No. 15 Baylor Women’s Basketball Falls to Texas Tech 61-60 in Heartbreaking Loss

WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor women’s basketball (11-3) let up a 4-0 run in the final 39 seconds, all four points coming from the free-throw line, as the Bears lost to Texas Tech (14-0) by a score of 61-60.

Sophomore wing Yuting Deng exploded for 22 points and three rebounds in only 24 minutes. She shot 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.

Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the loss. She also added two assists, but turned the ball over five times.

Sixth-year guard Jana Van Gytenbeek added 11 points, seven assists and three steals. She shot 3-of-9 from the field.

While both teams were alike on the glass, the turnover department was the difference, and the visiting Red Raiders did just enough to eclipse the Bears and pull off the upset.

Littlepage-Buggs broke the ice with an offensive rebound and layup after the opening two minutes yielded no points. After two baskets from the Red Raiders, Littlepage-Buggs scored on a driving layup after slipping to knot the game at four. 

However, the Texas Tech defense challenged the Baylor offense, limiting them to just three makes on their first 11 shots. On the other end, Texas Tech converted on its first five shots from inside the arc. The Red Raiders failed to convert on their opening five shots from deep, keeping the game at 10-4.

Kyla Abraham knocked down a mid-range jumper to open the scoring after the media timeout, but four consecutive Red Raider points opened the lead back to six. An offensive rebound from Littlepage-Buggs led to a Van Gytenbeek top-of-the-key triple, the sole 3-pointer made by either team in the opening quarter. Another interior basket by Texas Tech closed the first quarter with the visiting team leading 16-11.

The Red Raiders’ success inside was surprising in the first quarter, as they failed to miss any interior 2-point attempt in the initial 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the Baylor offense was forced into four turnovers, a plague that seems to linger with the team game after game. The Bears were also limited to 5-of-17 shooting in the quarter. Littlepage-Buggs led the way with four points and four rebounds.

After another slow start to the quarter from both teams, Texas Tech forward Jalynn Bristow knocked down a top-of-the-key 3-pointer to move the lead to eight before Marcayla Johnson responded with a finish through a foul.

Baylor’s offense looked lost with star guard Taliah Scott remaining sidelined. Through the first four minutes of the second quarter, the Bears only scored two points while giving the ball away three times. 

Deng stepped up for the Bears, putting up four points in the following 90 seconds. Deng finished through contact in transition following a Red Raider turnover, and banked in a pull-up jumper after attacking a closeout to go into the media timeout down 21-17. Deng can emerge as a consistent second shot creator for the Bears; she has the chance to gain confidence while Scott recovers from her injury. Two Kiersten Johnson free throws closed the gap to two immediately after the break.

Deng continued to shoulder the load offensively, with three made free throws across two possessions putting Baylor ahead 22-21 and capping a 9-0 run. A Marcayla Johnson short spin jumper pushed the run to 11 before Texas Tech responded with a basket in the paint. Van Gytenbeek converted on her second 3-pointer of the game, pushing the lead to 27-23. 

The Baylor defense suffocated the Red Raiders in the second quarter, holding Texas Tech to 3-of-10 shooting and turning the visitors over eight times.

Baylor entered the half with a two-point lead, using a strong 16-9 second quarter to go into the break up 27-25. While the Bears only shot 10-of-31 from the field, in comparison to the Red Raiders shooting 11-of-27 from the field, they doubled Texas Tech’s offensive rebounds, 8-4. The difference led to a 7-2 Baylor lead in second-chance points. Furthermore, Baylor’s ability to get to the line more frequently than Texas Tech led to five more attempts and three more points from the stripe. Both teams struggled with ball security, with Baylor amassing 10 first-half turnovers and Texas Tech accumulating nine.

Deng led the way for the Bears in the first half, scoring nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field. Van Gytenbeek played in all 20 minutes, adding six points and three assists, but did struggle with ball security, giving the ball away three times. Johnson’s hustle was also on full display, snagging six rebounds, including two on the offensive end, in addition to four points.

After Texas Tech took the lead with a 3-pointer, Littlepage-Buggs had a flash of her dominant 2024-25 self, finishing two attempts in the paint. Van Gytenbeek added two free throws after getting fouled following a steal to push the lead to five, with the score being 33-28

The Red Raiders fought back, using numerous Baylor turnovers to knot the game at 34. Baylor has consistently hurt itself with turnovers at inopportune times all season, and with the chance to open the game, the turnover disease found the Bears again.

Littlepage-Buggs continued her strong quarter after a timeout by pulling down an offensive rebound and drawing a shooting foul. Two free throws later, the Bears regained their lead. After a Tech response and media timeout, she added to her day with a short baseline fadeaway, snapping a 5:01 span without a Baylor field goal. Abraham added a second-chance basket on the next trip down the court, and Deng knocked down a step-back 3-pointer off a ball screen to give Baylor a five-point lead, with the score being 43-38. A Texas Tech free throw finished the third-quarter scoring, with the game entering its final quarter with a score of 43-39.

It was a pretty similar quarter for both teams. Turnover issues continued to affect both offenses, with Baylor turning the ball over seven times and Texas Tech turning the ball over eight times. Furthermore, both teams grabbed three offensive rebounds and made five free throws. One additional basket from the home team led to a 16-14 quarter in favor of the Bears. 

Littlepage-Buggs was the headliner of the quarter, scoring nine points, four off offensive rebounds. Four turnovers blemished what was otherwise one of her better quarters of the season. Deng continued her strong afternoon with five more herself.

Johnson gave the Bears their largest lead of the night by opening the final quarter with a 2-pointer. However, the Red Raiders converted on two free throws and then took advantage of an Abraham-smoked layup, running before the Bears’ defense could get set, which led to a Snudda Collins open corner 3-pointer, cutting the lead to one. Deng responded immediately, knocking down a corner triple while being fouled. The sophomore stepped to the line and converted the four-point play.

The Bears and Red Raiders traded baskets on the following two possessions. Collins knocked down a mid-range, and Van Gytenbeek finished a left-hand scoop layup. After another Texas Tech basket, Van Gytenbeek got downhill and drew a foul, but only managed to split the pair of free throws. Collins continued her hot night, hustling for a second-chance basket.

The Red Raiders continued to scrap, and they benefited from their effort. Bella Fontleroy was a step late on a Bailey Maupin wing 3-pointer, and it resulted in a 53-52 Red Raider lead. The Bears’ senior had a rough game, failing to score a point. A Texas Tech layup off a baseline-out-of-bounds (BLOB) play extended the lead to three.

While there are many ways one could critique the Bears’ performance, fight would not be one of them. The Red Raiders tried to cheat on a ball screen, and none other than Deng made them pay, nailing another 3-pointer to tie the game.

With 2:20 left and Texas Tech up two points, head coach Nicki Collen turned to a familiar face, bringing Scott into the game. While she did look fully healthy, her impact was immediately felt. The star guard got into the paint and dropped it off for Abraham for an easy finish and a tie game.

Scott’s impact and gravity cannot be expressed enough. After a stop, Scott received the ball, drove downhill, attracted a multitude of Red Raiders and found a wide-open Deng in the opposite corner. Deng kept up her hot day, nailing the 3-pointer to put the Bears up three. 

Texas Tech went to the hot hand of Collins, who drove downhill on Abraham, drawing a foul and converting on both free throws. Collen went to Scott, who shook her defender but missed everything on a tough pull-up mid-range jumper. Scott fell and came up hobbled, limping to the sideline with the injured ankle appearing to be reaggravated. She played two minutes in the conference opener.

With 11 seconds remaining, the Red Raiders’ go-to scorer, Maupin, got downhill and drew a foul on Fontleroy. She converted on two free throws, putting Texas Tech up 61-60 with 3.4 seconds remaining. Deng received the final shot and was able to get a solid look at the rim, but failed to convert the look.

Texas Tech out-scrapped the Bears in the final quarter, totaling three more offensive rebounds and winning the turnover margin by three on their way to a 22-17 fourth-quarter advantage. Despite failing to score a field goal for the final 2:22, they found a way to add four late points.

Baylor’s turnover issues continued to prevent the Bears from emerging as a Big 12 favorite. While some of this loss is due to the lack of a healthy Scott, Baylor should have won this game. However, Fontleroy cannot shoot 0-of-8 from the field while turning the ball over three times. Littlepage-Buggs has to limit her turnovers, and Van Gytenbeek has to be more efficient against quality teams.

Baylor’s players other than Deng combined to shoot 14-of-46 from the field, which is simply not going to win games against strong teams. The main positive was Deng’s afternoon, despite the missed game-winning attempt. Deng has the potential to be a key shot creator for the Bears, and the upside was present today. Now, Baylor has time to rest Scott and regroup, as they get their version of a Christmas break.

The Bears’ (11-3) next game is against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls at 2 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Dec. 31, at the Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.