Bears Stay Hot, Sweep Arizona Swing Trip and Take Down Sun Devils, 78-59

TEMPE, Ariz. – Baylor women’s basketball (14-3, 4-1) concluded its Grand Canyon State swing trip with a 78-59 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-9, 2-3) Saturday afternoon at Desert Financial Arena.

The Bears' 4-1 record to open conference play is the best mark of head coach Nicki Collen’s tenure.

Mid-season transfer guard Aliyah Matharu (Gr.) had her best game in the green and gold, recording a season-high 20 minutes off the bench and scoring 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Guard Sarah Andrews (5Sr.) led the Bears with a team-high 16 points, drilling 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc.

Baylor dominated down low to open the contest, with center Aaronette Vonleh (Sr.) and forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (Jr.) combining for 16 of the team’s 29 first-quarter points. Baylor shot at a 60% clip in the first period and was 12-of-20 from the field.

The Bears scored 44 of their 78 total points in the paint; Vonleh finished with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

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The Bears' 4-1 record to open conference play is the best mark of head coach Nicki Collen’s tenure.

Once Baylor’s lead reached as high as 20 points in the second quarter, the Bears started to be careless with the ball, turning it over four times in two minutes and going scoreless for over four and a half minutes. 

The Sun Devils took advantage, going on an impromptu 12-2 run and cutting Baylor’s lead to 40-33.

“We learned a lot from that Arizona game,” Andrews said post-game. “You saw us have a lead and let them come back. We were in a dog fight, and that transferred to this game. They went on a little run, but we didn’t let them get on a big run like we did last game. We’re learning from our mistakes.”

With just over three minutes remaining in the first half, Littlepage-Buggs was attempting to get positioning for an offensive rebound when Arizona State guard Kennedy Fauntleroy (Jr.) shoved Baylor’s star forward and threw a punch.

Littlepage-Buggs retaliated and shoved back, but both were ejected shortly after, including two other Arizona State players — Jyah Lovett (So.) and Heavenly Greer (Sr.) — who left the bench when the scuffle started.

In just 13 minutes of action, Littlepage-Buggs had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five rebounds and was well on her way to her conference-leading ninth double-double.

“We hate to lose her, but it’s next man up,” Andrews said. “Buggs is somebody that brings energy day in and day out. She’s somebody you want on your team. You want to play with her, not against her. It was the next man up. Yaya [Felder] came in and stepped up. You saw Aliyah [Matharu]. You saw Kyla [Abraham]. You saw so many people come together, step up and be there for Buggs.”

Guard Yaya Felder (Sr.) was inserted into the second-half starting lineup instead of Littlepage-Buggs and added four of her 13 total points in the third quarter.

Early in the third quarter, Baylor regained a comfortable lead, 57-37, when Andrews drilled three 3-pointers in a three-minute span. The Bears took a 20-point lead going into the final period.

The Bears (14-3, 4-1) will return to Waco for a big matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 14, against No. 22 Utah (13-3, 4-1) at Foster Pavilion. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.