Short-Handed Bears Take Down First Ranked Opponent Of Season, Beat No. 23 Utah, 70-61

WACO, Texas – Baylor women’s basketball (15-3, 5-1) earned its first ranked win of the season with a hard-fought 70-61 victory over the No. 23 Utah Utes (13-4, 4-2) on Tuesday night at Foster Pavilion.

Ahead 60-59 with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, center Aaronette Vonleh (Sr.) took over down the stretch with two huge buckets that ultimately propelled the Bears to the win. Despite dealing with foul trouble for much of the night, Vonleh scored a team-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting in just 21 minutes.

Guard Jada Walker (Sr.) inked her third double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and a career-high 12 assists while only turning the ball over once. Walker has dished out 24 assists over her last three games.

Baylor outscored Utah in the paint, 44-to-28, and took advantage of Utah’s season-high 21 turnovers by scoring 25 points off the Utes miscues.

“We dug deep and fought; I was really, really proud of them,” head coach Nicki Collen said afterward.

In Tuesday’s victory, Baylor was short-handed and without its top scorer and rebounder, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (Jr.). The Bears star forward and Big 12 leader in double-doubles was suspended for one game after being ejected for an incident with Arizona State guard Kennedy Fauntleroy (Jr.) on Saturday.

Littlepage-Buggs didn’t initiate the fight with Fauntleroy; however, there is no Big 12 appeals process in this scenario, and because the officials deemed it a fight, Littlepage-Buggs had to miss the Utah game.

Without Littlepage-Buggs in the lineup, forward Bella Fontleroy (Jr.) slid down to play the four and had her best game of the year, scoring a season-high 17 points and securing a team-high 10 rebounds while adding a career-high five steals and two blocks to her stat-line.

“I came out with the same energy that I always have but a stronger emphasis on rebounding because that’s what [Littlepage-Buggs is best at],” Fontleroy said post-game. “I know it’s really important to step up in ways that my team needs me.”

Guard Yaya Felder (Sr.) started in place of Littlepage-Buggs and made an impact with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and made the game-sealing layup with under a minute to go in the contest.

In the first half, the Utes turned the ball over 15 times, and the Bears took advantage, scoring 17 points off turnovers. Utah, typically a great shooting team, also struggled from beyond the arc, drilling just 3-of-12 attempts in the first two periods.

Baylor was also without forward Madison Bartley (Sr.), who missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Without Bartley, Kyla Abraham (Jr.) got extended minutes and scored four points. 

“Buggs is the clean-up machine at both ends,” Collen said. “We only had four offensive rebounds. Buggs usually gets four herself. From that perspective, the way we had to collectively get it done is how we had to get it done. I thought we got huge contributions from everybody.”

The Bears took a 35-26 lead into the halftime locker room.

Meanwhile, Vonleh struggled with foul trouble throughout Tuesday’s game, and Kayla Nelms (Fr.) got her first taste of significant minutes in conference play; she scored two points and collected two rebounds and a block.

“We pride ourselves on how everyone on this team can contribute, no matter how large or small your role is,” Fontleroy said post-game. “When something happens, we’re always ready to step up and be there for one another.”

Utah settled down in the third quarter and turned the ball over once. Guard Matyson Wilke (Jr.) led the Utes, scoring nine of her team-high 17 points in the quarter.

When Utah regained the momentum and took a 48-47 lead, Walker came up big for the Bears and scored Baylor’s final six points of the third period.

On Friday, the Bears (15-3, 5-1) will return to the court to face the Houston Cougars (5-12, 1-5). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.