No. 18 Baylor upset by Oklahoma State 70-65

WACO, Texas -- Sometimes you’re on and sometimes you’re not, for No. 18 Baylor (12-4, 3-1) it was later on Wednesday in the Ferrell Center, as they fell to Oklahoma State (11-4, 2-2) 70-65 — the first loss to OSU since 2015. Baylor closed the game on a 2:32 scoring drought while making just 1-of-7 down the stretch. 

The Bears were dreadful from beyond the arc, shooting 21% on 6-29 attempts. Following the game, head coach Nicki discussed the struggles from long distance.

“I think that a lot of people have heard them say like, we live and die by the three which I'm just telling you, if you watch basketball, it's not true,” said Collen. “You know, I think we died by the three tonight, there’s some truth to that.”

Sarah Andrews grabbed a loose ball and found Ja’Mee Asberry for a fast break layup that put an end to a four-minute scoring drought, but Baylor was still down 16-9 with 2:40 remaining in the first quarter. Baylor struggled to find good shot opportunities, as the Cowgirls' 1-3-1 defense threw a wrench in their rhythm.

Jaden Ownes would get the scoring started for Baylor on a three-point bucket courtesy of an Andrews assist off an inbound play. Oklahoma State was able to force three Baylor turnovers soon after leading to an 8-0 run and a 13-7 lead over the Bears heading into the first media timeout.

Ownes would finish the night with 10 points and seven assists, but she wasn’t pleased with her performance or that of the team as a whole.

“I think we just came in thinking we were that team because Nikki said that to us, when we came into the locker room,” said Owens. “We've had good wins on the road at home, and we just kind of came in a little too relaxed, forgetting that we have a target on our back.”

The Bears would flip the script late in the first quarter, as they forced four OSU turnovers and a 6-0 run of their own. Bella Fontleroy would provide a majority of Baylor’s scoring in the second quarter, as she led the Bears with 8-points heading into halftime down 34-28.

Baylor shot just 36% from the field in the first half, while the Cowgirls were shooting 40%. Oklahoma State did a majority of their damage in the first half from beyond the arc on 5-11 shooting led by Lior Garzon with two buckets from downtown, while leading all scorers with 10 points.

Andrews netted 6 of her 16-points on back-to-back threes with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Baylor still found themselves down 52-49. Asberry was able to knot the game up at 52, but the Cowgirls were able to counter— a consistent theme throughout the game.

Asberry, who led the Bears in scoring with 19-points, once again gave Baylor hope, as she hit a shot from downtown to put the Bears within one 62-58. She would be fouled on the following possession driving the baseline but went 0-2 from the charity stripe.

“I'm very frustrated. I have a tendency of falling on my hand. And of course, I fall on my right hand before taking the free throws,” said Asberry with a bag of ice on her hand. “I just need to learn how to land better and I think that affected my free throws. I just got to be tougher, really.”

The Bears will look to bounce back into the win column on Saturday, as they head to West Virginia for a 2:00 p.m. tip against the Mountaineers.