Offensive Issues Doom No. 7 Baylor Women in 57-52 Loss to No. 19 Iowa
ORLANDO, Florida – No. 7 Baylor women’s basketball (4-1) lost to No. 19 Iowa (5-0) in a sloppy game by a score of 57-52 on Thursday evening in the opening match of the WBCA State Farm Showcase.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Taliah Scott’s scoring ability was on full display, as she amassed 32 points on a 57% true-shooting percentage. Scott added three rebounds and one steal in the defeat.
Senior forward Bella Fontleroy added four points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals. However, Fontleroy was 1-of-10 from the field.
The Bears simply did not give Scott any help throughout the game. Nobody on the team other than Scott scored more than six points. While Scott knocked down 10-of-25 shots from the field, the rest of the team only made seven shots on 34 attempts.
Iowa started on a quick 7-0 run. Baylor’s offense struggled to create open shots, as only Scott was able to create separation off the dribble. The Bears converted 4-of-12 field goal attempts and turned the ball over six times. Redshirt-junior Kyla Abraham contributed to three of those turnovers. The forward ended the game with five turnovers.
Furthermore, Baylor recorded only one offensive rebound and two free throws, leaving the Bears with only nine points at the end of the first quarter. However, the Bears’ interior defense kept them in the game. Three blocks by Fontleroy, two blocks by Abraham, and a block each for senior forwards Kiersten Johnson and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs led to the Hawkeyes' only scoring on 4-of-16 shots from inside the arc. The first quarter ended with Iowa leading 11-9.
Scott took control of the game in the second quarter. The guard is truly one of the most gifted scorers in the country, and that was on full display in her 11-point quarter in which she knocked down three triples. Scott had four of the team’s seven field goals.
Sophomore forward Kayla Nelms added four points on 2-of-2 shooting and two rebounds in a very productive five minutes. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Yuting Deng further helped Baylor pull ahead. The Bears minimized their miscues, recording only two turnovers in the second quarter. The Bears’ interior defense continued to affect Iowa, as the Hawkeyes were only 2-of-9 from inside the arc. A 19-14 quarter put Baylor up 28-25 at the break.
The third quarter was a rough one for Baylor. The Bears were 3-of-17 from the field, and missed 13 consecutive shots from the field over an 8:22 span. Scott cooled off, only converting 1-of-6 shot attempts in the quarter. Scott started to take a beating as well, getting slapped across the face and falling awkwardly on different drives. Five points from sixth-year guard Jana Van Gytenbeek kept the Bears in striking distance, but Iowa finally found success in the paint. The Bears’ offensive struggles when Scott is unable to score were further highlighted. Shot creation was poor, and when the Bears found room, the shots would not fall. The Hawkeyes went into the final period leading 41-39.
Despite a cold third quarter, Scott was not going to let the team go down without a fight. She scored 12 of the Bears’ 13 points in the fourth quarter, and scored nine points in back-to-back possessions, giving the Bears a 51-48 lead. However, the trend of Scott receiving little help continued to plague the Bears. Littlepage-Buggs missed a couple of wide-open mid-range jumpers down 52-51, and the Bears’ offense stagnated, failing to score for 5:41 after Scott’s final points. An 8-0 Iowa run put the Hawkeyes up 56-51, capitalized by a lazy inbound pass from Littlepage-Buggs that was stolen for an easy layup for Iowa guard Emely Rodriguez. The run put Iowa up for good, as they used it to end the game with a score of 57-52.
While this is a quality loss, and the Bears’ defense is proven to be strong, the offensive struggles are extremely worrying. The Bears had 11 blocks in the game, and with that amount, Baylor should win most games. However, Baylor was 4-of-12 on layups and 2-of-16 from 3-point range, other than Scott. Van Gytenbeek is too hesitant as a shooter and needs to be more confident to open up the offense. Littlepage-Buggs failed to score in the game, missing all five of her attempts. Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs have to provide scoring for the Bears to win big games. The two seniors were supposed to be All-Big 12 caliber players this season, and neither has shown up in the Bears’ resume-builder games. 0.776 points per possession is utterly tragic, and that number cannot become the norm against quality opponents.
The Bears (4-1) will play their second game of the WBCA State Farm Showcase against Davidson at 4:30 p.m. CT, Saturday, Nov. 22, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
