Baylor Women's Basketball Downs No. 11 Seed Nebraska, Sets up Rematch with No. 3 Seed Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – No. 6 seed Baylor women’s basketball (25-8) defeated No. 11 seed Nebraska (19-13) in the first round of March Madness by a score of 67-62 on Friday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. She also amassed three assists and two steals.

Senior forward Bella Fontleroy scored 10 points, secured seven rebounds and totaled three steals/blocks. Guards Taliah Scott and Jana Van Gytenbeek also scored double figures, scoring 15 and 12 points.

Baylor controlled the offensive glass, using its athleticism to win the rebounding battle 43-33. 

Fontleroy found Littlepage-Buggs on a slip to start the scoring, and Littlepage-Buggs returned the favor by finding Fontleroy for an and-one layup, putting the Bears up 5-0. Scott knocked down her first attempt on a mid-range pull-up, continuing the hot start.

Nebraska guard Callin Hake made two free throws to put the Cornhuskers on the board, and forward Amiah Hargrove converted on a triple. After Fontleroy made another layup, Hake added a triple of her own to cut the lead to 9-8. Fontleroy continued to impact the game, pulling down an offensive rebound, and Littlepage-Buggs added the second-chance points in the mid-range. 

Baylor’s athleticism advantage was present early. Littlepage-Buggs pulled down two offensive rebounds in the same possession, and Abraham grabbed a third and converted her putback attempt for a 13-8 lead.

Yuting Deng added a scoring spark off the bench. She rejected a baseline stagger for a corner triple, then on the next Baylor possession, came off a floppy action for a wing 3-pointer and a 10-0 Baylor run. Nebraska guard Logan Nissley added a 3-pointer before the end of the first quarter, but the quarter concluded with the Bears leading 19-11.

After the first 2:30 of the second quarter yielded no points for either team, Nissley splashed another 3-pointer to cut the Baylor lead to 19-14. Scott scored on a layup to finally break a 5:13 scoring drought. 

Nebraska’s leading scorer, Britt Prince, finally found the scoring column from the free-throw line. The Baylor defense and length held her to a 0-of-5 start from the field. 

Van Gytenbeek added a layup, but the Bears continued to fail to break the game open. Nissley continued her strong half by knocking down a mid-range jumper off an off-ball screen. Baylor held a 23-18 lead at the second-quarter media timeout.

Nissley continued to hurt the Bears’ defense. She found Kayla Nelms guarding her and lifted for a wing triple. Nelms responded by drawing a foul and converting on both free throws, but the Baylor offense continued to stall. 

Hargrove scored on a layup to cut the lead back to two points, and Prince connected from downtown to give the Cornhuskers their first lead. A steal and layup from Jessica Petrie further continued the Nebraska momentum.

Kyla Abraham scored down low to cut the lead to 28-27, in favor of Nebraska, entering halftime. The Bears scored just eight points in the second quarter.

Deng’s six points led the Bears in the first half, but the scoring was very balanced. Five Baylor players scored at least four points. Nissley’s 11 points led Nebraska.

Van Gytenbeek drew a foul to open the third quarter and converted both free throws to put the Bears back in front. Nebraska forward Petra Bozan answered with a layup. After Baylor committed a shot-clock violation, the Bears earned the ball back pressing the inbound, and it led to two more free throws for the Bears’ veteran point guard.

Prince splashed a triple to put Nebraska back in front, 33-31, but Baylor’s offense had found life. Van Gytenbeek found Fontleroy for two points, then a spinning layup from Littlepage-Buggs put Baylor in front. Prince scored on a backdoor to knot the game at 35.

A Scott turnover led to two more points for Prince before the media break. After a Hargrove free throw extended the lead to 38-35, Scott drew a foul, curling off a screen, and scored two points at the free throw line.

Petrie scored over the outstretched arm of Abraham, but the Bears continued to find a way to get to the free-throw line, this time Fontleroy adding a point at the charity stripe. A driving layup from Petrie, through a late tag from Van Gytenbeek, put the Cornhuskers up 43-38.

Fontletoy drew a foul on a rebound, but failed to knock down either free-throw attempt. Prince, on the other hand, scored both free throws. A Van Gytenbeek triple pumped life into the Bears, but Prince scored again to put her Cornhuskers up 47-41 entering the final quarter.

The fourth quarter continued the same trend. Prince nailed a shot from downtown. Van Gytenbeek found Abraham for a layup to answer, then nailed a triple on a kickout. Scott stole the ball and set up a wide-open Abraham for a layup, but she smoked the layup, temporarily pausing the momentum.

Littlepage-Buggs finished a layup to cut the lead to two points, but Petrie connected from deep to extend the lead. Ella Brow found Kiersten Johnson for a quick two points to cut the margin back to a single-possession game. Johnson found Fontleroy for a layup herself, then drew a foul. 

Down 53-52, with 4:04 remaining, Johnson split the pair of free throws to tie the game. On the next possession, a loose ball led to Fontleroy and Petrie getting tangled. A Flagrant 1 was assessed on Petrie, and Scott hit both free throws to give Baylor the lead. Littlepage-Buggs added a free throw to give Baylor a 56-53 lead with 3:21 remaining. 

Prince drew a foul on a jumper attempt and cut the lead to one. Littlepage-Buggs scored on a turnaround shot to extend the lead back, but two more Prince free throws cut the lead again. Scott found two points at the free throw line, but Prince continued to score at will, blowing by Abraham for a layup. Littlepage-Buggs found two points at the line before an illegal screen from Hargrove stopped the back and forth.

Scott had an open look from the corner to ice the game, but could not convert. Littlepage-Buggs was able to secure the miss. After a timeout, Nicki Collen set up a play, Fontleroy stepped over the line on the pass and turned the ball over. 

Down 62-59, Nebraska looked to enter the ball inside. Abraham deflected the pass, setting up a Baylor possession to go up by five. Scott did just that, driving and finishing a contested left-hand layup to push the Bears up 64-59. 

Prince quickly got to the rim and scored, but Scott was able to catch the ball on the inbound. She split the pair of free throws, but was able to extend the lead to two possessions. From that point, the result was not in question. Baylor triumphed 67-62.

Baylor will need a positive regression to the mean in the Round of 32, as Baylor shot just 4-of-21 from deep in the victory.

The Bears’ next game is against the No. 3 seed Duke Blue Devils, and will be played in Cameron Indoor Stadium.