No. 24 WBB Closes Non-Conference Play with a 73-52 Win Over Long Beach State

Wednesday, December 21

Waco, Texas

3 p.m.

Baylor

9-3,0-0Big 12

Long Beach State

5-5,0-0Big West

Long Beach St.

Baylor

No. 24 WBB Closes Non-Conference Play with a 73-52 Win Over Long Beach State

12/21/2022 5:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Since Sarah Andrews had scored in double digits 26 times in her career, including eight already this year, points would be the last thing you'd think would keep the Baylor junior guard from completing a rare triple-double.
            But it did.
            On a night when her shooting just wasn't there, Andrews finished one point shy of the eighth triple-double in program history with a career-high 14 assists and 12 rebounds to go with nine points in the Bears' 73-52 win over Long Beach State Wednesday afternoon at the Ferrell Center.
            "She's honestly one of the best passers I've ever played with," said senior forward Caitlin Bickle, who had a game-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the field. "I've played with DiDi Richards, I've played with all of them. It's not like I haven't played with some great players. But she's going to get the open person the ball."
            Bouncing back from a 21-point loss to Arizona on Sunday, the Bears (9-3) used the tremendous all-around play from Andrews, a balanced scoring attack and at times smothering defense to head into the Christmas break with a 21-point win at home over Long Beach (5-5).
            "I think I played with the Arizona game in the back of my head," Andrews said. "I used it as motivation, and I knew I was best when I was downhill. Today, I was just like, 'Go out and play as hard as you can, and the results will show.'''
            Playing without senior guard Jaden Owens, who's ranked second in the Big 12 with 6.4 assists per game, Andrews helped the Bears finish with 23 assists on 28 made buckets and shoot a sizzling 56%. That was with her hitting just 2-of-11 from the field and missing the second of two free throws with 1:35 left in the game.
            "If she had just made the foul shot, we would have been fine," said Baylor head coach Nicki Collen.
            After Arizona scored 25 points off Baylor's 19 turnovers in Sunday's game at the American Airlines Center, the Bears took care of the ball better . . . for the most part. They actually finished with 20 turnovers, but five of those came in the first three minutes of the third quarter.
            "If you eliminate the first six minutes of the third quarter," Collen said, "we gave up a couple of 3's to end the half, and then we came out flat and turned the ball over six times in our first seven possessions, I think. Not forced, just slinging balls around and not making simple passes."
            Freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored six of her eight points in the first 4 ½ minutes of the game, sparking a 10-0 run that helped the Bears take a 20-16 lead after the first quarter.
            Andrews assisted on back-to-back buckets by Ja'Mee Asberry and Bickle that gave Baylor its biggest lead of the first half, 40-23. But the Beach hit three 3-pointers in the last minute and a half and went to the intermission trailing 43-32.
            Capitalizing on the Bears' rash of turnovers at the start of the third quarter, Long Beach scored five unanswered points and cut the deficit to 43-37. Baylor responded with a 7-0 run and was up 53-39 going into the fourth quarter.
            "Sometimes, we turn the ball over trying to be unselfish and we're looking to pass," Andrews said, "and sometimes, nobody is even in front of us. We've just got to clean it up, the turnovers."
            Still trailing by 11, the Beach had a chance to get within single digits when Andrews missed a 3-pointer. But freshman Bella Fontleroy grabbed an offensive rebound, leading to a second-chance trey by Asberry that started a 12-0 run that put the game away.
            "We're really big on that extra pass, going from good to great (shots)," Bickle said. "Coach Nicki and her staff have always been that way. What's great about it is you have . . . so many people who can attack the basket and kick it. And then, it automatically makes it so easy to make the one-more (pass) and to put the team in rotation."
            Asberry and Fontleroy each had 11 points, while Littlepage-Buggs chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds. Baylor dominated the boards, 38-23, and finished with a 38-20 edge in points in the paint.
            Long Beach got 14 points from Tori Harris and 10 points apiece from Ma'Qui Berry and Kianna Hamilton-Fisher. After the Beach shot 48% in the first half, the Bears held them to just 20 second-half points and 24.1% shooting, including 3-of-13 from outside the arc.
            After a nine-day Christmas break, Baylor will open Big 12 play with a New Year's Eve matchup against TCU (6-5) at the Ferrell Center. The Horned Frogs blew out Nicholls, 75-32, on Wednesday and have won three of their last four.
            "The message in the circle was, I was proud of them, but don't go home for five days and do nothing but eat Christmas cookies," Collen said, "because you're going to feel it when you get back. They need time off, they need time to spend with their family and enjoy the Christmas celebration. But they also can't afford to not move their body, even if it's walking, if it's just getting a few shots up."

NOTABLES

The nationally-ranked Baylor Bears closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday afternoon with a 73-52 victory over Long Beach State inside the Ferrell Center.
The 21-point victory marked the seventh 20-plus point win for Baylor this season with six of those on its home court.
For the 10th time this season, the Bears outrebounded their opponent, finishing with 38 as a team.
Junior Sarah Andrews fell one point shy of a triple double, dishing out a career-high 14 assists while grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds in the effort. She had never reached double figures in either category prior to Wednesday's win.
Her 14 assists marked the most in a game since Kristy Wallace tallied 15 in a pair of games during the 2016-17 season.
Fifth-year Caitlin Bickle registered a team- and game-high 17 points, falling a point shy of matching a season high.
Graduate Ja'Mee Asberry and freshman Bella Fontleroy joined Bickle in double figures, each tallying 11 points apiece. Fontleroy has notched double digits in seven of the last eight contests.
Newcomer Catarina Ferreira added a BU career-best three assists in 23 minutes of action – the most in a game as a Bear.