No. 19 WBB Hosts UT Arlington in Midweek Matchup Wednesday

Wednesday, December 7

Waco, Texas

7 PM

Baylor

UT Arlington

Buy Tickets

No. 19 WBB Hosts UT Arlington in Midweek Matchup Wednesday

12/6/2022 2:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Baylor Game Notes Buy Tickets

Wednesday’s game is second of five home contests in December

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Moving back into the top 20 with Sunday's 79-35 blowout of Houston Christian, the No. 19 Baylor Bears (6-2) will host the UT Arlington Mavericks (5-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
            Riding a three-game winning streak, the Mavericks "seem to be playing a little bit to the level of their competition," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. UTA, an NCAA Tournament team last year as Sun Belt Conference Tournament champions, is coming off a narrow 60-56 win over a Lamar team the Bears blew out, 88-50, in the Nov. 7 season opener.
            "They've nearly gotten beat by teams that they're probably considerably better than," Collen said, "but then they've been really good against good opponents. So, I anticipate a really physical, really athletic game on Wednesday. And I'm glad it's Wednesday instead of Tuesday, even though I certainly wish our volleyball team was hosting."
            Instead of potentially playing a doubleheader with the men on Tuesday, the Baylor women got to move their game against UTA to Wednesday after the 17^th-ranked volleyball team advanced to a Sweet 16 matchup on the road at No. 2 Louisville.
            "Congrats to them for making the Sweet 16," Collen said. "I'm happy for them."
            Led by Western Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Starr Jacobs (15.9 ppg, 5.4 rebounds), UTA has a trio of double-figure scorers. Transfers Jireh Washington from Arkansas State and Kayla White from SMU are averaging 14.3 and 14.1 points, respectively, but both sat out the win over Lamar.
            Last year, Baylor dominated the Mavs, 81-54, behind a double-double from All-American forward NaLyssa Smith (21 points, 16 rebounds). Guards Sarah Andrews (13.7 ppg, 4.1 assists) and Ja'Mee Asberry (9.6 ppg) combined for 32 points in that game, while 6-0 senior forward Caitlin Bickle had seven points and eight boards.
            "Relative to three games in three days, it's not a quick turnaround," said Collen, comparing the three-day turnaround to three games in three days at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida, "but certainly quality of opponent. UTA is a team that, obviously, gave us trouble at the beginning of last season. We made a big run in the third quarter to kind of blow it open a year ago, but an NCAA Tournament team. They're big and athletic and they're going to mix zone and man and do some different things."
            Andrews sat out Sunday's game against Houston Christian after reaggravating an ankle injury and is listed as "day-to-day." Whether Andrews is back or not for Wednesday's game, senior Jaden Owens (12.1 ppg, 6.4 assists) will likely run the point for the Bears.
            "(Andrews) had sprained her ankle in the SMU game and reaggravated it in practice," Collen said. "She had just gotten over it and was starting to feel better, and then she landed on someone's foot shooting the basketball. So, bummed about that, for sure."
            Owens has been on a scoring tear of late, averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting 57.8% over the last four games. She was named to the all-tournament team at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
            "I just want to do whatever is best for my team," Owens said. "If that's Coach telling me I need to get in there and rebound more, I'm going to do that. Or defensively, just whatever my team needs me to do. I want to be the one to where if Coach says, 'Jaden, you have to go in and guard the post,' I'm going to do it. If I can't do it, I'm going to find a way to do it and I'll make it happen."
            Following Wednesday's game, Baylor will wrap up its non-conference schedule with three games in a seven-day stretch. The Bears will face 12^th-ranked Arizona (7-0) in the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge on Dec. 18 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, sandwiched between home games against Tennessee State (4-3) on Dec. 15 and Long Beach State (3-3) on Dec. 21.

WACO, Texas – The No. 19 Baylor women's basketball team (6-2) continues its homestand Wednesday when it hosts UT Arlington (5-4) inside the Ferrell Center.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. A live radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM) is also available for fans, as well as live in-game updates via Twitter or live stats.

LAST TIME OUT
Baylor topped the HCU Huskies, 79-35, on Sunday afternoon inside the Ferrell Center. The 44-point win was the largest margin of victory for BU against a non-conference opponent since besting Alcorn State by 54 last season.

A trio of Bears reached double figures, as freshman Bella Fontleroy matched a career-high 17 points to lead the way. Senior Jaden Owens notched 14 points to reach double digits for the fourth-straight game, while sophomore Kendra Gillispie added a career-high 10 points in her first-career start.

RECOGNIZING THE ROOKIE
Bella Fontleroy was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Monday for the second time this season. She led all rookies in the league in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. The Springfield, Mo., native poured in a game- and team-high 17 points in the victory and added a career-best 11 rebounds for her first-career double-double. Fontleroy has recorded double-figure scoring in four-straight games off the bench and six out of eight contests this season.

SCOUTING UTA AND THE SERIES
Baylor is 19-3 all-time against UTA and a perfect 13-0 in Waco. Last season, the Bears topped the Mavericks on the road, 81-54. The Mavs enter Wednesday's contest on a three-game win streak and 5-4 overall record. The game will be UTA's third against a Big 12 opponent this season after falling to Kansas (79-74) and Oklahoma (89-80). Six of the Mavericks' nine games have been decided by 10 points or less, and UTA is 2-1 in true road contests this season.

PROMOTIONS
The women's basketball team has partnered with South Waco Elementary for a coat drive this fall. Fans can bring a new or lightly used coat for kids, ages 5-13, to the marketing table on the concourse during Wednesday's game.

Tickets for Wednesday's game are available at BaylorBears.com.

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.

- BaylorBears.com -