No. 18 WBB Falls to OSU, 70-65

Wednesday, January 11

Waco, Texas

7 p.m.

Baylor

Oklahoma State

No. 18 WBB Falls to OSU, 70-65

1/11/2023 9:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Asberry scores game-high 19 in Bears' first conference loss

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Forgetting for just a moment that a target is always on the back of the 12-time defending Big 12 champion, Nicki Collen said the 18^th-ranked Baylor Bears "played a little too cool for school" Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.
            Oklahoma State (12-4, 2-2) held off a pair of fourth-quarter runs and rode the hot hand of Kansas City transfer Naomie Alnatas to end a 14-game losing streak in the series and pull out a 70-65 win over the Bears (12-4, 3-1).
            "I think we came in thinking we were that team," said senior guard Jaden Owens, one of Baylor's four double-figure scorers with 10 points and seven assists. "We've had good wins on the road, at home, and we just came out a little too relaxed, forgetting that we have a target on our back."
            Even though the Cowgirls led for all but five minutes, Baylor had its chances in the fourth quarter.
            OSU took control early, reeling off 11 unanswered points and taking a 16-7 lead on a three-point play by Alnatas, who hit three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and four assists.
            After Owens hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring less than a minute into the game, the Bears missed their next 12 attempts from outside the arc and trailed 34-28 at the break.
            "I think a lot of people say we live and die by the 3," Collen said. "I'm just telling you, if you watch basketball, it's not true. Normally, 30 percent of our shots are 3's. That's not even close to living and dying by the 3. I'm sure we died by the 3 tonight, there's some truth to that, but that's not how we play. It's not what we ask them to do."
            The Cowgirls pushed the lead back to nine on a Lior Garzon 3-pointer with 3:04 left in the third quarter, but Baylor closed the period with buckets by Owens and Sarah Andrews and then freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs blocked a 3-point attempt by Alnatas.
            Andrews, the reigning National and Big 12 Player of the Week, hit back-to-back treys in a 9-2 run that Ja'Mee Asberry capped with a corner 3-pointer to tie it up at 52-52.
            Just like that, though, OSU answered with eight unanswered points on 3-pointers by Alnatas and Arizona transfer Anna Gret Asi and a layup by Taylen Collins off a Baylor turnover.
            "We gave them maybe two open 3's, like wide open, where we went under two ball screens," Collen said. "We needed to make them make plays at the rim rather than step into 3's."
            Asberry hit a pair of free throws and a corner 3-pointer in another 9-2 run by the Bears that made it a one-point game, 62-61, with 2:32 left. But, with a chance to give Baylor its first lead since early in the first quarter, Asberry missed both free throws after falling on her right hand when she got fouled by Terryn Milton.
            "That was the game," Collen said. "We can't miss two free throws in a one-point game. Don't get me wrong, I know she wanted to make them. That's not me putting pressure on a kid, that's just the reality of the game. You get in close games, and you've got to make those free throws."
            In a bizarre play that saw OSU's Claire Chastain slip on the floor and come up hobbling, Baylor's defense seemed to relax as Alnatas drained a back-breaking 3-pointer with 55.5 seconds left that put the Cowgirls up 65-61.
            "We made a mistake there late when Chastain went down," Collen said. "We should have been doubling the heck out of the ball, let alone letting somebody shoot it. When you're playing 5-on-4, you don't worry about the kid laying down.
            "In that situation, it's certainly up to the officials whether they're going to blow the whistle or they're not. But you can't assume as a defensive player that they're going to do anything."
            With the Bears forced to foul, OSU clinched it by making five free throws in the last 25 seconds.
            "I have so much faith in this team and this coaching staff, I never thought we weren't going to win," Owens said. "From the tipoff to the end, I thought we could win it."
            Asberry had a game-high 19 points against her former team, while Andrews scored 12 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter. Freshman Bella Fontleroy added 10 points, with senior forward Caitlin Bickle chipping in with eight points and 12 rebounds before fouling out late in the game.
            Garzon was 3-of-5 from outside the arc and scored 17 points for the Cowgirls. Chastain and Collins had nine boards apiece to help OSU win the rebounding battle, 41-33.
            Baylor goes back on the road to face West Virginia (11-4, 2-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Morgantown. The Mountaineers have reeled off two-straight wins after lopsided losses against Oklahoma and Iowa State.

NOTABLES

The Bears shot a season-best 81.3% (13-for-16) from the free throw line, led by Sarah Andrews' perfect 6-for-6.
For the third time this season, and first time in conference play, Baylor committed a season-low 10 turnovers, while notching 18 points off of OSU's 16 turnovers.
For the second-straight game, four Bears reached double figures led by Ja'Mee Asberry's season-high 19 points.
Andrews turned in 16 points, continuing her streak of double-digit performances. In league play, the junior guard has reached double figures in all four contests and is averaging 21.8 points per game.
For the third-straight outing, Caitlin Bickle finished in double-figure rebounding, tying her career-high for the second-straight game, securing 12.
Jaden Owens continued to dish it out, leading the team with seven assists. The senior guard has now led the Bears in assists in all but four games this season.