Baylor Women's Basketball

Game Thread: No. 13 Baylor Women’s Basketball Takes on No. 2 Texas in Top-15 Showdown

No. 13 Baylor women’s basketball (10-1) travels north to Fort Worth to play the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (11-0) in Dickies Arena.
December 13, 2025
9.8k Views
38 Comments
Story Poster
Photo by Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365.com

FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 13 Baylor women’s basketball (10-1) is pitted against the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (11-0) as the Bears play their premier non-conference game. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Dickies Arena. The game will be televised on ABC.

Texas has arguably been the best team in the country, with multiple top-5 wins over South Carolina and UCLA. With 0.96 wins above bubble on the line for the Bears, this currently ranks as the biggest resume-builder game Baylor plays this season.


  • Baylor Barttorvik Rank: 24
    • Baylor Massey Rating: 15
  • Texas Barttorvik Rank: 4
    • Texas Massey Rating: 2
  • Barttorvik Prediction: 75-62 Texas
    • Massey Prediction: 71-62 Texas

Coaches

  • Nicki Collen (Baylor): 112-37 record; 4 NCAA Tournaments, Sweet 16
  • Vic Schaefer (Texas): 456-208 record; 10 NCAA Tournaments, 3 Final 4s, 7 Elite 8s, 8 Sweet 16s

Projected Lineups

Baylor Starters

  • Guard Jana Van Gytenbeek (5’7, 6Sr.): 5.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 6.4 APG, 36% FG, 37% 3-PT, 80% FT, 29 MPG
  • Guard Taliah Scott (5’9, RSo.): 23.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 47% FG, 40% 3-PT, 91% FT, 33 MPG 
  • Forward Bella Fontleroy (6’0, Sr.): 10.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 38% FG, 30% 3-PT, 93% FT, 25 MPG
  • Forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (6’1, Sr.): 10.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 47% FG, 25% 3-PT, 62% FT, 28 MPG
  • Forward Kiersten Johnson (6’4, Sr.): 6.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 2.6 BPG, 59% FG, 63% 3-PT, 75% FT, 21 MPG

Baylor Bench

  • Guard Marcayla Johnson (6’0, Fr.): 4.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 37% FG, 14% 3-PT, 38% FT, 20 MPG
  • Guard Yuting Deng (6’2, So.): 7.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.1 APG, 51% FG, 42% 3-PT, 100% FT, 17 MPG
  • Forward Kyla Abraham (6’3, RJr.): 3.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.8 BPG, 62% FG, 45% FT, 16 MPG
  • Forward Kayla Nelms (6’1, So.): 3.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 0.2 APG, 52% FG, 20% 3-PT, 63% FT, 9 MPG
  • Forward Kiera Pemberton (6’1, Jr.): 2.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.4 APG, 73% FG, 50% 3-PT, 83% FT, 8 MPG

Projected Lineups

Texas Starters

  • Guard Rori Harmon (5’6, Gr.): 8.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.8 SPG, 53% FG, 60% 3-PT, 71% FT, 30 MPG
  • Guard Jordan Lee (6’0, So.): 14.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 43% FG, 34% 3-PT, 82% FT, 33 MPG
  • Forward Madison Booker (6’1, Jr.): 17.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 3.0 SPG, 50% FG, 24% 3-PT, 86% FT, 33 MPG
  • Forward Justice Carlton (6’1, So.): 10.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, 49% FG, 43% 3-PT, 63% FT, 20 MPG
  • Forward Breya Cunningham (6’4, Jr.): 10.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 0.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 67% FG, 55% FT, 19 MPG

Texas Bench

  • Center Kyla Oldacre (6’6, Sr.): 12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 69% FG, 64% FT, 22 MPG
  • Guard Grace Prenter (5’8, Fr.): 2.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 36% FG, 25% 3-PT, 50% FT, 9 MPG
  • Guard Sarah Graves (5’9, Sr.): 2.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.1 APG, 60% FG, 50% 3-PT, 50% FT, 7 MPG
38 Comments
Discussion from...

Game Thread: No. 13 Baylor Women’s Basketball Takes on No. 2 Texas in Top-15 Showdown

4,295 Views | 38 Replies | Last: 1 day ago by LIB,MR BEARS
Delmar 2.0
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Just win Lady Bears!
BearPawUp
How long do you want to ignore this user?
On my way to Ft Worth from Temple. Sic'em bears!
Delmar 2.0
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Great start




then they hit a wall
BaylorBears_254
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Jana is horrible.

Not a D1 PG at all.
Delmar 2.0
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Already playing in panic mode - no bueno
LIB,MR BEARS
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Great job by the BU staffer with the towel to block the camera from staying on the injured Scott
gbfell
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Scott is the only one who seems to want the ball. Now she's down with a rolled ankle. These two teams are in different classes.
Delmar 2.0
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Taliah helped off the floor with an injured ankle….. from bad to worse
ctxbear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
So painful to watch Taliah's injury. Praying it is not as bad as it looked. If she's out, I fear we'll be lucky to finish 4th in the Big 12.
Big12Fan2024
How long do you want to ignore this user?
There is a glaring talent gap between these two teams. And losing Scott just widened it even further. Hope that isn't as bad as it looked.
True Grit
How long do you want to ignore this user?
The new AD needs to look at this program as well. The talent gap is unreal.
geewago
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Getting worster and worster. Thank God only 10 minutes left.
Bear3
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Again, without a change in NIL we won't be competitive. Not sure if Baylor will be that committed to Wbb……
BluesBear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Well, Mack extended her contract so it runs until 2030. Unbelievable the mismanagement of funds this university has shown under Linda's leadership. Why people give money to the school - it's perplexing.
woodsa75
How long do you want to ignore this user?
This really is tough to watch.
pilgrim
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Program on a steady downhill trajectory.
Bear3
How long do you want to ignore this user?
If we can't be competitive with paying players, people don't seem to understand it doesn't really matter who the coach is if there is no money to recruit.

If Nicki can't get support she needs to field a competitive team, I could see her eventually returning to WNBA……..


The new AD will have to decide if Baylor is going to support having a competitive women's basketball team or not.
ctxbear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bear3 said:

If we can't be competitive with paying players, people don't seem to understand it doesn't really matter who the coach is if there is no money to recruit.

If Nicki can't get support she needs to field a competitive team, I could see her eventually returning to WNBA……..

Agreed. If we had even two of UT's starting 5 right now, this would be a close game between two Top 10 teams.
Bear3
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Yes. Losing Taliah did not help
Delmar 2.0
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Glorious game for all the haters, their dream came true, early Christmas present
Wbbfan29
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Hope taliah is okay.
Bear3
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Yep. There are some you never hear a word from unless it is a loss….
True Grit
How long do you want to ignore this user?
You seem surprised by the outcome. On ABC for all to see…
Morgan101
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I glad the new AD was watching from the stands so he can see the difference in the two teams. Great players vs. Good players ! We had a chance at 6-7 girls in recruiting ( five from Texas ) did not get a one! Texas get's a Great player every year. The girls looked like they all loved Baylor - did not get a one! In fact one of the girls from Colorado that Nicky had been looking at for a couple of years is going to Texas.
This team struggles to shoot and pass the ball. If I was Scott I would transfer too. Have been a lady bears fan for a long time and it is so hard to watch the fall from the Mountain!
blackie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
True Grit said:

The new AD needs to look at this program as well. The talent gap is unreal.

As I said on other threads, the gap between at least the 3 top teams (UConn, UT and SC), perhaps as many as 6 and everyone else is not small. UConn beat USC (16th ranked) yesterday by 28 on USC's home court. You don't have to have the money for WBB like you do for football because of the dramatical difference in roster size, but the second tier (where we are) and below are not going to ever close the gap if the difference in NIL cannot be closed.

There are plenty of good WBB players, but if a few teams can stock the whole team with the elite, even a team of good players is not going to be able to compete. We probably need to pay an extra premium because we are in a conference considered itself to be second tier.
blackie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bear3 said:

Yes. Losing Taliah did not help

Would be feeling better about it if she had come back to the bench, but I don't think she ever returned to the court. We at least have a bit of time to figure things our before conference if she doesn't come back.
Delmar 2.0
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Morgan101 said:

I glad the new AD was watching from the stands so he can see the difference in the two teams. Great players vs. Good players ! We had a chance at 6-7 girls in recruiting ( five from Texas ) did not get a one! Texas get's a Great player every year. The girls looked like they all loved Baylor - did not get a one! In fact one of the girls from Colorado that Nicky had been looking at for a couple of years is going to Texas.
This team struggles to shoot and pass the ball. If I was Scott I would transfer too. Have been a lady bears fan for a long time and it is so hard to watch the fall from the Mountain!

Texas has huge stacks of cash to get whatever players they want, Baylor doesn't. And the 'fall from the mountain'... anybody could see that coming as soon as Mulkey boarded that plane to Loosiana, I certainly did.
Stefano DiMera
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bottom line is easy to see.. football issue is we had no defensive line and pass rush .

All this team needs is a unicorn.. a Griner... A Booker . a JuJu...it's of nice complimentary players but no stud.
canoso
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bear3 said:

Yep. There are some you never hear a word from unless it is a loss….


This isn't a loss. It's a good ole fashioned woodshedding.
Big12Fan2024
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I'm not sure how stating the obvious is "hating," but anyone who has ever laced up shoes and played in a game could see the difference in talent levels for those two teams. It wouldn't have mattered if John Wooden, Geno Auriemma or Pat Summit were coaching us, the talent levels of those two teams were not in the same stratosphere and we were not winning that game.

I do think it's unfair to say "we're awful." We have a team that will be competitive in the Big 12 and will likely earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. And, if that is what the goal of the administration is, then we have the properly structured team for it. If the goal is to be competitive at an Elite 8 and higher level, then a decision would have to be made to pour a lot more funds into the program and, of course, that is something that is easier said than done with all the demands on money from a budgetary standpoint.

Texas and a few other athletic departments have decided to pour a lot of money into their women's athletic programs and the results are obvious -- they're competing for titles in almost every women's sport. As I (and everyone else) knew, when pay for play began it was always going to create a system where the power and ability to win national titles will be concentrated to a select number of schools.
blackie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Delmar 2.0 said:

Morgan101 said:

I glad the new AD was watching from the stands so he can see the difference in the two teams. Great players vs. Good players ! We had a chance at 6-7 girls in recruiting ( five from Texas ) did not get a one! Texas get's a Great player every year. The girls looked like they all loved Baylor - did not get a one! In fact one of the girls from Colorado that Nicky had been looking at for a couple of years is going to Texas.
This team struggles to shoot and pass the ball. If I was Scott I would transfer too. Have been a lady bears fan for a long time and it is so hard to watch the fall from the Mountain!

Texas has huge stacks of cash to get whatever players they want, Baylor doesn't. And the 'fall from the mountain'... anybody could see that coming as soon as Mulkey boarded that plane to Loosiana, I certainly did.

Just like those people in Knoxville and South Bend did when Pat and Muffet retired. Now those in Palo Alto are feeling the same way. UConn is on the clock waiting for Geno to retire. You don't lose long-time HOF coaches in WBB and the train keeps merrily moving along as nothing happened. Those schools didn't attract players, the coaches did.

We now have the added disadvantage of being in what is considered the worst of the P4 conferences, not to mention that those teams still on the mountain have the money to keep everyone else at bay, until something changes or a Cody Campbell steps in at someone currently in the second tier.

canoso
How long do you want to ignore this user?
"...or a Cody Campbell steps in at someone currently in the second tier."

Doubtful, and even more so since today we've been duly informed on another board that Cody Campbell is "fiscally irresponsible." LOL
True Grit
How long do you want to ignore this user?
What is the women's team NIL plan?
blackie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Stefano DiMera said:

Bottom line is easy to see.. football issue is we had no defensive line and pass rush .

All this team needs is a unicorn.. a Griner... A Booker . a JuJu...it's of nice complimentary players but no stud.

The problem would probably be that to get such a player we would have to use most or almost all of our NIL towards that one player....and then you don't have nice complimentary players because of not having enough left to go around. The UTs, SCs and LSU's of the world (I assume UConn as well, although just having Geno might be enough for as long as he is there) have enough to pay a bunch of elite players market rates or above.

It is no longer solely about coaching (unless you have a HOF already) or your history, it is about money...and for us the added disadvantage of our conference. Top players want to play against the best and unless the money can compensate for that, well they are going elsewhere.

We don't seemingly have trouble getting the elite HS players to be interested in us. We have been in many's top 2 or 3, but the money just doesn't seem to be there to close the deal. If they were not interested in the coaching staff or the school we would never be getting those top players to even use us as one of their visits.
blackie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
canoso said:

"...or a Cody Campbell steps in at someone currently in the second tier."

Doubtful, and even more so since today we've been duly informed on another board that Cody Campbell is "fiscally irresponsible." LOL

He might be, but based on things I have read, him spending $20M on a team would be like us throwing a couple of pennies to the ground out of a dollar. I would be willing to do that if it made my team to have the instant success that money seems to be having in football, MBB and WBB.

It may be irresponsible to many and it is downright disgusting for people who see college sports we all knew and loved, dying, but monetarily, it hardly is a blip on his radar.
Page 1 of 2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.