No. 19 Terps too much for No. 17 Baylor in Top 25 showdown

WACO, Texas -- Sarah Andrews left it all on the court. Despite starting the week in a walking boot and missing some practice time, Andrews finished the night with a team-high 25 points for the Bears. While her performance was masterful, it wasn’t enough to help No. 17 Baylor (3-1) come away with a win, as they fell to No. 19 Maryland (4-1) 73-68 in the Ferrell Center on Sunday.

“She was the Sarah I’ve been talking about since the day I got here,” said Baylor head coach Nicki Collen. “I still think she can be better. I have incredibly high expectations for what I believe she is capable of doing.”

“She has to be somebody who isn’t afraid to do whatever the team needs at that moment,” said Collen. “That may mean a game where she scored 8 points and dishes out 11 assists, or it may mean her getting 30 points.”

Baylor was looking to right the ship coming out of halftime and turned to their duo of guards Andrews and Jaden Owens to lead the way. Ownes drained a three from the left-hand corner, while Andrews followed up with a bucket of her own and a fast break layup to force Maryland into a quick timeout to gather their composure.

Andrews was on a mission in the third quarter, as she tied the game up at 38 with her first three-pointer of the game out of halftime. She would be the Bears leading scorer in the quarter with 9 points while adding one assist and one steal. Ownes wrapped up the third quarter with five points, two assists and three steals.

“I struggled in the first half, but so never thought about quitting shooting, my teammates told me to keep shooting,” said Andrews. “Every shot I took, I felt like it was going in. Just to get the crowd involved, we went on a run and it was just that time.”

Maryland took complete control of the second quarter, despite the Bears trying to swing the momentum courtesy of a jumper by Bella Fontleroy, followed by a steal and a free throw by Andrews. The Terrapins turned to their superstar Diamond Miller to help them create separation from Baylor with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the second quarter to take a 36-26 lead over the Bears heading into halftime.

Miller left no doubt that she is one of the best players in the nation, as she torched Baylor for a game-high 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

“I felt like I just needed to relax, as the first two minutes of the game were a blur for me,” said Miller. “Once I got settled in, I could see the floor and the basket seemed like the ocean to be honest.”

Nicki Collen had nothing but respect for what Miller was able to accomplish against the Bears, but feels like her team did a good job of guarding the Terps.

“We won three of those quarters and I feel like we guarded their actions well,” said Collen. “At the end of the day players make plays, and Diamond made a lot of plays today.”

Fontleroy wouldn’t score again, but she finished the night with 8 rebounds. Baylor’s leading rebounder on the night was Darianna Littlepage-Buggs who continues to impress. Buggs dominated the paint, finishing with 12 rebounds to go along with 16 points to finish the night with a double-double.

After being knotted up at 7 apiece at the first media timeout, Baylor created their biggest separation of the first half on a 7-0 run consisting of five points off turnovers and six points in the paint. The offensive production would, unfortunately, be short-lived, as Baylor began to rely on shots from downtown, despite a 6% success rate on 1-of-17 shooting.

Baylor was able to get a boost inside from Caitlin Bickle in her first action of the season. Bickle finished the night with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three rebounds, despite fouling out with 2:55 remaining in the game. Rounding out the scoring for the Bears were Jana Van Gytenbeek (3pts), Ja’Mee Asberry (2pts), and Catarina Ferreira (1pt). 

The Bears will now hit the road for the first time this season, as they head to Estero, Florida to compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase over the Thanksgiving weekend. Baylor will open up play against Saint Louis at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, with the remainder of the slate TBD.