
No. 21 WBB Advances to Tournament Championship with 75-70 Win over No. 23 Villanova
11/26/2022 6:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
ESTERO, Fla. – Baylor's "calming presence," fifth-year senior forward Caitlin Bickle calmly sank five-straight free throws in the last 48 seconds to help the No. 21-ranked Bears pull out a 75-70 win over 23rd-ranked Villanova at the Hertz Center in Saturday's semifinal at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
In her third game back after missing the first three with a hand injury, Bickle recorded her second-career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds and scored Baylor's last seven points in the Bears' first win over a ranked team this year.
"It was a gritty win," said second-year Baylor head coach Nicki Collen, whose team improved to 5-1. "It was the kind of win this team needs to get over the hump. . . . But, I thought Caitlin was our calming presence all night long."
The Bears also got it done on the defensive end, holding Maddy Siegrist seven points below her scoring average and holding the Wildcats (5-1) scoreless over the last two minutes. Villanova missed its last eight shots after Lucy Olsen tied it up at 70-70 on a pull-up jumper.
"I'm super proud of our freshmen," Collen said of Bella Fontleroy and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs defending Villanova's 6-1 forward, who scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and missed 16 of her 24 shots.
"The fact that she was 8-for-24 and didn't make a 3 (0-for-6), and the entire game we had freshmen guarding her. That's a potential first-round draft pick in the NBA and averages 29 points per game. For her to shoot 33% when she usually shoots 58%."
Trailing by as many as eight early in the second quarter, Baylor went on a 12-2 run with a pair of 3-pointers by Sarah Andrews and went back on top, 26-24, when Andrews fed Fontleroy for a layup with 5:19 left in the first half.
Jaden Owens hit her first five shots and scored 11 of her career-high 17 points in the last 3 ½ minutes of the second quarter, helping the Bears take a 46-42 lead at the break.
"Jaden had that one stretch where it was Jaden versus Villanova," Collen said. "She just didn't let them stop her. They were back-pedaling, and she made three layups and a pull-up jump shot at 10 feet in a rhythm. Then, I thought she went away from that a little bit in the second half and wanted to take 3's. And I was like, 'Nah, do what you did to put us on your back there for a little while.'''
The Bears pushed the lead to eight twice in the third quarter, the last one coming on a jumper by Ja'Mee Asberry, one of five double-figure scorers with 11 points. But, Siegrist hit a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left in the period to make it a four-point game, 60-56.
Held to just 12 points through the first three quarters, Siegrist hit five of her first six shots in the fourth and helped the Wildcats tie it up four times. Olsen scored 14 points in the first half, but was just 2-for-5 in the second half and was Villanova's only other double-digit scorer with 18 points.
With both teams struggling to score, Bickle gave the Bears the lead for good on a pair of free throws when Maddie Burke picked up her fifth foul to foul out with 47 seconds left.
After Villanova missed three potential go-ahead or game-tying shots in one possession, Bickle made two free throws to ice it with 10 seconds left and added one more with 0.2 seconds on the clock after grabbing her 12th rebound.
"I thought Caitlin was poised, she made plays around the rim," Collen said. "She was 5-for-12, and I think she should have been 8-for-12. I feel like there were three layups she usually makes, including the first one of the game, where she rolled. But, she doesn't normally rush. And that's what we've got to get (Littlepage-Buggs) to do a little better of. Don't rush that thing up there. You're bounce enough, just gather and go up. You don't have to do a reverse."
Littlepage-Buggs struggled shooting – scoring just four points and making 1-of-7 from the field – but grabbed seven rebounds and combined with Fontleroy on defending Siegrist.
Baylor won a tight rebounding battle, 43-38, and outscored the Wildcats in second-chance points (15-9), points in the paint (36-24) and points off turnovers (10-5).
Andrews finished with 13 points – her sixth-straight in double digits – with Asberry and Fontleroy scoring 11 apiece.
Baylor advances to the Gulf Coast Showcase championship and will face 22nd-ranked Michigan (6-0) in Sunday's 6:30 p.m. CT final. Leigha Brown scored a game-high 23 points in the Wolverines' 63-58 win over South Florida.
Brown scored 25 points to help Michigan knock off then-No. 5 Baylor, 74-68, in overtime in last year's Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase.
"I look at Michigan like I look at Maryland. They got us in overtime last year, and we had two chances to win that game – both in regulation and overtime – and didn't," Collen said. "I know they're a lot different without Naz Hillman, and so are we without NaLyssa Smith. But, they're a really physical, aggressive, pressure team."
NOTABLES
Baylor Bear Insider
ESTERO, Fla. – Baylor's "calming presence," fifth-year senior forward Caitlin Bickle calmly sank five-straight free throws in the last 48 seconds to help the No. 21-ranked Bears pull out a 75-70 win over 23rd-ranked Villanova at the Hertz Center in Saturday's semifinal at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
In her third game back after missing the first three with a hand injury, Bickle recorded her second-career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds and scored Baylor's last seven points in the Bears' first win over a ranked team this year.
"It was a gritty win," said second-year Baylor head coach Nicki Collen, whose team improved to 5-1. "It was the kind of win this team needs to get over the hump. . . . But, I thought Caitlin was our calming presence all night long."
The Bears also got it done on the defensive end, holding Maddy Siegrist seven points below her scoring average and holding the Wildcats (5-1) scoreless over the last two minutes. Villanova missed its last eight shots after Lucy Olsen tied it up at 70-70 on a pull-up jumper.
"I'm super proud of our freshmen," Collen said of Bella Fontleroy and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs defending Villanova's 6-1 forward, who scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and missed 16 of her 24 shots.
"The fact that she was 8-for-24 and didn't make a 3 (0-for-6), and the entire game we had freshmen guarding her. That's a potential first-round draft pick in the NBA and averages 29 points per game. For her to shoot 33% when she usually shoots 58%."
Trailing by as many as eight early in the second quarter, Baylor went on a 12-2 run with a pair of 3-pointers by Sarah Andrews and went back on top, 26-24, when Andrews fed Fontleroy for a layup with 5:19 left in the first half.
Jaden Owens hit her first five shots and scored 11 of her career-high 17 points in the last 3 ½ minutes of the second quarter, helping the Bears take a 46-42 lead at the break.
"Jaden had that one stretch where it was Jaden versus Villanova," Collen said. "She just didn't let them stop her. They were back-pedaling, and she made three layups and a pull-up jump shot at 10 feet in a rhythm. Then, I thought she went away from that a little bit in the second half and wanted to take 3's. And I was like, 'Nah, do what you did to put us on your back there for a little while.'''
The Bears pushed the lead to eight twice in the third quarter, the last one coming on a jumper by Ja'Mee Asberry, one of five double-figure scorers with 11 points. But, Siegrist hit a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left in the period to make it a four-point game, 60-56.
Held to just 12 points through the first three quarters, Siegrist hit five of her first six shots in the fourth and helped the Wildcats tie it up four times. Olsen scored 14 points in the first half, but was just 2-for-5 in the second half and was Villanova's only other double-digit scorer with 18 points.
With both teams struggling to score, Bickle gave the Bears the lead for good on a pair of free throws when Maddie Burke picked up her fifth foul to foul out with 47 seconds left.
After Villanova missed three potential go-ahead or game-tying shots in one possession, Bickle made two free throws to ice it with 10 seconds left and added one more with 0.2 seconds on the clock after grabbing her 12th rebound.
"I thought Caitlin was poised, she made plays around the rim," Collen said. "She was 5-for-12, and I think she should have been 8-for-12. I feel like there were three layups she usually makes, including the first one of the game, where she rolled. But, she doesn't normally rush. And that's what we've got to get (Littlepage-Buggs) to do a little better of. Don't rush that thing up there. You're bounce enough, just gather and go up. You don't have to do a reverse."
Littlepage-Buggs struggled shooting – scoring just four points and making 1-of-7 from the field – but grabbed seven rebounds and combined with Fontleroy on defending Siegrist.
Baylor won a tight rebounding battle, 43-38, and outscored the Wildcats in second-chance points (15-9), points in the paint (36-24) and points off turnovers (10-5).
Andrews finished with 13 points – her sixth-straight in double digits – with Asberry and Fontleroy scoring 11 apiece.
Baylor advances to the Gulf Coast Showcase championship and will face 22nd-ranked Michigan (6-0) in Sunday's 6:30 p.m. CT final. Leigha Brown scored a game-high 23 points in the Wolverines' 63-58 win over South Florida.
Brown scored 25 points to help Michigan knock off then-No. 5 Baylor, 74-68, in overtime in last year's Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase.
"I look at Michigan like I look at Maryland. They got us in overtime last year, and we had two chances to win that game – both in regulation and overtime – and didn't," Collen said. "I know they're a lot different without Naz Hillman, and so are we without NaLyssa Smith. But, they're a really physical, aggressive, pressure team."
NOTABLES
- In just the second meeting ever between Baylor and Villanova, the Bears topped the Wildcats, 75-70.
- BU improved to 10-3 all-time against the Big East Conference.
- The victory marks Baylor's first top-25 non-conference win since besting then-No. 17/23 Indiana, 77-62, in the U.S. Virgin Islands during the 2019-20 campaign.
- The Bears outrebounded the Wildcats, 43-38, marking the fifth time in six games this season that BU has grabbed more boards than its opponent.
- For the third time this season, and second-straight game, Baylor saw five Bears reach double-figure scoring.
- Fifth-year Caitlin Bickle logged her second-career double-double, finishing with a season-high 18 points and career-high 12 rebounds.
- Senior Jaden Owens registered a career-high 17 points and led the Bears in assists (2) for the sixth-straight outing. She also matched a career-best five rebounds.
- Junior Sarah Andrews reached double-figure scoring in the sixth-straight game to start the year, finishing with 13.
- Baylor held Villanova's Maddy Siegrist to her second-lowest scoring output (22) as the senior led the Wildcats in the category.
Team Stats
VU
Baylor
FG%
.410
.400
3FG%
.182
.500
FT%
.800
.688
RB
38
43
TO
10
13
STL
6
3
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