No. 7 Baylor Women’s Basketball Trounces Le Moyne, 99-43, Before Heading to Florida

WACO, Texas – No. 7 Baylor women’s basketball (4-0) defeated Le Moyne (1-2) by a score of 99-43, dominating the Dolphins in every aspect on Sunday at Foster Pavilion.

Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 22 points in the first half on a perfect 10-10 shooting en route to a 26-point performance. Littlepage-Buggs added 11 rebounds and two steals in the win.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Taliah Scott used her ability to get downhill to amass 15 free throw attempts and 22 points. While known as a scorer, Scott was masterful as a passer in the pick-and-roll and in transition, adding nine assists while turning the ball over just twice.

Senior forward Bella Fontleroy bounced back after a rough game against UNLV, adding 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting and four steals in 22 minutes.

The Bears’ talent simply overwhelmed Le Moyne. Baylor used their superior talent and length to achieve a 50-14 point differential inside the paint. The Bears also won the turnover battle 23-12 and the rebounding battle 43-24.

Littlepage-Buggs started the game on a 6-0 run, a welcome sight after a frustrating start to the year for the Oklahoma native. The Bears’ superior athleticism was present, as they got downhill with ease.

Baylor’s opening 11 shots came from inside the arc, and they converted on nine of the attempts. A Littlepage-Buggs mid-range pull-up jumper was the only non-paint points scored by the Bears before the first media timeout of the game. The senior ended the quarter with 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and four rebounds. Baylor had a pretty flawless quarter, finishing 12-of-15 shots from 2-point range, winning the rebound battle 11-2 and forcing seven turnovers.

However, turnover issues continue to plague the Bears. A couple of illegal screens and six total turnovers were an eyesore in the first quarter. Furthermore, Baylor was 0-of-3 from deep in the quarter. Despite those two issues, the Bears entered the second quarter up 26-13.

Baylor smothered the Dolphins in the second quarter. Le Moyne shot 2-of-13 in the period, with one of those makes being a heave from beyond half-court. The length of the Bears continued to affect the game, as they controlled the glass, contested nearly every shot and forced an additional five turnovers. A couple of left-corner triples from Fontleroy, a further seven points from Littlepage-Buggs and seven free throws from Scott led the Bears to 24 points.

Baylor also took better care of the ball, only turning the ball over three times in the quarter, and went the final 6:28 of the half with no turnovers. Sophomore Yuting Deng also had a strong quarter. Deng blocked a driving layup attempt, swatted a 3-point attempt into the courtside seats and converted on a transition layup. The Bears went into the break up 50-19, riding a 22-point, 8-rebound effort from Littlepage-Buggs.

The Bears used four early Le Moyne turnovers to jump out to a 9-2 run in the third quarter. The very welcome sight of the run was five points from sixth-year point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek. Van Gytenbeek had not found the bottom of the net since the Bears’ opener against Duke on Nov. 3. She ended the game with five points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

Six Bears got in the scoring column in the quarter, which has not been the norm this season. Scott looked extremely assertive and comfortable, finishing the quarter with eight points, four assists and zero turnovers. Baylor turned the ball over only twice in the quarter, which led to the Bears’ highest-scoring quarter of the game, with 31 points. Furthermore, they turned the Dolphins over eight times, with six of those turnovers being live-ball turnovers. Fontleroy amassed three steals in the quarter. A Deng 3-pointer capped off the quarter and put the Bears up 81-29 entering the final period of play.

Baylor coasted to the end of the game in the fourth quarter. The Bears' effort on the boards dipped a bit, which was understandable given the situation. Forward Kiera Pemberton’s six points and three rebounds led Baylor to the finish line. The Bears’ comfort in the second half was palpable, and the stats prove it. 47 of Baylor’s 49 second-half points were scored from 3-point range, the paint, or the free-throw line. Le Moyne was unable to keep Baylor out of the highest efficiency areas all night. 

While one can only draw so many conclusions after playing a severely outmatched team in Le Moyne, the Bears’ three second-half turnovers and variety of scoring were a huge plus. Nine Bears put the ball in the hoop from the field. 

The Bears (4-0) will now head to the WBCA State Farm Showcase to take on Iowa at 8 p.m. CT, Thursday, Nov. 20, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The game will be televised on ESPN2.