No. 25 Bears Can't Overcome Offensive Struggles against No. 1 UCLA, Lose 72-57
NEWARK, N.J. – No. 25 Baylor women’s basketball (16-4; 6-1 Big 12) fell 72-57 to the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (18-0; 6-0 Big Ten) in the Coretta Scott King Classic on Monday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In the loss, the Bears scored a season-low in points (57) and shot 28% (19-69) from the field, 27% (6-22) from beyond the arc and 30% (9-30) on layups.
Guard Yaya Felder (Sr.) was the lone Bear to score in double figures with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (Jr.) had just eight points and 10 rebounds.
To open the contest, Baylor struggled early with UCLA’s length and shot 4-for-21 from the field in the first quarter. The Bruins led 19-9 at the end of the first period and started 7-of-9 from the field.
Center Aaronette Vonleh (Sr.) picked up two personal fouls minutes into the contest and sat out for the rest of the first half. Vonleh has struggled to stay out of foul trouble for much of the season, and her absence impacted Baylor’s offense in finding a rhythm in the first half.
UCLA’s star center Lauren Betts (Jr.) took advantage of the Bears’ lack of size down low, scoring nine of her team-high 24 points while Vonleh was on the bench. Betts finished with nine rebounds and a program-record nine blocks.
In the second quarter, Baylor stayed afloat after benefiting from seven UCLA turnovers. The Bears scored 19 points off turnovers across the first two periods and trailed 37-29 going into the halftime locker room.
Outside of points off turnovers, Baylor played arguably their worst half of basketball this season on the offensive end. The Bears shot 25% (10-40) from the field, 27% (4-15) from beyond the arc, 56% (5-9) from the free throw line and 31% (5-16) on layups.
Baylor’s offensive struggles continued into the second half; the Bears were 3-for-12 from the floor in the third quarter and turned the ball over five times.
UCLA put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, out-scoring Baylor 20-to-17. Vonleh fouled out early in the fourth quarter; she played just 10 minutes of action and scored two points.
Guards Jada Walker (Sr.) and Sarah Andrews (Sr.) combined for 13 points on 5-of-23 shooting. The duo had six turnovers and just three assists.
The No. 25 Bears (16-4, 6-1) will get some much-needed rest before facing the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (19-1, 7-0) at Schollmaier Arena next Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2