No. 7 Baylor Women’s Basketball Beats Davidson 74-72 at the Buzzer in Overtime

ORLANDO, Florida – No. 7 Baylor women’s basketball (5-1) defeated Davidson (4-3) by a score of 74-72 in overtime, gutting out a victory in which the Bears’ three leading scorers on the season all fouled out.

Senior forward Kiersten Johnson had a huge night, with 10 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Four of her rebounds came on the offensive glass, and the Oklahoma transfer was 3-of-5 from the field.

Sophomore wing Yuting Deng added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-2 shooting from deep. Deng also contributed two stocks. 

While the Bears played a sloppy game, as evidenced by a 19-11 offensive rebound deficit and a 22-15 turnover margin in favor of Davidson, Baylor’s length and superior shot-making led to a tightly contested triumph in Orlando.

Forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs started the game hot, scoring as a roller and using a fake dribble-handoff to get downhill as well. She ended the first quarter with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, with the only miss being an end-of-quarter 3-point attempt. Littlepage-Buggs finished the game with 12 points and five rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting.

The Bears overpowered the Wildcats inside, ending the first quarter with 10 points in the paint. While the Bears were 5-of-9 from the field, much better than the Wildcats' 5-of-18, Davidson amassed seven offensive rebounds and turned Baylor over five times, putting the Wildcats up 14-13 after the first quarter. In comparison, the Bears had a single offensive rebound. Offensive issues were further highlighted at the free-throw line. Freshman guard Marcayla Johnson was 0-of-4 at the line, and the team shot 3-of-8 in the quarter. Kiersten Johnson was a big reason the deficit was only one point, as she totaled three blocked shots in the quarter.

While Davidson added five offensive rebounds in the second quarter, Baylor was better on the glass, adding four of their own. However, turnover issues plagued the Bears. Redshirt-sophomore guard Taliah Scott had four second-quarter turnovers, and Baylor had seven as a team.

The Wildcats were less efficient from the field again, but the turnovers led to a 20-18 quarter in favor of Davidson. While Scott was sloppy with the ball, she did contribute eight points, including the Bears’ first 3-pointer with 2:57 remaining in the half. Sophomore forward Kayla Nelms added four points and two rebounds, and Deng added a nifty turnaround jumper and a block. Eleven combined Davidson points from offensive rebounds and Baylor turnovers put the Wildcats up 34-31 entering halftime.

The first half was brutally close, with neither team jumping out to a lead greater than four. The Bears were efficient getting downhill in the half, scoring on 8-of-12 layup attempts, much better than the Wildcats’ 7-of-20 mark. Davidson’s “bootyball” offense, a term made popular by Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood, gave Baylor some issues and was a contribution to senior forward Bella Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs’ foul trouble.

Baylor’s defense took it to another level in the third quarter. After allowing two early layups, the Bears did not allow another field goal for the remaining 8:49 of the quarter. Davidson ended the quarter with two makes on 13 attempts. Baylor only allowed two offensive rebounds and turned the Wildcats over five times, while also contesting the Wildcats from deep, as Davidson shot 0-of-8 from beyond the arc in the quarter. Deng led the Bears in scoring in the third quarter with five points, and hit a step-back 3-pointer to give Baylor its largest lead of the game, 47-40. Despite Scott, Fontleroy, and Littlepage-Buggs combining for only two points in the quarter, the Bears totaled 16 points, with Deng, Van Gytenbeek, Johnson, and Nelms all contributing in the scoring department. Baylor entered the final quarter with a 47-42 lead and momentum.

The momentum was quickly snatched away, as Davidson started the fourth quarter on an energetic 6-0 run, taking the lead for the first time since the early third quarter. This quick run prompted a timeout from head coach Nicki Collen. A mid-range fadeaway jumper from Littlepage-Buggs put the Bears back in front 49-48, and a Van Gytenbeek layup after a rejected ballscreen put the Bears in front again, 51-50. The sixth-year point guard added a steal on the following possession, and a Fontleroy drop-step layup on the other end added to the lead.

However, the Wildcats continued to keep the game close, and after a Baylor shot clock violation, Davidson found themselves down 61-58 with 25.2 seconds remaining. Davidson guard/forward Charlise Dunn cut the lead down to one with a contested layup over Marcayla Johnson. After Fontleroy calmly knocked down two free throws, a kickout following an offensive rebound led to a Dunn 3-pointer, tying the game at 63 and sending the game to overtime. Kiersten Johnson, Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs all contributed four points in the quarter, and Johnson added a key block. Littlepage-Buggs fouled out in the quarter and honestly did receive a tough whistle throughout the game. Davidson found their most success inside in the fourth quarter, putting up 14 points in the paint. The Wildcats were 9-of-16 from the field in the quarter.

After a scoreless 1:35 from both teams, a Scott scoop layup through a foul broke the ice in overtime. After Scott converted the three-point play, the Bears took the lead 66-63. A Deng 3-pointer 98 seconds later pushed the Baylor lead to four, 69-65. However, the Wildcats remained determined, cutting the lead to one again, 70-69. After two free throws from Scott, Scott fouled Dunn on a 3-point attempt, fouling out and allowing Davidson to tie the game at 72 with 12 seconds remaining. With Fontleroy, Littlepage-Buggs and Scott all fouled out, Collen went to a Deng isolation on the Bears’ final possession, and the Auburn transfer kissed a driving layup off the glass for a 74-72 victory.

There are multiple positives and negatives to highlight in the win. Scott found a way to add 22 points despite only shooting 5-of-19 from the field, but her nine turnovers were a lot more concerning. Scott will have rough games shooting the ball, and her ability to get to the line is a big plus, but she has to take better care of the ball. Fontleroy had her second consecutive game with four points, and she has shot 2-of-15 in Orlando. The senior does impact the game in other ways, but she cannot continue to struggle to score against solid competition. Lastly, Davidson has struggled to get on the offensive glass this year, but had a 38.0 offensive rebounding percentage today. Credit to the Bears for gutting out this win despite foul trouble and a 33-point game from Davidson’s best player, Dunn, but multiple things must be cleaned up.

The Bears (5-1) will return to Waco to play Louisiana Tech at 2 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.