Gameday Thread: No. 25 Baylor Ready For Ranked Revivalry Showdown against No. 9 TCU

FORT WORTH – No. 25 Baylor women’s basketball (16-4, 6-1) will resume conference play for a showdown against the rival No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (19-2, 7-1). Tipoff from Schollmaier Arena is slated for Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.

• Massey Prediction: Baylor 70, TCU 67
• Baylor Massey Rating: No. 17
• TCU Massey Rating: No. 15

Coaches

Baylor (Nicki Collen): 86-32 Record; 3 NCAA Tournaments; Sweet 16

TCU (Mark Campbell): 79-37 Record; NCAA Tournaments

Baylor Starters

• Guard Jada Walker (5’7, Sr.): 11.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.8 APG, 44% FG, 41% 3-PT, 76% FT
• Guard Sarah Andrews (5’6, 5Sr.): 11.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.2 APG, 36% FG, 35% 3-PT, 58% FT
• Forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (6’1, Jr.): 14.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2 APG, 52% FG, 71% FT
• Forward Bella Fontleroy (6’0, Jr.): 8.8 PPG, 6 RPG, 36% FG, 28% 3-PT, 61% FT
• Center Aaronette Vonleh (6’3, Sr.): 13.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 60% FG, 63% FT

Baylor Bench

• Guard Yaya Felder (5’8, Sr.): 11 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 48% FG, 41% 3-PT, 73% FT
• Guard Aliyah Matharu (5’7, Sr.): 5.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 39% FG, 33% 3-PT, 55% FT
• Forward Kyla Abraham (6’3, Jr.): 2.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 44% FG, 40% FT
• Forward Kayla Nelms (6’1, Fr.): 2.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 45% FG, 23% 3-PT

TCU Starters

• Guard Hailey Van Lith (5’9, Sr.): 18.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.9 APG, 45% FG, 31% 3-PT, 83% FT
• Guard Madison Conner (5’11, Sr.): 15.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 43% FG, 47% 3-PT, 85% FT
• Guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu (5’11, Sr.): 5.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 37% FG, 38% 3-PT, 60% FT
• Guard Taylor Bigby (6’1, Jr.): 7.6 PPG, 3 RPG, 44% FG, 35% 3-PT, 44% FT
• Center Sedona Prince (6’7, Sr.): 19.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.5 BPG, 61% FG, 72% FT

TCU Bench

• Guard Donovyn Hunter (6’0, So.): 5.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 46% FG, 32% 3-PT, 72% FT
• Forward Aaliyah Roberson (6’2, Jr.): 5.3 PPG, 3 RPG, 54% FG, 46% 3-PT, 78% FT

TCU Notable Opponents

• No. 3 Notre Dame (76-68 Win)
• No. 3 South Carolina (85-52 Loss)
• Colorado (63-50 Win)
• Kansas (80-73 Win)
• No. 23 Utah (81-73 Win)
• Oklahoma State (60-59 Loss)

Other Notes

Forward Madison Bartley (Sr.) announced on Friday that she has medically retired from basketball. Bartley struggled with back injuries and played in 20 games last season. Those same back injuries played a role leading up to and throughout this season.

Top Quotes

Head coach Nicki Collen on playing back-to-back ranked opponents (No. 1 UCLA, No. 9 TCU):

• “It’s about scouting report prep and understanding your strengths. The teams that win in March know who they are and do what they do better than the team they are playing. When you’re matching up against really, really good teams, you have to do a better job of executing than they do on both sides of the ball. … I think it comes down to being prepared and making the right plays and the plays that work for you.”

Head coach Nicki Collen on what Baylor learned from playing No. 1 UCLA:

• “When we were trying to do too much in the first half, it was all coming from a good place of trying to play fast and get to the rim before Lauren [Betts] got down the floor, but we were taking our last dribble at the 3-point line and launching our bodies and the ball at the basket. We had no chance to make those shots. In the second half, we did a really good job, but we had kids miss shots that they normally make. I thought our execution was considerably better, but we can’t wait until the second half to know what will need to work.”

Head coach Nicki Collen on losing forward Madison Bartley (Sr.) for the season:

• “We’re always going to prioritize someone’s health long-term rather than short-term. … Ultimately, it’s about Madison being able to be a teacher and a mom and move and function and not tweak her back to where she’s not able to walk for days. It was the best decision for her and her long-term health. We’ve dealt with Madison’s injuries in the past. I was so afraid of this moment that I hesitated to play her more in November for fear of this. This is just how the world works. Right when I said I needed to play her, she’s making us better — this happened. … I’m disappointed for her. She certainly had an amazing career at Belmont and never got her feet wet here because of dealing with injuries. Madison is an elite human and an elite representative of Baylor. She’s a servant leader and cares about young people. Her faith is super strong.”

Guard Yaya Felder (Sr.) on Kayla Nelms (Fr.) getting significant minutes in recent games:

• “Her confidence is definitely up there. At first, she wasn’t really talking. Now, she’s really getting the hang of it and I can see her confidence keep building every single game. I’m proud of her.”

Forward Kayla Nelms (Fr.) on stepping up in the absence of Madison Bartley (Sr.), who announced on Friday that she’s medically retiring from basketball:

• “You need to stay ready at all times. No matter if she was playing or not, you have to stay ready for when your name is called to go on the court.”