Baylor Women's Basketball

Baylor Women's Basketball Season Comes to an End at the Hands of No. 3 seed Duke, 69-46

Baylor’s season comes to an end in Durham.
By Owen Miller
March 22, 2026
7.1k Views
17 Comments
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Photo by Baylor Athletics

DURHAM, N.C. – No. 6 seed Baylor women’s basketball (25-9) lost to No. 3 seed Duke (26-8) in blowout fashion, falling by a score of 69-46.

Guard Taliah Scott led the team with 13 points, but made just three field goals on 17 attempts, and no other Bear scored double digits in the defeat. Center Kyla Abraham had a strong performance, posting eight points and seven rebounds.

Turnover issues were a major factor in the defeat, as Baylor lost the ball 23 times. The Bears shot 30% (16-53) from the field and didn’t make a single shot from beyond the arc, despite 14 attempts.

Duke forward Delaney Thomas put Duke up 4-0 with two layups, and a free throw from Toby Fournier extended the home team’s lead to 5-0. Another Thomas finish, and a layup from Fournier pushed the margin to nine. Duke’s fifth-ranked defense gave the Bears issues early in the game, holding the Baylor offense scoreless for the opening 5:04 before the game was stopped for a media timeout.

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs finally broke the ice for the Bears, hitting a mid-range jumper with 4:25 remaining in the first quarter. She followed up the make by blocking Arianna Roberson’s attempt from the low post, then secured an offensive rebound and put back the miss to cut the lead to 9-4.

However, the Duke defense continued to smother Baylor, allowing it to go on a 7-0 run to take a 16-4 lead. Scott found some rhythm to end the quarter, scoring two points at the free-throw line and hitting a step-back jumper to cut the lead to 16-8 entering the second quarter. Nine first-quarter turnovers plagued the Bears.

Scott continued to try to will Baylor back into the game, hitting another mid-range jumper. However, Thomas continued to lead Duke, finishing a three-point play. Fournier and Ashlon Jackson added layups. Kiersten Johnson got on the board with a layup, but the momentum stayed in Duke’s favor. A Fournier triple put the Blue Devils up 28-12.

Duke did not look back. The Blue Devils cruised to a 69-46 triumph, ending the Baylor season. The Bears will now turn to the offseason and look to attack the transfer portal.

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Baylor Women's Basketball Season Comes to an End at the Hands of No. 3 seed Duke, 69-46

4,145 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by blackie
garydyer
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6:36p, 3/22/26
National Championship2019; Coach? Kim Mulkey. Remember when?
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jdkingbear
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In reply to garydyer • 6:16a, 3/23/26
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.
jdkingbear
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LTBear19
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In reply to jdkingbear • 8:27a, 3/23/26
jdkingbear said:
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.


Yeah, she's good alright.

Good for about 4-5 horribly coached games a season, no conference titles, and a second round exit each year.

And it looks like you can add '4-5 blowouts per year' to that list.
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canoso
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In reply to jdkingbear • 9:47a, 3/23/26
jdkingbear said:
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.

In athletics, you're only as good as how your team plays over the long haul. Wake up every chance you get.
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Delmar 2.0
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In reply to LTBear19 • 12:47p, 3/23/26
LTBear19 said:
jdkingbear said:
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.


...no conference titles, and a second round exit each year.

She won the Big 12 Championship her 1st year with half a team, and made the Sweet 16 a few years ago.
So you're wrong on both accounts.
I ain't quite as dumb as I seem
-- (P.C. 1974)
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Bear2393
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In reply to Delmar 2.0 • 12:54p, 3/23/26
Delmar 2.0 said:
LTBear19 said:
jdkingbear said:
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.


...no conference titles, and a second round exit each year.

She won the Big 12 Championship her 1st year with half a team, and made the Sweet 16 a few years ago.
So you're wrong on both accounts.




She won because Mulkey left her 3 first round draft picks on that team!
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Delmar 2.0
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In reply to Bear2393 • 1:01p, 3/23/26
Bear2393 said:
Delmar 2.0 said:
LTBear19 said:
jdkingbear said:
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.


...no conference titles, and a second round exit each year.

She won the Big 12 Championship her 1st year with half a team, and made the Sweet 16 a few years ago.
So you're wrong on both accounts.




She won because Mulkey left her 3 first round draft picks on that team!

Nicki was coaching moron, its her accomplishment not KM. You so easily give Nicki blame for the bad things, but can't credit her for the good. You can't have it both ways, doing so is just a sign of a mental midget. Congrats.
I ain't quite as dumb as I seem
-- (P.C. 1974)
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Mitch Blood Green
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In reply to Delmar 2.0 • 1:35p, 3/23/26
Delmar 2.0 said:
Bear2393 said:
Delmar 2.0 said:
LTBear19 said:
jdkingbear said:
Kim went to LSU - where $$ is NEVER an issue. She has bought all she needed. Is she a great coach. Hell, yes. BUT do no underestimate Nicki. You can long for Kim all you want, but she was going to LSU. It has been her dream for years. Nicki Collen is good for Baylor Period.


...no conference titles, and a second round exit each year.

She won the Big 12 Championship her 1st year with half a team, and made the Sweet 16 a few years ago.
So you're wrong on both accounts.




She won because Mulkey left her 3 first round draft picks on that team!

Nicki was coaching moron, its her accomplishment not KM. You so easily give Nicki blame for the bad things, but can't credit her for the good. You can't have it both ways, doing so is just a sign of a mental midget. Congrats.


Why is he a moron? When you look at the teams getting up and down the court, they do so with top talent.

Nicki has to upgrade the talent (starting at high school recruits).
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Delmar 2.0
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In reply to Mitch Blood Green • 2:18p, 3/23/26
Mitch Blood Green said:

Why is he a moron?

Simple. Because he's giving CKM credit for Baylor's Big12 Title that Coach Nicki won. Only a moron would do that.
I ain't quite as dumb as I seem
-- (P.C. 1974)
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Easy Money
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In reply to Mitch Blood Green • 2:34p, 3/23/26
You don't recruit high school anymore… go buy jr & sr players that are winners if not your program will be bottom 1/2 big 12
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Easy Money
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In reply to jdkingbear • 2:41p, 3/23/26
If Nikki can't get the cash it takes to fund major college basketball.. fan base will disappear 300-500 in Stands will be the norm … not liking it but as they say "it is what it is "
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Bear3
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In reply to Easy Money • 3:02p, 3/23/26
Fan base is already disappearing from football and to some extent men's basketball. Their seasons were worse than the Wbb,
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True Grit
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In reply to Bear3 • 5:00p, 3/23/26
What fanbase? The fans have left or are leaving. Do some of you even actually go to the games? I do, and I actually talk to the fans I have attended games with for years (even decades). Under Mack and Linda, we have eroded our fanbase in all four of our major sports. Waco/alumni/students have never supported losing Baylor programs. Some of you that push the "just pay your money" and "shut up and just cheer" are not getting it. I hope Doug does.
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True Grit
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In reply to Easy Money • 5:01p, 3/23/26
I get that this is the way forward, but with what money? Also, is recruiting HS kids really not a thing anymore?
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blackie
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In reply to True Grit • 6:27p, 3/23/26
True Grit said:
I get that this is the way forward, but with what money? Also, is recruiting HS kids really not a thing anymore?

My assumption.....assumption but which I can see being feasible is that any high school player that is going to impact your team in year-1 is going to be expecting dollars. Are you going to pay those dollars to someone who has never competed at the college level, especially at a P4 level which could end up being a bust, when you can spend those dollars on proven college performance?. Even in Kim's years, we had HS recruits, some actually highly rated that just didn't work out for us. Most schools can't compete with the highly financially backed programs to be able to have big bucks paid for freshmen that don't pan out.

We started out in a bit of a hole in that after the first year with CNC we didn't have much leftover after Smith, et al., graduated. We had to fill with transfers. I think we were behind the 8-ball to start if you wanted to take freshmen each year and go through the development process.

If the HS player doesn't cost, then are you talking about someone who must be developed just to be able to provide quality, meaningful minutes. And if so, where are those minutes suppose to come from to develop them, if you have to be playing upperclassmen, mostly transfers, in order to win.

I guess the alternative would be to recruit the best HS players you could with little money left for transfers and take your lumps for several years developing them......only to see them transfer out as more prosperous programs pick your team apart.

It has all changed, and I am not sure there are reliable answers to your question.
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Mitch Blood Green
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In reply to Easy Money • 2:50a, 3/24/26
Easy Money said:
You don't recruit high school anymore… go buy jr & sr players that are winners if not your program will be bottom 1/2 big 12


Oh, yes you do. Oklahoma got Chavez and they're sweet 16. I don't know how you can build a culture grabbing other peoples juniors.
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blackie
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In reply to Mitch Blood Green • 5:02p, 3/24/26
Mitch Blood Green said:
Easy Money said:
You don't recruit high school anymore… go buy jr & sr players that are winners if not your program will be bottom 1/2 big 12


Oh, yes you do. Oklahoma got Chavez and they're sweet 16. I don't know how you can build a culture grabbing other peoples juniors.

It's hard to do now-a-days. You can start with all the freshmen you want. If they get better there is a good chance you lose them to a bigger program. Big gamble on where you spend the money you have when you have immediate needs. It's not like the not-so-old days where you had a good change to keep them in the corral while you built them up and they didn't cost much if anything to bring them in. Tough to go through the pains of getting them ready, then when you do, they leave.

Chavez, by the way, turned down Tech to go to OU. If you were Chavez where would you have rather gone....Tech or OU? She was ready from the start to be at the bigger program.
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