Baylor Women's Basketball Named USBWA National Team of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS – The Baylor women’s basketball team was recognized as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Team of the Week, the organization announced Tuesday.

The Bears are being recognized for the second straight year and second time under the direction of head coach Nicki Collen.

After its 84-77 win over then-No. 4 Utah on Nov. 14 at the Ferrell Center, Baylor jumped seven spots in the AP Top-25 Poll, checking in at No. 14 this week. The victory marked the Bears’ first top-four win since beating No. 1 UConn on Jan. 9, 2020, and first top-four win at home since beating the Huskies on Jan. 3, 2019.

The 84 points scored by Baylor were the most against a top-10 opponent in a regular-season, non-overtime game since scoring 87 at No. 9 Iowa State on Feb. 28, 2022. Additionally, it was the most points scored against a top-five opponent in the regular season since netting 94 against No. 2 Notre Dame on Nov. 20, 2011.

The win marked the highest-ranked victory for Collen in her head coaching career and she moved to 3-3 all-time against top-10 foes. Four Bears finished in double figures led by Sarah Andrews' 18-point outpouring. The senior went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe and game-high 4-for-6 from range. Utah never led in the game and tied it up twice. The Bears' largest lead was 11 points at the 9:45 mark in the fourth quarter.

In the 10-point win over Harvard, all five starters finished in double figures led by Aijha Blackwell’s 16 points. With their 81 points, the Bears have scored 80-plus in three-straight games to start a season for just the 12th time in program history and first time under the direction of Collen. Additionally, in those 11 seasons, it is the first time that two of the three opponents reached the postseason the year prior.

Baylor returns to action on Friday and Sunday, hosting McNeese and Alcorn State, respectively. Both games tip off at 2 p.m. from the Ferrell Center.