Thursday, December 15
Waco, Texas
11 a.m.
Baylor
vs
Tennessee State
Future Bears Day Highlights Thursday’s WBB Contest vs. Tennessee State
12/14/2022 9:28:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Fan Experience
Nearly 5,000 kids from 24 schools in the area will be in attendance
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Off for semester final exams since a 55-point blowout win over UT Arlington on Dec. 7, the 18th-ranked Baylor women (7-2) will host Tennessee State (4-5) at 11 a.m. Thursday in the first of three games in a seven-day stretch.
"Getting a lot of rest is important," said fifth-year senior guard Ja'Mee Asberry, who graduates Saturday with a master's in educational psychology, "especially since we have three games (in seven days). Then, we get a Christmas break, and we're right back at it after the Christmas break."
The Bears also wrap up non-conference play in this fast-and-furious stretch, facing No. 20/17 Arizona (7-1) in Sunday's Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and then Long Beach State (4-3) three days later in the Ferrell Center. Baylor opens Big 12 play with a New Year's Eve matchup at home against TCU (4-5).
Second-year head coach Nicki Collen says the break has been good, because "we've had some banged-up people that have gotten better."
Junior guard Sarah Andrews (14.5) took some extra time off to heal an ankle injury that forced her to miss one game and "was still bothering her." She returned for last Wednesday's 91-36 win over UT Arlington, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 20 points.
The "banged-up" list also includes 5-11 senior forward Aijha Blackwell, a transfer from Missouri who averaged 14 points and 6.7 rebounds in the first three games before suffering a knee injury. On Sunday, Blackwell tweeted that she will be back "soon, real soon."
Collen said it's still "day to day" with Blackwell, to see if the knee swells and "what's her pain tolerance."
"There's a 'knee component,' but there's also a 'you're-not-in-basketball-shape component,''' Collen said. "We know enough now how to bring people back and control their mileage, so they can start to get their conditioning back and they don't keep themselves out longer because you don't bring them back the right way. We're just going to be really careful, because we want to be the healthiest we can be in March."
Since senior forward Caitlin Bickle (11.8 ppg, 6.3 rebounds) missed the first three games with a hand injury, the Bears have never been at full strength in a game yet. And they're still waiting to see if Kentucky transfer Dre'Una Edwards gets cleared by the NCAA.
Bella Fontleroy (10.8 ppg, 7.0 rebounds), who's twice been named Big 12 Freshman of the Week, said Baylor will benefit from Blackwell's "ability to go out there and dominate, whether it's on the boards, whether it's scoring. Just the presence she brings."
"You guys saw the impact she had, and she got to play what, three games?" Fontleroy said. "I know personally, I hated playing against Aijha in practice because I'm like, 'Dang, she's just so good.' But her presence is going to be a big boost when she gets back out there."
With Darianna Littlepage-Buggs earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors on Monday after her third-career double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) against UTA, the Bears have now claimed the league's freshman honor three times in the first five weeks of the season.
"I told her, 'You can have one and I can have one, and we can just keep going back and forth,''' Fontleroy said. "When we first came in, it seemed like we were going to have to compete for playing time. But as Coach Nicki has put us into our separate roles, where we're each better at than the other, I feel like that's only helped boost each other. When she's in, I'm going crazy. When I'm in, she's going crazy. That's my girl."
While Blackwell will take some of their minutes, long term, Collen wants to play Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs together at the same time.
"Bella, obviously, sometimes scores more because he stretches it to the arc," Collen said of Fontleroy, who's tied for second on the team with 13 made 3-pointers. "But I think they're both so valuable to us that it's great to see them both get those individual honors."
Led by longtime SEC assistant coach Ty Evans, Tennessee State is 0-4 in true road games this season and comes into Thursday on a two-game losing streak. With six or seven different presses, the Tigers are averaging 23.3 turnovers per game with a philosophy that Collen simply calls "chaos."
"You can get some easy shots if you don't turn it over," Collen said. "I told the team today, they're not going to know whether they're in man run and jump, whether they're in their diamond. And you can't predict, if you dribble in this area they're going to trap, because they may just jump the ball at any point with the top two in their 2-2-1 (press). . . . When you get them in halfcourt, they're not as good as if they're playing off turnovers."
Offensively, they're lead by 5-6 guards Gia Adams and Erica Haynes-Overton, who are averaging 16.7 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Haynes-Overton, who also played at Kansas and East Tennessee State, dropped in a career-high 41 points against then-No. 23 Tennessee three years ago.
Senior forward Sierra McCullough, another one of the team's 10 transfer players, averages 5.7 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game.
Baylor counters with a balanced attack that features five double-figure scorers and seven players who are averaging between 8.2 and 14.5 points per game.
"I have to be more consistent with myself, because I know what I can do," said Asberry, who is averaging 9.4 points and shooting just 31% from outside the arc. "I'm a fifth-year, and I've always been a person to never get too low or never get too high."
Thursday's game is the annual "Future Bears Day," with an estimated 5,000 children from 24 local schools expected to attend.
While Fontleroy called it "so fun," Asberry said, "Someone needs to teach them to be quiet when we're shooting free throws."
The game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor men's basketball coach Jim Haller calling the action.
WACO, Texas – After a week-long hiatus, the No. 18 Baylor women's basketball squad (7-2) returns to action when it hosts Tennessee State (4-5) on Thursday inside the Ferrell Center.
Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. and the game has been tabbed Future Bears Day, as nearly 5,000 kids from 24 local schools will be in attendance.
The contest is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and a live radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM) is also available for fans. Live in-game updates will also be provided via Twitter or live stats.
LAST TIME OUT
Baylor powered past UT Arlington, 91-36, on Dec. 7 inside the Ferrell Center. The 55-point win marked the largest margin of victory during the Nicki Collen era and the largest win for the Bears since besting McNeese by 93 points in 2020.
For the fourth time this season, five Bears reached double figures, led by junior Sarah Andrews' 20-point output. BU forced 28 UTA turnovers, which was the most in a game by an opponent since McNeese committed 38 turnovers in 2020.
BUGGS ON THE BOARDS
Heading into the week, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs leads all Division I freshmen in rebounds per game (9.1) and is the only rookie in the country averaging at least nine boards a contest. On Monday, Littlepage-Buggs was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week, marking the first weekly honor awarded to the Edmond, Okla., native this season. In the victory over UTA last week, Littlepage-Buggs recorded her third-career double-double with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, and she ranks third overall in the Big 12 in rebounding this year.
BALANCED EFFORT
Nine of the 13 players on BU's roster have posted double figures in at least one contest this year, and five of them have recorded double-digit points in four or more games. Andrews has posted double figures in all but one game this season to lead the Bears, while rookie Bella Fontleroy has notched double digits in five-straight outings and seven out of nine games in 2022-23.
BENCH BREAKS THROUGH
Baylor's bench has outscored its opponents, 197-125, this season, and in six of nine contests thus far. Led by Fontleroy, the rookie ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) among players with at least 100 minutes of action. Of her 97 points this season, 45 of them have been accounted for in the fourth quarter.
Transfer Jana Van Gytenbeek had a season-best performance off the bench in BU's 91-36 win over UTA last week. The junior scored a season-high 15 points, going 6-for-6 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 behind the arc, while adding four assists and a pair of steals.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE AND THE SERIES
Tennessee State enters Thursday's contest with a 4-5 overall record and is looking for its first road victory of the season, sitting at 0-4 in true road games. This will be just the second-ever meeting between the two programs, as Baylor topped the Tigers, 72-65, during the 1982-83 campaign.
The Tigers are led offensively by Erica Haynes-Overton and Gia Adams, who are averaging 14.4 and 16.7 points per game, respectively. On the boards, Sierra McCullough is averaging a team-best 8.0 rebounds per contest.
FOSTER PAVILION
As a reminder, you must be a current season ticket holder to qualify for season tickets in the Paul & Alejandra Foster Pavilion, which is scheduled to open in January 2024. The deadline to purchase season tickets for the current year is Dec. 31, 2022. Those interested in purchasing new tickets in the Ferrell Center can purchase online. For those interested in the Baylor basketball seat selection process, visit here.
Baylor Bear Insider
Off for semester final exams since a 55-point blowout win over UT Arlington on Dec. 7, the 18th-ranked Baylor women (7-2) will host Tennessee State (4-5) at 11 a.m. Thursday in the first of three games in a seven-day stretch.
"Getting a lot of rest is important," said fifth-year senior guard Ja'Mee Asberry, who graduates Saturday with a master's in educational psychology, "especially since we have three games (in seven days). Then, we get a Christmas break, and we're right back at it after the Christmas break."
The Bears also wrap up non-conference play in this fast-and-furious stretch, facing No. 20/17 Arizona (7-1) in Sunday's Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and then Long Beach State (4-3) three days later in the Ferrell Center. Baylor opens Big 12 play with a New Year's Eve matchup at home against TCU (4-5).
Second-year head coach Nicki Collen says the break has been good, because "we've had some banged-up people that have gotten better."
Junior guard Sarah Andrews (14.5) took some extra time off to heal an ankle injury that forced her to miss one game and "was still bothering her." She returned for last Wednesday's 91-36 win over UT Arlington, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 20 points.
The "banged-up" list also includes 5-11 senior forward Aijha Blackwell, a transfer from Missouri who averaged 14 points and 6.7 rebounds in the first three games before suffering a knee injury. On Sunday, Blackwell tweeted that she will be back "soon, real soon."
Collen said it's still "day to day" with Blackwell, to see if the knee swells and "what's her pain tolerance."
"There's a 'knee component,' but there's also a 'you're-not-in-basketball-shape component,''' Collen said. "We know enough now how to bring people back and control their mileage, so they can start to get their conditioning back and they don't keep themselves out longer because you don't bring them back the right way. We're just going to be really careful, because we want to be the healthiest we can be in March."
Since senior forward Caitlin Bickle (11.8 ppg, 6.3 rebounds) missed the first three games with a hand injury, the Bears have never been at full strength in a game yet. And they're still waiting to see if Kentucky transfer Dre'Una Edwards gets cleared by the NCAA.
Bella Fontleroy (10.8 ppg, 7.0 rebounds), who's twice been named Big 12 Freshman of the Week, said Baylor will benefit from Blackwell's "ability to go out there and dominate, whether it's on the boards, whether it's scoring. Just the presence she brings."
"You guys saw the impact she had, and she got to play what, three games?" Fontleroy said. "I know personally, I hated playing against Aijha in practice because I'm like, 'Dang, she's just so good.' But her presence is going to be a big boost when she gets back out there."
With Darianna Littlepage-Buggs earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors on Monday after her third-career double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) against UTA, the Bears have now claimed the league's freshman honor three times in the first five weeks of the season.
"I told her, 'You can have one and I can have one, and we can just keep going back and forth,''' Fontleroy said. "When we first came in, it seemed like we were going to have to compete for playing time. But as Coach Nicki has put us into our separate roles, where we're each better at than the other, I feel like that's only helped boost each other. When she's in, I'm going crazy. When I'm in, she's going crazy. That's my girl."
While Blackwell will take some of their minutes, long term, Collen wants to play Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs together at the same time.
"Bella, obviously, sometimes scores more because he stretches it to the arc," Collen said of Fontleroy, who's tied for second on the team with 13 made 3-pointers. "But I think they're both so valuable to us that it's great to see them both get those individual honors."
Led by longtime SEC assistant coach Ty Evans, Tennessee State is 0-4 in true road games this season and comes into Thursday on a two-game losing streak. With six or seven different presses, the Tigers are averaging 23.3 turnovers per game with a philosophy that Collen simply calls "chaos."
"You can get some easy shots if you don't turn it over," Collen said. "I told the team today, they're not going to know whether they're in man run and jump, whether they're in their diamond. And you can't predict, if you dribble in this area they're going to trap, because they may just jump the ball at any point with the top two in their 2-2-1 (press). . . . When you get them in halfcourt, they're not as good as if they're playing off turnovers."
Offensively, they're lead by 5-6 guards Gia Adams and Erica Haynes-Overton, who are averaging 16.7 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Haynes-Overton, who also played at Kansas and East Tennessee State, dropped in a career-high 41 points against then-No. 23 Tennessee three years ago.
Senior forward Sierra McCullough, another one of the team's 10 transfer players, averages 5.7 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game.
Baylor counters with a balanced attack that features five double-figure scorers and seven players who are averaging between 8.2 and 14.5 points per game.
"I have to be more consistent with myself, because I know what I can do," said Asberry, who is averaging 9.4 points and shooting just 31% from outside the arc. "I'm a fifth-year, and I've always been a person to never get too low or never get too high."
Thursday's game is the annual "Future Bears Day," with an estimated 5,000 children from 24 local schools expected to attend.
While Fontleroy called it "so fun," Asberry said, "Someone needs to teach them to be quiet when we're shooting free throws."
The game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor men's basketball coach Jim Haller calling the action.
WACO, Texas – After a week-long hiatus, the No. 18 Baylor women's basketball squad (7-2) returns to action when it hosts Tennessee State (4-5) on Thursday inside the Ferrell Center.
Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. and the game has been tabbed Future Bears Day, as nearly 5,000 kids from 24 local schools will be in attendance.
The contest is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and a live radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM) is also available for fans. Live in-game updates will also be provided via Twitter or live stats.
LAST TIME OUT
Baylor powered past UT Arlington, 91-36, on Dec. 7 inside the Ferrell Center. The 55-point win marked the largest margin of victory during the Nicki Collen era and the largest win for the Bears since besting McNeese by 93 points in 2020.
For the fourth time this season, five Bears reached double figures, led by junior Sarah Andrews' 20-point output. BU forced 28 UTA turnovers, which was the most in a game by an opponent since McNeese committed 38 turnovers in 2020.
BUGGS ON THE BOARDS
Heading into the week, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs leads all Division I freshmen in rebounds per game (9.1) and is the only rookie in the country averaging at least nine boards a contest. On Monday, Littlepage-Buggs was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week, marking the first weekly honor awarded to the Edmond, Okla., native this season. In the victory over UTA last week, Littlepage-Buggs recorded her third-career double-double with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, and she ranks third overall in the Big 12 in rebounding this year.
BALANCED EFFORT
Nine of the 13 players on BU's roster have posted double figures in at least one contest this year, and five of them have recorded double-digit points in four or more games. Andrews has posted double figures in all but one game this season to lead the Bears, while rookie Bella Fontleroy has notched double digits in five-straight outings and seven out of nine games in 2022-23.
BENCH BREAKS THROUGH
Baylor's bench has outscored its opponents, 197-125, this season, and in six of nine contests thus far. Led by Fontleroy, the rookie ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) among players with at least 100 minutes of action. Of her 97 points this season, 45 of them have been accounted for in the fourth quarter.
Transfer Jana Van Gytenbeek had a season-best performance off the bench in BU's 91-36 win over UTA last week. The junior scored a season-high 15 points, going 6-for-6 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 behind the arc, while adding four assists and a pair of steals.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE AND THE SERIES
Tennessee State enters Thursday's contest with a 4-5 overall record and is looking for its first road victory of the season, sitting at 0-4 in true road games. This will be just the second-ever meeting between the two programs, as Baylor topped the Tigers, 72-65, during the 1982-83 campaign.
The Tigers are led offensively by Erica Haynes-Overton and Gia Adams, who are averaging 14.4 and 16.7 points per game, respectively. On the boards, Sierra McCullough is averaging a team-best 8.0 rebounds per contest.
FOSTER PAVILION
As a reminder, you must be a current season ticket holder to qualify for season tickets in the Paul & Alejandra Foster Pavilion, which is scheduled to open in January 2024. The deadline to purchase season tickets for the current year is Dec. 31, 2022. Those interested in purchasing new tickets in the Ferrell Center can purchase online. For those interested in the Baylor basketball seat selection process, visit here.
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