WBB Tops Texas A&M Commerce in Exhibition Opener

Wednesday, October 27

Waco, Texas

7 PM

Baylor

0-0,0-0Big 12

Texas A&M - Commerce (Exhibition)

0-0,0-0Lone Star

Tex. A&M-Commerce

Baylor

WBB Tops Texas A&M Commerce in Exhibition Opener

10/27/2021 9:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

Three Bears Notch Double-Digit Scoring Nights

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Nicki Collen looked like Baylor's sixth player at times during Wednesday's exhibition game, inching closer and closer to the Ferrell Center court and constantly scribbling out plays along the sidelines. The first-year head coach was obviously in her comfort zone.
            "Almost every time out, I drew up something they hadn't seen before," said Collen, who made her Baylor coaching debut Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center in an 88-52 rout of Texas A&M-Commerce. "I want to know if they can see a diagram and execute it coming out (of the timeout). We executed an elevator screen to start the second half, and Ja'Mee (Asberry) hit a 3. Those are big plays, those are momentum-builders, kind of get you started."
            Baylor had no problems getting started, scoring the game's first 19 points and taking a comfortable 23-3 lead on the visiting Lions. NaLyssa Smith, who posted a double-double with 27 points and 15 rebounds, hit three buckets in the first two minutes and then assisted on the first of five 3-pointers by sophomore guard Sarah Andrews.
            "I felt like we were just ready to play," said Smith, an efficient 13-of-19 from the floor, adding four assists, three steals and a block. "New coach, new team, it just felt great to be out there."
            Complementing Smith, Queen Egbo added 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, while Andrews was a perfect 5-of-5 outside the 3-point arc and scored 17 points, adding three assists and three steals. It was that inside-outside balance that helped the Bears take a commanding 38-14 halftime lead.
            Named a preseason All-American the day before, Smith said if defenses focus on her, "that's just going to help out all of our shooters and everybody else on the floor."
            "They might not want to scout me that hard," said the 6-2 senior forward, "because we've got a lot of shooters."
            Baylor made and attempted more 3-pointers than any game last season (10-of-23), with Asberry (Oklahoma State) and fellow transfer Jordan Lewis (Alabama) combining to knock down 5-of-14 from 3-point range and scoring nine points apiece.
            "Sarah going 5-for-5 from the arc, I'm not sure I predicted that," said Collen, who spent the previous three years with the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. "You're talking a about a third of our shots. I think that's realistic. . . . We're going to shoot a lot of 3's. You saw why. Ja'Mee can shoot it, Jordan can shoot it and Sarah can shoot it. We have to balance the floor for Queen and Lys."
            One thing that helped the Bears get off to the 19-0 start was the Lions' Diyani Robinson picking up two quick fouls in the first two minutes. A returning honorable mention All-American, Robinson played only 18 minutes and finished with five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
            "She's someone that can break you down and create for other people," Collen said. "When they had to rely on their sets, we really did a good job of sitting on all their zipper actions and staggers and things like that. I was really proud of how we came out."
            Andrews, who averaged 4.2 points last year as a freshman, scored 17 points and added three assists and three steals with two turnovers in 38 minutes.
            "I just came out ready," Andrews said. "This year, I know that I've got to be an impact on the floor every night. I thin, I'm playing with a lot of confidence because of the work I've put in before the season."
There was a noticeable drop off when Collen went to her bench, with the Bears scoring just four points in the last 4 ½ minutes of the first quarter and missing six of their last seven shots. A&M-Commerce's bench outscored Baylor's four reserves, 27-11, with 6-2 Baylor freshman Kendra Gillispie chipping in with seven points and five boards.
            Collen said getting 6-foot senior forward Caitlin Bickle back on the floor will make a big difference. Bickle was suspended for the game because of a violation of team rules.
            "Caitlin's a great kid. I'm not the slightest bit worried about her ability to move forward," Collen said. "When we get Caitlin back, she just changes the dynamic. She gives us another 3-point shooter."
            After scoring just 29 points combined in the first three quarters, the Lions outscored the Bears, 23-20, in the fourth quarter and got 10 points from 6-2 senior forward Disarae Devine.
            Andrea Katramados, a freshman walk-on who had only gone through three practices with Baylor's team, hit a shot from the wing with 56 seconds left on her only attempt of the night.
            "That's Andrea's spot – left wing, left corner," Collen said. "She's pretty good at the long (2-pointers). She straddles the 3-point line. It's amazing the difference between the high school line and the college line. And obviously, this year it's pushed back a little further. But, she had no idea what she was doing out there."
            Baylor will wrap up exhibition play with a matchup against West Texas A&M at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Nov. 3, at the Ferrell Center before tipping off the regular season Nov. 9 with another home game against Texas State.