brought down a career-high 14 rebounds, senior guard Jada Walker tied a career-high with 10 assists and junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs knocked down her first two career 3-pointers as No. 12 Baylor women’s basketball rocketed past Incarnate Word, 85-33, on Thursday night at the Foster Pavilion.

In the transfer portal era, finding someone who fits the team’s culture is just as important as finding someone who can be a star. For No. 12 Baylor women’s basketball, senior center Aaronette Vonleh was a five-star in both aspects.

Some people play with their food, but for a team as hungry as No. 12 Baylor women’s basketball, an exhibition match was a perfect time to feast. Bolting out of the gates with the first 11 points of the game, the Bears never looked back and steamrolled Langston, 100-39, in an exhibition match on Sunday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion.

The graduate student point guard is on pace to become one of the program’s top-10 all-time scorers.