No. 16 Baylor Survives Rough Shooting Night, Defeats Colorado in Low-Scoring Affair, 56-52

WACO, Texas – No. 16 Baylor women’s basketball (14-3, 3-1) survived a trap game against the Colorado Buffaloes (11-5, 2-2) by a score of 56-52, grinding out a win in which the Bears scored just 0.824 points per possession.

Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs has been the force fans expected her to be entering the season, following her season-low 16 minutes against Oklahoma State in the final game of 2025. She scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, showing great touch on multiple mid-range makes, and snagged 12 rebounds, with four coming on the offensive end. Littlepage-Buggs also added a block and a steal in the win.

Sophomore guard Yuting Deng led the Bears in the scoring department, with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-7 shooting from deep. Her ability to heat up as a shooter was key in the Baylor triumph.

After continuing to struggle offensively against high-major opponents in the last two games, senior forward Bella Fontleroy had a strong performance on both ends of the floor, and her performance was a pivotal factor in the outcome. She scored 11 points on seven field goal attempts, grabbed five rebounds and denied five shots.

Baylor’s ability to force and contest bad shots led Baylor to an ugly win. Colorado shot just 19-of-67 from the field, finding little success at all three levels of the court. Baylor blocked 12 shots and coaxed Colorado into 19 turnovers. A lot of the latter stat was honestly due to Colorado being sloppy, as only five of their turnovers were of the live-ball variety.

Both teams' strengths were evident in the first few minutes, as Baylor’s elite shot defense forced Colorado into a 0-for-8 start from the field, but the strong rebounding Buffaloes brought down five of those misses. Scott opened the scoring, splitting a pair of free throws, and Fontleroy added a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to give the Bears a 4-0 lead. 

Colorado’s leading scorer, Desiree Wooten, put the visitors on the board with a driving finish. Fontleroy knocked down a mid-range jumper to respond, giving her five early points on two shots. Fontleroy has struggled greatly shooting the ball against high-major competition, making her hot start a very welcome sight for Baylor fans. However, Fontleroy went down hard after drawing a charge right before the media timeout, causing her to head back to the locker room with the Bears leading 6-2.

Fontleroy’s senior forward partner, Littlepage-Buggs, opened her scoring after the media timeout, knocking down a mid-range jumper after Jana Van Gytenbeek got downhill, pivoted, and found the senior from Oklahoma. 

Colorado took advantage of Fontleroy’s absence, sparking an 8-2 run to knot the score at 10. Kyla Abraham gathered a Taliah Scott miss and converted to give Baylor its points during that Buffaloes run. 

After the first half of the quarter was defined by the Baylor defense and Colorado offensive rebounding, the teams flipped a switch in the second half of the quarter. Colorado scored on its last six shots from the field, and Baylor took over on the other backboard, securing four offensive rebounds in the last 3:25 of the first quarter. The success on the glass led to another second-chance basket for Abraham and for Littlepage-Buggs.

Littlepage-Buggs led the Bears to an 18-16 lead after the first quarter with six points and five rebounds. Fontleroy added her five points and a block, and Abraham scored four points and totaled three offensive rebounds. Wooten scored seven points for Colorado. Baylor’s leading scorer, Scott, notably missed all seven attempts in the first quarter, similar to her last outing against Iowa State.

Following in the precedent of the opening quarter, both teams failed to find an offensive rhythm in the first part of the quarter. Baylor opened the second quarter 1-of-10 from the field, and Colorado followed suit, shooting 1-of-8 from the field before the media timeout. Furthermore, seven combined turnovers led to just two points for both sides in the initial 5:22 of the quarter. Kiersten Johnson scored on a fastbreak layup to get the Bears on the board in the second quarter.

After 3 consecutive points for Colorado put them in front 21-20, Scott came off a baseline stagger screen for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, finally opening her scoring with just 2:02 left in the half. A second-chance basket from Colorado’s Anaëlle Dutat evened the score, and the Bears and Buffaloes went into halftime with no separation, with a score of 23-23.

If a viewer enjoys offensive fouls, this was the game for them. Numerous charges and illegal screens led to turnovers for both sides and prolonged the ineffective offense through the second quarter. The two Big 12 teams combined for nine offensive fouls in the half. The Bears notably drew five first-half charges.

Scott’s 3-pointer and Johnson’s layup were the Bears' only points in the second quarter. Baylor shot 2-of-16 in the quarter and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc while amassing seven turnovers. Colorado was 3-of-15, for comparison and turned the ball over six times.

Littlepage-Buggs and Fontleroy remained the Bears’ leading scorers entering halftime despite going scoreless in the second period. Wooten’s seven points and Dutat’s six points led the way for the away team. Both teams found success on the offensive glass, with Baylor totaling nine offensive rebounds and Colorado grabbing eight. The Bears notably had six blocks, with Johnson and Fontleroy both swatting three Colorado field goal attempts.

Baylor and Colorado combined to shoot 19-of-66 from the field, 3-of-22 from the 3-point line and tallied 23 turnovers. While both teams had some success getting downhill, neither team found points on those drives at an efficient rate.

The third quarter opened up with both teams still in offensive funks. Neither team was able to make a field goal until the 7:04 mark, when Wooten was able to find space and knock down a jumper. Scott responded with a basket of her own, but no other field goals were made before the media timeout, with Colorado leading 26-25.

Colorado found an immediate basket following the quarter break, with Colorado backup center Jade Crook scoring in the paint. Baylor responded right back with a ram screen for Abraham, setting up a Scott driving layup. While neither team was able to score, neither team was able to create a sizable advantage either.

Colorado stayed in control for the majority of the quarter. They scored three consecutive points off free throws to extend their lead to 31-27. With Baylor needing offense, Deng started to heat up. She knocked down an off-dribble mid-range and then ducked behind a Fontleroy screen for a wing triple. Fontleroy added two free throws and a mid-range to add to the Deng 3-pointer for a 7-0 Baylor run.

After Colorado’s Zyanna Walker scored a layup following an offensive rebound from Jade Masogayo, Van Gytenbeek pushed the ball up the floor, drew a help defender from the near side and found Deng in the near-side corner as time ticked down. Deng splashed the 3-pointer, giving Baylor a 39-35 lead entering the last 10 minutes. While Van Gytenbeek had a subpar performance shooting the ball, converting on just one of her 10 field goal attempts, she dished out seven assists and added two steals.

Deng’s eight points in the 2:26 of the third quarter led the way for Baylor, and Scott and Fontleroy added four each to lead the Bears to a 16-12 quarter advantage. Baylor shot a much better 6-of-13 from the field while limiting its turnovers to three. Colorado only converted on four of its 14 attempts.

Head coach Nicki Collen stuck with the hot hand, immediately calling Deng’s number in the fourth quarter. A flare screen from Abraham freed Deng for another triple, extending the Baylor lead to seven. After a Colorado basket in the paint cut the lead to five, Deng pushed the margin back to seven, driving and drawing a foul before finding the net on both free throws. After another response from Colorado, Littlepage-Buggs found two points on a mid-range jumper, keeping Baylor up three possessions, with a score of 46-39. 

In what has become a trend for Baylor, the Bears were unable to open the game and put the game out of reach. Three Colorado free throws and a Walker steal on Scott, which she took all the way for two points, cut the lead to 46-44. Scott redeemed herself with a pull-up top-of-the-key triple off a ball screen. The reigning Big 12 Player of the Week never lacks confidence. However, it was a rough night for Scott. She ended the game with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

Following the Scott 3-pointer, both teams traded empty possessions for over 90 seconds. It was appearing as if that stretch would continue, as Baylor had to settle for an Abraham deep mid-range, which she could not convert, but the Bears’ leading rebounder, Littlepage-Buggs, fought to secure an offensive rebound through two Buffaloes. She went right back up and finished, giving Baylor another seven-point lead.

After two Walker free throws for Colorado, and a free throw for Van Gytenbeek and the Bears, Baylor found itself up 52-46. Abraham was able to pull down the missed second free throw from Van Gytenbeek, and after a timeout, Scott snaked an Abraham ball screen and found the forward on the roll, where she drew a foul. However, Abraham was unable to make either, making it three consecutive missed free throws for the Bears with the opportunity to open the game to another three-possession lead.

The Bears’ defense has been the cornerstone for this Baylor team’s success this entire season, and it continued to stall the Colorado offense and keep Baylor in front. They prevented points for the guests from 3:18 to 1:06. On the other end, Abraham helped keep Baylor in the driver’s seat, finishing a layup on the block after a pass from Deng.

Colorado, needing a basket, went to Wooten on a baseline-out-of-bounds (BLOB). She found herself open after Scott slipped, and calmly knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 54-49. After a Baylor possession ended in a turnover, Wooten looked to find another three points, but came up empty. The strength of Colorado, its ability to get on the offensive glass, found another chance to score, but its look to score ended in a tie-up, leading to another Colorado inbound from the baseline. They ran a BLOB that ended in an elevator screen for Wooten, and she was unable to find points again.

Colorado’s Dutat was able to secure a second offensive rebound for Colorado, and after being blocked, the Buffaloes found themselves with another baseline inbound with under three seconds. Wooten caught the inbound and was able to draw a 3-point foul on Baylor’s Ella Brow. However, the Colorado go-to scorer only converted on 1-of-3 free throws, allowing the Bears to maintain a multi-possession lead with 26 seconds remaining.

With the chance to seal the game with a successful inbound and a pair of made free throws, Baylor turned the ball over. Wooten, trying to will Colorado to a victory, drove recklessly and threw up a wild layup that missed the rim. A rebound from Johnson seemed to guarantee the victory for the Bears. She ended the game with nine rebounds and five blocks. A Baylor timeout set up a sideline inbound, and after a successful pass to Littlepage-Buggs, two Colorado defenders swarmed the Baylor forward for a held ball. 

Colorado’s Masogayo was able to get downhill and finish a layup, cutting the Baylor lead to two, with a score of 54-52 with three seconds remaining. However, the Bears finally found success with their inbounding, finding Fontleroy, who was immediately fouled with two seconds remaining. The senior hit two composed free throws to ice the game, with the hosting Bears winning 56-52.

While Baylor will have to win ugly games like the one they were victorious in tonight, the offense was inexcusably sloppy. With multiple chances to end the game, the ever-returning turnover bug bit the Bears, as they totaled 21 on the day. While shooting is prone to variance, ball security is a factor of the game that is always controllable. 

On the bright side, the Baylor shot defense is as good as one will see in the Big 12. Despite shooting just 9-of-33 in the first half, the Bears' defense kept them in the game before the Baylor shooting found life in the second half. Baylor shot an efficient 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-11 from the 3-point line in the final 20 minutes. Deng and Fontleroy had very promising performances, as the former continued to show her ability to create offense when Baylor’s offense stalls, and the latter had her best offensive performance against high-major competition.

The Bears’ (14-3) next game is against the Kansas Jayhawks at 2 p.m. CT, Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.