No. 15 Baylor Women’s Basketball Returns to Waco, Triumphs over Louisiana Tech 75-46

WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor women’s basketball (6-1) downed Louisiana Tech (3-3) by a score of 75-46, using a strong 24-8 first quarter to cruise to a victory.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Taliah Scott continued her ridiculous season, posting 21 points, five rebounds and four steals. Scott was 6-of-10 from the field, 3-of-5 from deep and 6-of-7 from the stripe.

Freshman guard Marcayla Johnson also had her best game in her short career in the green and gold. While her main role is to provide defensive energy, Johnson was 4-of-4 from 2-point range on her way to an 11-point afternoon. Johnson’s motor was present in her energy stats, as she also added two offensive rebounds and a steal.

Sophomore wing Yuting Deng joined the double-digit scoring party, posting 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting. She knocked down two triples and added three rebounds in the win.

The Bears forced 13 live-ball turnovers, leading to 18 fast-break points. In comparison, Louisiana Tech only scored a single fast-break point. Baylor’s bench was another big reason the Bears won. Bench scoring has been an issue all year, but the Bears’ bench scored 33 points in the effort.

Baylor’s defense gave the Lady Techsters issues from the tip-off, forcing four turnovers and 1-of-5 shooting before the first timeout. Scott converted an and-one layup and mid-range pull-up, and senior forward Kiersten Johnson took a steal coast-to-coast for two points and opened the scoring.

Those contributions led the Bears to an 11-2 lead after the first five minutes. A Bella Fontleroy end-of-shot-clock triple and an additional Scott layup finished a 14-0 Baylor run. Deng added three free throws and a running push shot to help the Bears lead 24-8 after the opening quarter.

While the Bears did have a lower offensive rebound percentage and more turnovers after the first quarter, Baylor shot 9-of-15 from the field and held the Lady Techsters to 4-of-19 shooting, including 0-of-7 shooting from deep. The Bears’ superior talent was very evident in the quarter.

Both teams started to knock down shots from behind the arc in the second quarter. Louisiana Tech finally got on the board from deep with an end-of-shot-clock heave, but Scott continued to show why she is among the best scorers in the nation, coming off a Nelms screen to knock down a top-of-the-key triple. Deng added another triple for the Bears, and Louisiana Tech totaled three 3-pointers in the quarter.

While Baylor forced six turnovers, the Lady Techsters shot 3-of-5 from 3-point range, leading to 13 second-quarter points. The Bears only totaled 12 points in the quarter, and turnover issues continue to harm the Bears, as Baylor doubled their total and entered the half with 10 turnovers.

It was a noticeably quiet first half for senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. She ended the half with 0 points on five shot attempts, as well as five turnovers. The Bears need the former All-Big 12 selection to add scoring for Baylor’s offense to reach its ceiling. She ended the game with four points, 12 rebounds and seven turnovers. Scott ended the half with 12 points, Deng added eight and Marcayla Johnson added five as Baylor ended the first half with a 36-21 lead.

Baylor came out of the locker room hungry, starting the second half with eight early points. Scott added a couple of threes, and Kiersten Johnson scored on a layup on a pass from Deng. Johnson ended the afternoon with six points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Littlepage-Buggs found her way into the scoring column with a short bump fade in transition. Scott drew a foul on a 3-point attempt, and three free throws later, the Auburn transfer found herself with 21 points. Junior forward Kiera Pemberton saw her first action in the third quarter and made the most of her minutes, scoring four points in the paint and hitting a left-wing 3-pointer on a pass from Marcayla Johnson on her way to a nine-point performance on 4-of-4 shooting. Johnson added four third-quarter points herself, including a tough transition finish through contact.

The only blemishes in this quarter for the Bears were a further five turnovers, bringing the total to 15, and six Lady Techsters' offensive rebounds. However, Louisiana Tech was limited to 4-of-15 shooting from the field and failed to make a 3-pointer, while turning the ball over six times. Following the 24-11 quarter from the Bears, Baylor entered the final quarter with a 60-32 lead.

While the Bears did have a rough offensive performance in the fourth quarter, they did enough to close out Louisiana Tech. Baylor was 6-of-17 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Five more turnovers brought the total to 20, and 2-of-6 free-throw shooting hurt the Bears as well.

However, Baylor squeaked out a 15-14 score in the quarter, winning the game by a score of 75-46. Fontleroy led the Bears in the fourth quarter with five points, and nine bench points supported Baylor in the final quarter. The senior forward scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting in the win. It was good to see balanced scoring in a quarter to offset a rough Scott quarter, where she failed to score and totaled three turnovers, as six other Bears found their way into the scoring column.

The 33 bench points cannot be celebrated enough. Marcayla Johnson has passed the eye test all season, as she can get to her spots, but she has struggled to convert on her field goal attempts. While her 3-pointer is still a work-in-progress, as she failed to make a shot from downtown on four attempts, 11 points have to be good for her confidence and are a good indicator of the scoring potential in the freshman’s game. Deng finding her way on the court more is also a welcome sign. The wing is a great 3-point shooter, and her shooting gravity helps open up the offense.

Turnovers are still a major worry. Louisiana Tech forced turnovers on 23.8% of its defensive possessions entering the game, and Baylor posted a 27.4% turnover percentage against the Lady Techsters. Against teams with better ball pressure, that number may spike even higher and lose a game for the Bears. However, this was a comfortable win in a much-needed return to Waco for head coach Nicki Collen’s squad.

The Bears (6-1) stay in Waco to host the Grambling Lady Tigers at 2 p.m. CT, Sunday, Nov. 30, at the Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.