Gameday Thread: No. 13 Baylor vs. No. 12 Texas

WACO, Texas – The No. 13 Baylor women’s basketball team will face No. 12 Texas for the final time in the regular season as a Big 12 opponent on Thursday.

Tip-off from Foster Pavilion is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe on the call. A live radio broadcast will be available on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM) and live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter and live stats. 

STARTING FIVE

A win over the Longhorns on Thursday would move Baylor to 5-1 against ranked opponents this season and it would be the Bears’ second ranked win over Texas this year. Other top-25 wins include Utah, Miami and TCU.

Graduate senior Aijha Blackwell is the only player on the roster with more than 800 career rebounds and needs just 15 boards to reach 1,000. She’s finished in double figures on the boards in three-straight contest and five of the last six.

Senior Sarah Andrews has 211 career 3-pointers and needs 50 more to break Odyssey Sim’s record of 258. The senior guard has hit at least one from range in 17 of 19 games this year.

The Bears had a different leading scorer in their first six games to start the year. In Big 12 play, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Bella Fontleroy and Dre’Una Edwards have each led Baylor in scoring twice.

Thursday’s nationally televised game on ESPN marks the sixth of the season for the Bears and third-straight contest aired on the big screen. Baylor is 4-1 in nationally televised games this season and 11-7 in the Nicki Collen era.

SCOUTING THE SERIES WITH THE LONGHORNS

Texas leads the all-time series against Baylor, 60-50, and the Bears are 24-25 at home against the Longhorns. Prior to the 2021-22 postseason, the Bears had won 13-straight meetings, including twice in the regular-season. Last year’s series split with Texas marked the first time Baylor lost a regular season game to the Longhorns since the 2009-10 campaign when the Bears lost both contests.

In the unbalanced Big 12 schedule this year, the Bears have the opportunity for their first series sweep of the season on Thursday. The Bears have won four of the last five meetings in Waco.

LAST TIME VS. TEXAS

Baylor’s 85-79 conference-opening win at Texas on Dec. 30 marked the 14th-straight win in Austin for the Bears. The win marked the Bears’ second top-five win of the year after a non-con victory over then-No. 4 Utah. The last time Baylor picked up two top-five wins in the regular season was during the 2012-13 campaign, beating No. 3 UConn and No. 5 Notre Dame on the road.

Baylor forced Texas to commit 23 turnovers - the most in a game by the Longhorns this season and the most in a Big 12 game since turning the ball over 24 times at Oklahoma on Jan. 29, 2022. Baylor’s nine 3-pointers were the most given up by the Longhorns this year. Senior Sarah Andrews went a team-best 4-for-8 from deep and moved into second all-time at Baylor in made 3-pointers. Five Bears finished in double figures led by Jada Walker’s season-high 19-point outburst. The newcomer added four steals while Dre’Una Edwards finished with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds and six assists.