Baylor spoils Texas hopes of clinching Big 12 Title share 63-54

AUSTIN, Texas — As Sarah Andrews created separation at the top of the key and nailed the shot from downtown at the buzzer to give the Bears a 10-point late in the fourth quarter, it was curtains for No 12 Texas’ hopes to clinch a share of the Big 12 Championship.

Baylor (19-10, 10-7) secured their fourth Top 25 road victory of the season, as they topped the Longhorns (22-8, 13-4) 63-54 at the Moody Center on Monday night.

Andrews (17pts)  along with Ja’Mee Asberry (10pts) had no problem finding open looks, especially in the second half. Despite only contributing 3 points on the night, Jaden Ownes did an excellent job of orchestrating the offense behind 7 assists that led to clutch buckets.

The Bears were able to turn 17 Texas turnovers into 17 points while owning the paint behind 36 rebounds and 30 points. But the biggest difference for Baylor was their ability to generate tremendous ball movement and capitalize off of 15 assists on the night.

Baylor closed the second quarter on an 11-2 run that gave them a commanding 37-32 lead heading into halftime. The Bears got an excellent first half from the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who led all scorers with 15 at the half on 7-of-11 attempts.

Littlepage-Buggs began the game on the bench, but when her number was called she was able to take advantage of creases near the basket to exploit the Longhorns. While Littlepage-Buggs was flourishing, fellow freshman Bella Fontleroy picked up three first-half fouls with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter and was forced to the sideline.

Littlepage-Buggs (19pts, 13 rebounds) would continue her dominance in the second half of play, as she finished the night with another double-double, surprising Brittany Griner’s freshman record.

The Bears would find themselves in familiar territory in the third quarter, as Caitlin Bickle picked her third foul of the night on a blocking call that sent her to the bench at the 7:44 mark. Luckily for Baylor, their defense held the Longhorns scoreless for over five minutes of play to take a 50-45 lead heading into the final quarter of action.

Bickle would pick up her fourth foul in the final quarter of play, but finished the night with 5 points, while Kyla Abraham (6pts) filled in nicely in her absence.

Baylor will look to close out the regular season on a four-game winning streak as they welcome West Virginia into the Ferrell Center at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday for Senior Day.