No. 7 Bears Rally From Late Deficit to Beat UNLV on the Road, 62-54

LAS VEGAS – No. 7 Baylor women’s basketball (3-0) escaped with a narrow 62-54 win over UNLV (2-1) on Friday evening at the Cox Pavilion.

The Bears rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter and were led down the stretch by standout guard Taliah Scott, who finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting.

Baylor’s defense clamped down when it mattered most, holding the Rebels to five total points in the fourth quarter. UNLV turned the ball over 14 times and shot 32% from the floor (21-65) in the contest.

Both teams had almost identical stat lines, but the Bears narrowly won the battle on the glass, 41-to-38, and recorded a season-high 11 blocks. Center Kiersten Johnson swatted five shots, while chipping in nine points. Backup center Kyla Abraham had three blocks and four points.

Auburn transfer guard Yuting Deng had her best game of the season, totaling eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, with four of those points coming down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

Forwards Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (9 points, 4-of-9 shooting) and Bella Fontleroy (5 points, 1-of-8 shooting) both seemed off in Friday’s win, but combined for 19 rebounds and played great defense in the second half.

The Bears (3-0) return to Waco and will face Le Moyne (1-1) at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16, at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.