No. 15 Baylor Women’s Basketball Defeats Southern 77-60 with Conference Play Up Next

WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor women’s basketball (11-2) ended its non-conference slate with a bounce-back victory over Southern by a score of 77-60.

Sophomore forward Kayla Nelms scored a career-high 15 points for the Bears on 6-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc. Nelms added five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in her big performance.

Senior wing Bella Fontleroy scored a game-high 21 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting from the field. The veteran also added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the defeat. Seven of her rebounds came on the offensive end.

Baylor used its superior size to score 34 paint points and grab 18 offensive rebounds in the win. A rough night from the free-throw line and 19 turnovers kept the game close for most of the night, but the result was never in doubt. However, there is a lot to clean up for a Baylor team that has its star sidelined.

The absence of Taliah Scott was noticeable from the jump, as Scott recovers from an injury she suffered in the defeat against Texas. Baylor started the game 0-of-3 from the field, turned the ball over twice and failed to score in the initial two minutes despite three offensive rebounds. However, two forced turnovers kept the game knotted at zero through the first two minutes.

Marcayla Johnson broke the ice with an and-one layup and converted the three-point play for the Bears. Littlepage-Buggs added a putback layup to continue the Bears’ scoring. However, Southern fought back, drawing and converting on four free throws in addition to a layup to take a 6-5 lead. Fontleroy responded with a corner triple to put the Bears up 8-6 entering the first media timeout.

Southern took control of the game following the break, scoring six straight points with multiple contested shots in the paint falling for the Jaguars. However, Baylor immediately responded, scoring seven consecutive points on back-to-back-to-back possessions. Johnson converted on a layup, and Yuting Deng knocked down an above-the-break 3-pointer and finished a transition layup to put Baylor up 16-12. Deng ended the game with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Baylor ended the first quarter with a 17-14 lead, despite turnovers remaining a glaring issue for head coach Nicki Collen and company, as the Bears turned the ball over seven times in the opening period. Johnson and Deng led the Bears with five points each, and Jana Van Gytenbeek contributed four assists. Van Gytenbeek ended the game with 10 assists.

Nelms got on the board to start the Bears’ second quarter, and Fontleroy attacked a closeout for a pull-up mid-range jumper to push the lead to seven. However, the Jaguars' success at the free-throw line continued to keep them in the game, as they added three consecutive points at the charity stripe. Southern and Baylor traded fadeaway jumpers before the media timeout, with Littlepage-Buggs adding two points for the Bears. After the turnover-prone first quarter, Baylor entered the second quarter break with only one additional turnover and held Southern to 1-of-7 shooting. Baylor was unable to take advantage of the stalled Southern offense, however, as it only scored six points before the commercial break.

Van Gytenbeek got into the scoring column with a smooth left-hand driving layup. Nelms added a triple and a layup. Southern continued to fight back, finding ways to score through traffic inside. Fontleroy responded again, finishing a tough layup, which happened to be the final field goal of the half.

Baylor ended the half with a 10-point margin, but the first half performance left a lot to be desired. 11 turnovers and 6-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line limited a strong half from the paint. The Jaguars shot 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in comparison, staying within striking distance despite 8-of-30 shooting from the field and nine turnovers.

Nelms had a strong second quarter for the Bears, scoring seven points on 3-of-3 shooting. Fontleroy added five, leading Baylor in the first half with nine points. The Bears notably had nine first-half offensive rebounds, but only amassed three second-chance points.

Fontleroy kept her strong night going in the second half, knocking down a 3-pointer in the early halfcourt. Littlepage-Buggs finished in transition on a pass from Van Gytenbeek, moving the Baylor lead to 40-27. Southern responded with their first 3-point make of the night, and then converted on a tough layup to cut the lead to eight. Fontleroy’s reputation as the team’s responder continued on the following possession, knocking down a mid-range jumper to keep Southern at arm’s length.

Southern’s pesky and tough brand of basketball pushed the Jaguars back within two possessions, cutting the lead to 42-36 and holding Baylor scoreless for 3:34. However, the Bears took control after the Southern mini-run. Nelms converted on an and-one, and Littlepage-Buggs put back a Kiersten Johnson miss on the following possession. Johnson had a quiet night, failing to score and only playing 10 minutes. A Nelms' 3-pointer added to her career-night, and a Fontleroy corner triple capped off an 11-0 Baylor killshot. Van Gytenbeek added a 3-pointer, and Fontleroy converted a layup off a deep pass on an inbound to cap the scoring in the third quarter, with the Bears leading 58-41.

Fontleroy shot 4-of-4 from the field in the quarter, totaling 10 points, three rebounds and two assists. Nelms added six points in the Bears’ highest-scoring quarter on the day. Baylor shot 9-of-17 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while limiting their turnovers to just two, en route to 23 third-quarter points.

Nelms' big night showed no signs of stopping, as she started the fourth quarter with a putback layup. Deng added a triple and Littlepage-Buggs added another second-chance basket, before the Bears entered a 3:24 scoring drought.

Southern never lost confidence, using the Baylor cold spell to go on a 7-0 run, before a Littlepage-Buggs second-chance layup pushed the lead back to 14. Following Southern cutting the lead back to 12, Marcayla Johnson finished a layup on a good pass from Nelms, putting the game away for good. Baylor finished the game with a 17-point lead, beating the Jaguars 77-60.

While Baylor did have a fine night shooting the ball from the field, shooting 28-of-60, the lack of Scott was noticeable. The guard’s gravity adds so much to the offense. However, the Bears operated well from the field after the first quarter, so there is reason for some optimism. The absence of Scott ideally allows other players to feel more comfortable in scoring roles for the rest of the season.

Furthermore, Baylor should have scored well over 80 points on the night, but a plethora of lazy passes and 13-of-24 shooting from the free-throw line kept the Bears at 77. The turnover issue is part of Baylor’s identity at this point, but the free-throw line has been a strength for the Bears; granted, Scott is a huge part of that success. While the win was sloppy, the Bears need to turn the page on tonight and move forward as conference play is on the horizon.

The Bears’ (10-2) next game is against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 3 p.m. CT, Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.