No. 23 WBB Ready for Tuesday Test at No. 17 Oklahoma

Tuesday, January 3

Norman, Okla.

6 p.m.

Baylor

#17 Oklahoma

No. 23 WBB Ready for Tuesday Test at No. 17 Oklahoma

1/2/2023 2:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Baylor Game Notes

Tuesday’s game marks Bears’ first true road contest of 2022-23 season

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Similar to going from a steady marathon pace to a constant sprint, the No. 23/22 Baylor women have to transition from defending TCU's patient, slow-down attack to an Oklahoma team that plays "just as fast on makes as they do on misses."
            Coming off a 64-42 conference-opening win at home over the Horned Frogs, the Bears (10-3, 1-0) will travel north to take on the 17^th-ranked Sooners (11-1, 1-0) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
            "It's like, put your track shoes on, and you're not allowed to be tired," said Collen, who used a seven-player rotation for most of Saturday's game against TCU. "Oklahoma does not care if you score, it's how fast can we get it out and score on you? So, you can't celebrate. Celebrations happen at timeouts and end of quarters and when you win the basketball game."
            The Sooners lead the Big 12 and rank fourth nationally, averaging 88.4 points per game. They scored 54 second-half points in rallying to beat West Virginia, 98-77, on Saturday behind a season-high 28 points from sixth-year senior guard Ana Llanusa.
            One of the oldest and most-experienced teams in the league, OU is led by fifth-year seniors Taylor Robertson (11.0 ppg) and Madi Williams (17.1 ppg, 5.8 rebounds). Both are returning unanimous first-team All-Big 12 picks with over 2,000 career points, while Robertson needs 16 more 3-pointers to break the NCAA record held by Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell (497).
            "(Williams) comes at you as a 5-11 guard playing the (power forward), attacks and shoots and makes plays off the bounce and is just like a point forward," Collen said. "And then, they just surround (Williams and Robertson) with really solid players who know their role.
            "I haven't seen anything that I didn't see a year ago, it's just now they have a year in (head coach Jennie Baranczyk's) system and a year of confidence and a year of, 'we know this works.'''
            The Sooners swept the season series a year ago, winning 83-77 in Norman and 78-77 in Waco, but Baylor got the best of them at the Big 12 Tournament with a 91-76 win in the semifinals. OU dropped three-straight and four of its last seven regular-season games to finish fourth in the league behind Baylor, Iowa State and Texas.
            "I didn't forget that," Baylor junior guard Sarah Andrews said of Oklahoma's regular-season sweep. "We came back and we got them in the (Big 12 tournament). They're going to come out ready to attack us. They've got that dog in them. Honestly, that's somebody you love to play against because they're physical and that's going to test your character."
            While senior forward Aijha Blackwell (11.0 ppg, 5.8 rebounds) is out for the second time with an injury, Baylor has five other players averaging double-digit points. Andrews leads the way at 13.1, followed by Caitlin Bickle (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rebounds), Jaden Owens (10.3 ppg, 6.3 assists), Ja'Mee Asberry (10.3 ppg) and freshman Bella Fontleroy (10.2 ppg, 6.0 rebounds).
            Additionally, freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs is averaging 9.2 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds with eight blocks and 11 steals.
            "Obviously, we're playing a different team, but I think against Oklahoma it's downhill," said Bickle, who had a game- and season-high 19 points against TCU. "We have plenty of great shooters. We could see that today. But once again, it's just attacking them, and then taking our gap defense and being able to guard as a team and just play together like we did today."
            Asberry scored eight of her 16 points against TCU in the fourth quarter, knocking down a pair of late 3-pointers. After missing 27 of her first 38 shots from 3-point range (28.9%), Asberry has been on a tear of late, knocking down 10-of-21 (47.6%) from distance.
            "Ja'Mee has always been able to shoot the ball," Andrews said. "She can go 0-for-10, and I'm still going to pass it to her on the 11^th one. Because I know, as soon as that first one goes in, she's lights-out. I love playing with her. You've got to pick your poison. If I'm playing downhill, are you going to help off of her? What are you going to do? It's just good to see the ball going in for her."
            Despite last year's regular-season sweep, Baylor still leads the series 33-27 overall and 15-12 in Norman. The Sooners are riding an eight-game winning streak since getting blown out 124-78 on the second of back-to-back games at altitude by a Utah team that is now ranked in the top 10.
            "For anyone that's played at altitude, you don't really know until you know it," Collen said. "Coaching at Colorado State, we knew when we got the Sunday team on a Friday-Sunday swing, midway through the third quarter they weren't going to realize they were done, but they were done. Back-to-back at altitude is a challenge. We're just about to hit the gauntlet, because (OU is) good and Kansas is good."
            The Bears play two-straight on the road, facing No. 21 Kansas (11-1, 1-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lawrence.
            Tuesday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Chad McKee and former WNBA coach Dan Hughes calling the action.

NORMAN, Okla. - A week on the road for the No. 23 Baylor women's basketball team begins on Tuesday when it takes on No. 17 Oklahoma. Tip-off from the Lloyd Noble Center is set for 6 p.m.

The contest between the Bears (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) and the Sooners (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and a live radio broadcast is also available for fans on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM). Live in-game updates will also be provided via Twitter or live stats.

LAST TIME OUT
Baylor opened Big 12 play with a 64-42 victory over TCU at the Ferrell Center on New Year's Eve. The win marked the 34th-straight victory for the Bears over the Horned Frogs, moving to 46-5 in the series all-time, as BU improved to 17-10 in Big 12 openers.

Baylor forced 23 turnovers by TCU, making it the sixth time this season the Bears have forced their opponents to turn the ball over at least 20 times. For the 11th time this season, BU outrebounded its opponent, finishing with 38 as a team. Sophomore Kendra Gillispie matched a career-high finishing with seven, alongside fifth-year Caitlin Bickle and freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who each grabbed seven boards.

Bickle led the way offensively, pouring in a season-best 19 points, going 3-for-4 from 3-point range. With the performance, she reached double-figure scoring for the sixth time this year and 16th time in her career. Junior Sarah Andrews added 14 points, reaching double figures for the ninth time this season, while graduate Ja'Mee Asberry also finished in double digits, notching 16 in the win.

TOUGH DEFENSE
As a team, the Bears are holding their opponents to the fewest points per game (53.8) among teams in the Big 12 while teams are shooting just 25.5% from behind the 3-point arc. Both Baylor's scoring defense (53.8) and 3-point percentage defense (25.5%) lead the conference and rank 15th and 23rd nationally.

Baylor has held five opponents to less than 20 points in the opening half this season, including a season-low 13 points scored by HCU in the opening 20 minutes on Dec. 4. The Bears have held three opponents (Incarnate Word, HCU, Tennessee State) to five or less points in at least one
quarter, and an additional four teams to 10 or less in a frame.

BU's Asberry played a significant role in holding TCU's leading scorer Tomi Taiwo to just six points on Saturday, as the graduate student was averaging 14.5 points per game coming into the contest. Her six points were the second fewest scored by the guard in a game this season.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA AND THE SERIES
Baylor leads the all-time series with Oklahoma, 33-27, and hold a 15-12 record on the road. The Bears had won 12 straight against the Sooners, dating back to the 2015-16 season, before Oklahoma swept the two-game series last season. Baylor bounced back in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament last year in Kansas City, powering past the Sooners, 91-76. Bickle finished with a career-high 21 points, going 8-for-14 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Oklahoma moved up three spots in the latest AP Top 25 Poll released Monday to No. 17 and have an 11-1 overall record. The Sooners opened conference play on Saturday with a 98-77 victory on the road at West Virginia. The Sooners are a perfect 6-0 in home contests this year, while Baylor will be playing its first true road game of the 2022-23 campaign.

The Sooners have four players averaging double figures, led by Madi Williams who is sitting at 17.1 points per game entering Tuesday's contest. As a team, Oklahoma leads the league in scoring offense (88.42) and field-goal percentage (47.0%) and is just above Baylor in assists (21.00).

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