No. 18/17 WBB Tops Lamar in Season Opener, 88-50

Monday, November 7

Waco, Texas

7 p.m.

Baylor

1-0,0-0Big 12

Lamar

0-1,0-0Southland

Lamar University

Baylor

No. 18/17 WBB Tops Lamar in Season Opener, 88-50

11/7/2022 9:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Nicki Collen figures her top-10 recruiting class should be boosted even higher with the addition of four Division I transfers that aren't even reflected in those 2022 class rankings.
            Even with three of the newcomers out at the moment, the 18^th-ranked Baylor women (1-0) got 52 points from their newbies, helping the Bears stretch out their lead with a 26-point fourth quarter and opening the season with an 88-50 win over the visiting Lamar Cardinals Monday night at the Ferrell Center.
            Freshman Bella Fontleroy and Missouri transfer Aijha Blackwell had 17 points apiece and returning senior guard Jaden Owens recorded her first-career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 assists in Baylor's 13^th-consecutive season-opening win.
            "This is why they were a top-10 recruiting class," Collen said of a group that also includes 6-1 freshman forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who had 11 points, seven rebounds, one block and a steal. I think there are some good things ahead, but I don't think it's going to look like this every night. We're going to have to battle and grind and find ways to win."
            That might be a little easier if Collen had fifth-year senior Caitlin Bickle and transfers Dre Edwards from Kentucky, Erika Porter from Illinois and Jana Van Gytenbeek from Stanford available. Those four were "in sweat suits" on the bench during the game, with Van Gytenbeek suffering a stinger in last Thursday's exhibition game.
            "Caitlin makes me comfortable," Collen said. "She knows what we do, knows why we do it. She's our best talker defensively. She gets everybody where they're supposed to be. So, I think I'd be a little more comfortable. What I love about this situation is we are going to get her back, and we've got some guys being thrown into the fire. I think that's going to help them."
            Struggling to pull away for most of the game, the Bears (1-0) trailed 8-7 in the first 3 ½ minutes, led by single digits, 23-15, after the first quarter and 47-31 at the break.
            "We shot way too many 3's in the first quarter," Collen said. "I love the 3-ball, but I was losing my mind. We were 3-for-13, and 13 of our 23 shots (in the first quarter) were 3's. We were settling. When that first one in, we Jamie (Asberry) probably thought they were all going to go. But, I think it's about playing downhill. They were putting foul pressure on us, we weren't putting foul pressure on them."
Baylor ran into foul trouble into the first half, with junior college transfer Catarina Ferreira picking up three early fouls and four others strapped with two fouls.
            The Bears shot 49% from the floor from the game and hit 5-of-9 from outside the arc in the fourth quarter. Baylor finished with a 42-32 edge in rebounds, with Fontleroy grabbing five on the offensive end and a game-high eight, while Littlepage-Buggs and sophomore Kendra Gillispe both had seven rebounds.
            In what Collen called "her best minutes," Gillispie was 3-for-5 from the floor and finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. Baylor's bench outscored the Lamar reserves, 35-15.
            When Gillispie came in, Collen said, "she gave us some more physical presence.
            "She struggled when she got a little tired, but I thought, roll to the basket and make some layups," Collen said. "I think when you put pressure on the rim, off the bounce, and by rolling hard, it's what Queen (Egbo) and (NaLyssa Smith) learned last year," Collen said. "It's important that we have finishers at the back end of that will set good screens and then finish on the back end of it. It's great to see her rewarded. You don't get open on a roll, if you don't set good screens."
            Junior guard Sarah Andrews gave the Bears their fifth double-figure scorer with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Akasha Davis had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals (0-1).
            Continuing a season-opening four-game home stand, Baylor will face Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. Thursday.

NOTABLES

BU won its 13th-straight season opener on Monday night against Lamar, topping the Cardinals, 88-50.
The Bears have won 18-consecutive home openers, dating back to the 2005-06 season.
Baylor moved to 9-1 all-time against the Cardinals and a perfect 7-0 against Lamar in Waco.
BU's 88 points are the most scored in a season-opener since recording 97 to start the 2019-20 campaign. The Bears have scored 80-plus to start the year in eight of the last 10 seasons.
Every Bear that played a minimum 10 minutes scored at least six points.
Senior Jaden Owens notched her first career double-double, finishing with 11 points and a career- and team-high 12 assists. She was the only player with double-digit assists.
Baylor saw five Bears reach double figures in the scoring column, led by freshman Bella Fontleroy and newcomer Aijha Blackwell, who each finished with 17.
Fontleroy scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, while grabbing four of her team-leading eight rebounds in the final frame.
Sophomore Kendra Gillispie turned in a career-best seven points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes off the bench.
Baylor scored 35 points off the bench, led by Fontleroy's 17-point effort, while outscoring Lamar in the paint, 46-22.
The Bears have out-rebounded their opponents in 188 of the last 200 games, including a 42-32 margin in Monday night's win over the Cardinals.