Baylor Blows Double-Digit Lead, Hangs On For Overtime Victory Over Feisty Wildcats, 81-76

TUSCON – Baylor women’s basketball (13-3, 3-1) earned its third Big 12 victory of the young season with a thrilling 81-76 overtime win over new conference foe Arizona (11-6, 2-2) on Wednesday night at the McKale Center.

In overtime, star forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (Jr.) came up clutch, scoring eight of Baylor’s final 10 points. Guard Jada Walker (Sr.) iced the victory with a scoop layup from the left side; she finished with a team-high 16 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

The Bears blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter after a flurry of missed layups and free throws down the stretch, which gave Arizona new life. Baylor, however, was bailed out when Walker was fouled with a second remaining on the game clock in regulation after driving recklessly to the basket.

Walker drilled both free throws, allowing Arizona to call a timeout and advance the ball with one final chance to win or send the game to overtime. Near the Wildcats’ bench, guard Mailien Rolf (Fr.) lobbed a pass to a wide-open Isis Beh (Sr.) under the basket, who promptly sank the layup as time expired to send the game to overtime. Bey led Arizona with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

To open the contest, Littlepage-Buggs picked up two quick fouls and rode the bench for the rest of the first half. Despite a sluggish start on offense, guard Sarah Andrews (5Sr.) carried Baylor, scoring six of her 11 total points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the rest of head coach Nicki Collen’s squad started to settle in, with guard Yaya Felder (Sr.) adding seven points off the bench. Baylor scored 25 points in the quarter and took a 39-26 lead going into halftime, following a momentous 17-2 run.

During the hot stretch, mid-season transfer Aliyah Matharu (Sr.) drained a 3-pointer in the corner for her first basket as a Bear. Matharu, who is currently playing with a minutes restriction as she gets into the swing of things, finished with three points, two rebounds and a block in just five minutes of action.

Walker added eight points and three assists out of the halftime break, but Arizona regained the momentum and closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run with five points coming from the free-throw line. The Wildcats trailed 56-49 going into the final quarter.

Littlepage-Buggs reentered the contest in the fourth quarter and immediately made an impact with two offensive rebounds and a put-back layup. She collected a double (15 points, 11 rebounds), despite playing just 22 minutes due to foul trouble.

Arizona stayed hot in the fourth quarter, but Baylor answered with big buckets anytime the Wildcats came within striking distance until the final stretch when UA guard Jada Williams (So.) went on a personal 7-0 run to cut Baylor’s lead to 69-67 with two minutes remaining.

The Bears had opportunities to ice the victory but missed multiple layups down the stretch, and Andrews missed two free throws with 16 seconds left. Baylor was 15-for-31 on layups in the contest.

Next, the Bears (13-3, 3-1) will stay in the Grand Canyon State and take on Arizona State (8-8, 2-2) at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Desert Financial Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.