Wednesday, January 18
Waco, Texas
7 p.m.
Baylor
vs
Kansas State
WBB Begins Two-Game Homestand with Kansas State Wednesday
1/17/2023 4:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Matchup against Wildcats has been tabbed Salute to Heroes night
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Out of the Associated Press poll for the first time in 19 years, the Baylor women (12-5, 3-2) will try to get back on track when the Bears host Kansas State (12-6, 1-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
An historic streak of 364-consecutive weeks in the Associated Press poll ended Monday after Baylor followed a pair of top-25 road wins with back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State (70-65) and West Virginia (74-65). The Bears fell from 18th the week before to first among others receiving votes in the AP rankings, 11 points below 25th-ranked Texas, and are 24th in the coaches' poll.
On Sunday, Baylor lost a back-and-forth game at West Virginia. Trailing by as many as 14, the Bears rallied to go up by 10 in the third quarter, but the Mountaineers used a 9-0 run in the fourth to pull away for their first homecourt win against Baylor in 10 trips to WVU Coliseum.
"I don't know if we just got comfortable (in the third quarter), but we stopped defending," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. "They did a good job of getting those guards open in high-ball screens, and we didn't do a good job of covering them. That's all we worked on for two full practices was guarding their middle ball-screen actions."
West Virginia finished with a 22-4 edge in points off turnovers, but Baylor's outside shooting was arguably the difference in the game. The Bears shot just 24.1% from 3-point range (7-of-29), with starting guards Ja'Mee Asberry and Jaden Owens combining to go 1-for-12 from distance and 2-for-18 overall.
Baylor scored just eight fourth-quarter points, going 3-for-16 from the floor and 0-for-6 from outside the arc, but "Ja'Mee didn't make shots all night," Collen said.
"For her, it was all game long," Collen said of Asberry's 1-for-12 night. "And she's a really, really good shooter. With Ja'Mee, I always believe the next one's going in. But obviously, between Jaden and Ja'Mee, they just didn't have any offensive production."
The Bears did welcome back senior forward Aijha Blackwell, who sparked a 12-0 run in the second quarter and finished with two points, three rebounds and one assist in 11 minutes off the bench.
"Hopefully, we can get Aijha a little more practice time," Collen said. "She needs repetition to get back to the player that we saw the first month of the season. It's going to be a slow process back, I think, but it was good to see her out there. It was good to have that option, if only in limited capacity."
With Owens (9.6 ppg, 5.9 assists) and Blackwell (9.5 ppg, 5.3 rebounds) both dropping out after scoring four and three points, respectively, the Bears have just three double-figure scorers going into Wednesday's game against K-State. Sarah Andrews is fifth in the league in scoring (15.9) and fourth in assists (4.6), while Caitlin Bickle and Asberry check in with 11.6 and 10.6 points per game.
"We are not a team that's good when we have one big scorer," Collen said of Andrews scoring a game-high 24 points against West Virginia. "We're just not, that's not who we are. We're at our best when we're sharing the ball and we're assisting on our baskets. Even 14 assists on 24 baskets, that's not good for us."
K-State's scoring has been dominated by Oklahoma transfer Gabby Gregory, who's tied for the Big 12 lead and top-25 nationally with 19.7 points per game. The Wildcats miss the inside presence of 6-6 center Ayoka Lee, who underwent season-ending knee surgery, but 6-1 sophomores Jaelyn Green and Serena Sundell are averaging 12.3 and 11.5 points, respectively, and helping out on the boards with five-plus rebounds per game.
Since winning nine of its first 10 games, including a huge upset of then-No. 4 Iowa (84-83), Kansas State has dropped five of its last eight and opened league play with a 1-4 mark.
"Kansas State can shoot the 3, so we've got to guard the arc better," Collen said of a K-State team that is second in the league with 138 made 3-pointers. "But they'll also get you stretched out 5-out and attack and play to mismatches. Gregory is a mismatch nightmare. Different kind of team, very different kind of team. Dangerous in a different way."
Baylor has dominated the all-time series, leading 41-9 overall and 18-1 at home, but the Wildcats snapped a 36-game losing streak with a 68-59 win in last year's league opener in Manhattan when the 10th-ranked Bears were shorthanded. BU dominated the rematch in Waco a month later, 95-50, with Andrews hitting five 3-pointers and being one of four players scoring at least 19 points.
"I just think everybody in this league is good and you better show up every night," Collen said, "because there aren't any guarantees."
Wednesday's 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.
The Bears wrap up a two-game homestand with a matchup against No. 25 Texas (13-5, 4-1) at 4 p.m. Sunday in a game that will be televised by ESPN2.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's basketball team hosts Kansas State on Wednesday inside the Ferrell Center at 7 p.m.
The contest between the Bears (12-5, 3-2 Big 12) and the Wildcats (12-6, 1-4 Big 12) is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and a live radio broadcast is also available for fans on the Varsity Network App or locally on 1660 AM/92.3 FM. Additionally, live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter or live stats.
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday's contest has been tabbed Salute to Heroes night. Active and retired military members, first responders, healthcare workers and teachers with a valid ID can receive free walk-up admission to the game.
The 2023 Division I Women's Basketball National Championship trophy is on its college tour and is making a stop at the Ferrell Center on Wednesday. Fans can take photos with the trophy pregame on the concourse.
LAST TIME OUT
Baylor was unable to overcome West Virginia on the road Sunday afternoon, falling 74-65. For the second-straight game, the Bears turned in a season-best performance at the free throw line, shooting 83.3% (10-for-12).
The Bears erased a 14-point deficit heading into the locker room at halftime, closing on a 16-1 run behind Sarah Andrews' team-leading nine points to hold a 34-33 advantage. The junior guard finished with a team-high 24 points - her fifth 20-plus point performance of the year. As a team, the Bears outrebounded the Mountaineers, 46-37, marking the 13th time this season Baylor has outrebounded its opponent.
THE REBOUNDING ROOKIE
After her career-high 15 rebounds at West Virginia on Sunday, Littlepage-Buggs has soared back to the top of the leaderboard among Division I freshmen in the category. Averaging, 8.9 rebounds per game, Littlepage-Buggs sits just above Oregon State's Raegan Beers (8.8/game) and is one of just four freshmen in the country averaging at least eight rebounds a game. She finished with 14 points against the Mountaineers, turning in her team-best sixth double-double of the year. Her six double-doubles is tied for the third most among players in the Big 12 this season. Littlepage-Buggs ranks fifth overall in the league in rebounding and third overall in Big 12 action.
SUPER SENIOR
In her fifth season at Baylor, Caitlin Bickle has continued to make a difference for the Bears, especially through the first five Big 12 games for BU. During Big 12 play, Bickle ranks second in the league in rebounding, sitting at 9.2 rebounds per game, while ranking third in defensive rebounds (6.6/game).
On the year, Bickle has reached double-figure scoring nine times and double-figure rebounding on five occasions. Bickle has notched double figures in the points column four of the last five games and tied a career-high 12 rebounds in back-to-back games against Kansas and Oklahoma State, reaching double digits in three of five Big 12 contests.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE AND THE SERIES
Baylor is 41-9 in the all-time series with Kansas State, and an impressive 18-1 in Waco. Last season, the teams split the two-game series, with the Bears coming out on top, 95-50, after a 68-59 setback on the road to start Big 12 play. Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Bears had won 36-straight games against the Wildcats.
Kansas State is led by Jeff Mittie, who is currently in his ninth season at the helm and has a 157-116 record with the Wildcats. The Wildcats enter Wednesday's game with a 12-6 overall record and 1-4 ledger in Big 12 play. Kansas State has three players averaging double figures, led by Gabby Gregory's 19.7 points per game. The senior has turned in 11 20-plus point performances this season, including a pair of 30-plus point outpourings against Northern Arizona and South Dakota State.
Baylor Bear Insider
Out of the Associated Press poll for the first time in 19 years, the Baylor women (12-5, 3-2) will try to get back on track when the Bears host Kansas State (12-6, 1-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
An historic streak of 364-consecutive weeks in the Associated Press poll ended Monday after Baylor followed a pair of top-25 road wins with back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State (70-65) and West Virginia (74-65). The Bears fell from 18th the week before to first among others receiving votes in the AP rankings, 11 points below 25th-ranked Texas, and are 24th in the coaches' poll.
On Sunday, Baylor lost a back-and-forth game at West Virginia. Trailing by as many as 14, the Bears rallied to go up by 10 in the third quarter, but the Mountaineers used a 9-0 run in the fourth to pull away for their first homecourt win against Baylor in 10 trips to WVU Coliseum.
"I don't know if we just got comfortable (in the third quarter), but we stopped defending," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. "They did a good job of getting those guards open in high-ball screens, and we didn't do a good job of covering them. That's all we worked on for two full practices was guarding their middle ball-screen actions."
West Virginia finished with a 22-4 edge in points off turnovers, but Baylor's outside shooting was arguably the difference in the game. The Bears shot just 24.1% from 3-point range (7-of-29), with starting guards Ja'Mee Asberry and Jaden Owens combining to go 1-for-12 from distance and 2-for-18 overall.
Baylor scored just eight fourth-quarter points, going 3-for-16 from the floor and 0-for-6 from outside the arc, but "Ja'Mee didn't make shots all night," Collen said.
"For her, it was all game long," Collen said of Asberry's 1-for-12 night. "And she's a really, really good shooter. With Ja'Mee, I always believe the next one's going in. But obviously, between Jaden and Ja'Mee, they just didn't have any offensive production."
The Bears did welcome back senior forward Aijha Blackwell, who sparked a 12-0 run in the second quarter and finished with two points, three rebounds and one assist in 11 minutes off the bench.
"Hopefully, we can get Aijha a little more practice time," Collen said. "She needs repetition to get back to the player that we saw the first month of the season. It's going to be a slow process back, I think, but it was good to see her out there. It was good to have that option, if only in limited capacity."
With Owens (9.6 ppg, 5.9 assists) and Blackwell (9.5 ppg, 5.3 rebounds) both dropping out after scoring four and three points, respectively, the Bears have just three double-figure scorers going into Wednesday's game against K-State. Sarah Andrews is fifth in the league in scoring (15.9) and fourth in assists (4.6), while Caitlin Bickle and Asberry check in with 11.6 and 10.6 points per game.
"We are not a team that's good when we have one big scorer," Collen said of Andrews scoring a game-high 24 points against West Virginia. "We're just not, that's not who we are. We're at our best when we're sharing the ball and we're assisting on our baskets. Even 14 assists on 24 baskets, that's not good for us."
K-State's scoring has been dominated by Oklahoma transfer Gabby Gregory, who's tied for the Big 12 lead and top-25 nationally with 19.7 points per game. The Wildcats miss the inside presence of 6-6 center Ayoka Lee, who underwent season-ending knee surgery, but 6-1 sophomores Jaelyn Green and Serena Sundell are averaging 12.3 and 11.5 points, respectively, and helping out on the boards with five-plus rebounds per game.
Since winning nine of its first 10 games, including a huge upset of then-No. 4 Iowa (84-83), Kansas State has dropped five of its last eight and opened league play with a 1-4 mark.
"Kansas State can shoot the 3, so we've got to guard the arc better," Collen said of a K-State team that is second in the league with 138 made 3-pointers. "But they'll also get you stretched out 5-out and attack and play to mismatches. Gregory is a mismatch nightmare. Different kind of team, very different kind of team. Dangerous in a different way."
Baylor has dominated the all-time series, leading 41-9 overall and 18-1 at home, but the Wildcats snapped a 36-game losing streak with a 68-59 win in last year's league opener in Manhattan when the 10th-ranked Bears were shorthanded. BU dominated the rematch in Waco a month later, 95-50, with Andrews hitting five 3-pointers and being one of four players scoring at least 19 points.
"I just think everybody in this league is good and you better show up every night," Collen said, "because there aren't any guarantees."
Wednesday's 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.
The Bears wrap up a two-game homestand with a matchup against No. 25 Texas (13-5, 4-1) at 4 p.m. Sunday in a game that will be televised by ESPN2.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's basketball team hosts Kansas State on Wednesday inside the Ferrell Center at 7 p.m.
The contest between the Bears (12-5, 3-2 Big 12) and the Wildcats (12-6, 1-4 Big 12) is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and a live radio broadcast is also available for fans on the Varsity Network App or locally on 1660 AM/92.3 FM. Additionally, live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter or live stats.
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday's contest has been tabbed Salute to Heroes night. Active and retired military members, first responders, healthcare workers and teachers with a valid ID can receive free walk-up admission to the game.
The 2023 Division I Women's Basketball National Championship trophy is on its college tour and is making a stop at the Ferrell Center on Wednesday. Fans can take photos with the trophy pregame on the concourse.
LAST TIME OUT
Baylor was unable to overcome West Virginia on the road Sunday afternoon, falling 74-65. For the second-straight game, the Bears turned in a season-best performance at the free throw line, shooting 83.3% (10-for-12).
The Bears erased a 14-point deficit heading into the locker room at halftime, closing on a 16-1 run behind Sarah Andrews' team-leading nine points to hold a 34-33 advantage. The junior guard finished with a team-high 24 points - her fifth 20-plus point performance of the year. As a team, the Bears outrebounded the Mountaineers, 46-37, marking the 13th time this season Baylor has outrebounded its opponent.
THE REBOUNDING ROOKIE
After her career-high 15 rebounds at West Virginia on Sunday, Littlepage-Buggs has soared back to the top of the leaderboard among Division I freshmen in the category. Averaging, 8.9 rebounds per game, Littlepage-Buggs sits just above Oregon State's Raegan Beers (8.8/game) and is one of just four freshmen in the country averaging at least eight rebounds a game. She finished with 14 points against the Mountaineers, turning in her team-best sixth double-double of the year. Her six double-doubles is tied for the third most among players in the Big 12 this season. Littlepage-Buggs ranks fifth overall in the league in rebounding and third overall in Big 12 action.
SUPER SENIOR
In her fifth season at Baylor, Caitlin Bickle has continued to make a difference for the Bears, especially through the first five Big 12 games for BU. During Big 12 play, Bickle ranks second in the league in rebounding, sitting at 9.2 rebounds per game, while ranking third in defensive rebounds (6.6/game).
On the year, Bickle has reached double-figure scoring nine times and double-figure rebounding on five occasions. Bickle has notched double figures in the points column four of the last five games and tied a career-high 12 rebounds in back-to-back games against Kansas and Oklahoma State, reaching double digits in three of five Big 12 contests.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE AND THE SERIES
Baylor is 41-9 in the all-time series with Kansas State, and an impressive 18-1 in Waco. Last season, the teams split the two-game series, with the Bears coming out on top, 95-50, after a 68-59 setback on the road to start Big 12 play. Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Bears had won 36-straight games against the Wildcats.
Kansas State is led by Jeff Mittie, who is currently in his ninth season at the helm and has a 157-116 record with the Wildcats. The Wildcats enter Wednesday's game with a 12-6 overall record and 1-4 ledger in Big 12 play. Kansas State has three players averaging double figures, led by Gabby Gregory's 19.7 points per game. The senior has turned in 11 20-plus point performances this season, including a pair of 30-plus point outpourings against Northern Arizona and South Dakota State.
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballBaylor Basketball (W): Postgame vs. Lindenwood | November 9, 2025
Monday, November 10
Baylor Basketball (W): Condensed Game vs. Lindenwood | November 9, 2025
Sunday, November 09
Baylor Basketball (W): Kiersten Johnson (10 PTS) Highlights vs. Lindenwood | November 9, 2025
Sunday, November 09
Baylor Basketball (W): Bella Fontleroy (26 PTS) Highlights vs. Lindenwood | November 9, 2025
Sunday, November 09
