WBB Ready for No. 25 Texas Sunday

Sunday, January 22

Waco, Texas

4 p.m.

Baylor

#25 Texas

Buy Tickets

WBB Ready for No. 25 Texas Sunday

1/21/2023 1:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Baylor Game Notes Buy Tickets

The game between the Bears, Longhorns airs nationally on ESPN2

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            In a league where the top eight teams were separated by just two games going into this weekend, the Baylor women (13-5, 4-2) will host 25^th-ranked Texas (13-6, 4-2) at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Ferrell Center in the Bears' "We Back Pat" game.
            "Every night, you have to expect to play your best game and they're going to play their best game," said fifth-year senior guard Jaden Owens, who's averaging 9.1 points and 5.9 assists. "You can't come out thinking, 'Oh, this is going to be an easy win.' In years past, it was like, 'Oh, we've got this one.' Every time, you have to prepare like this is the No. 1 team in the Big 12."
            The Longhorns still lead the all-time series, 59-48, but Baylor swept last year's regular-season series and had won 13 in a row before UT knocked off the top-seeded Bears, 67-58, in last year's Big 12 Championship final.
            When asked about the rivalry and Baylor fans' disdain for the Longhorns, fifth-year senior forward Caitlin Bickle (11.3 ppg, 7.4 rebounds) said "it's always been that way."
            "We have had a few other matchups that hit home for us, too," Bickle said. "I think Oklahoma's been a very relevant one for us personally. Baylor's campus, it's a huge rivalry with Texas. But, for sure, there are some other teams where it's really personal for us."
            Second-year Baylor head coach Nicki Collen, who is 2-1 against the Longhorns, challenged the Baylor fans to show up for Sunday's game.
            "I think it's great to say you want to beat them," she said, "but if you really want us to beat Texas, we need you to be in the building cheering against Texas to get us there. You're talking about two really good basketball teams, and the edge could go to the team with home-court advantage. We need that. You're seeing these huge crowds in women's basketball, and we need to continue to grow ours."
            Bickle said the crowd played a huge role in Wednesday's 69-48 win at home over Kansas State that snapped Baylor's two-game losing streak.
            "Every time we got a stop, or every time we needed them, it was great having them here," she said.
            Dominating the last three quarters, Baylor held K-State to 30% shooting overall and just 6-of-32 from outside the arc. The Bears also picked apart the Wildcats' zone defense, with Bickle finishing dishing out a career-high eight assists while feeding freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs for one layup after another.
            Littlepage-Buggs recorded her team-high seventh double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
            "Coach Nicki knows very well that I'm very good in the middle of the zone," said Bickle, who operated out of the high post. "We knew coming in that they were going to be in a zone, (Collen) wanted me in the middle, and it just happened to work out that way. People were getting open and shooters were making shots. Bella (Fontleroy), Aijha (Blackwell), Darianna, they were all making great cuts, so it just worked out."
            Since coming back from an injury that sidelined her for a month, Blackwell has been limited to 10-11 minutes in the two games she's played and made just 2-of-11 shots.
            "There will come a point in time when Aijha's tired of not being the Aijha Blackwell that's the best player on the court when she steps out there," Collen said of the Missouri transfer. "Hopefully, we can get her there. But I think it's a day-by situation. . . . We're just trying to protect her and do it in an integration way that, quite frankly, isn't easy for her and isn't easy for me. But we're trying to protect her long-term."
            Texas has a balanced attack led by grad transfers Sonya Morris (12.0 ppg) from DePaul and Shaylee Gonzales (11.9 ppg) from BYU, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year last season. Junior forward DeYona Gaston checks in at 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while sophomore point guard Rori Harmon (11.0 ppg) is averaging a league-best 9.2 assists in conference-only games.
            The Longhorns suffered an early blow when 6-1 sophomore forward Aaliyah Moore (11.2 ppg, 4.8 rebounds) had a season-ending ACL injury just nine games into the season.
            "They're a better 3-point shooting team, but I think stylistically they're the same," Collen said. "They're going to pick you up 94 feet, they're going to try to take you out of your stuff, they're going to try to deny all over the place, they're going to pressure the ball and try to create turnovers."
            Sunday's game will be televised by ESPN2, with Pam Ward and Las Vegas Aces president Nikki Vargas calling the action.
            While supplies last, fans can stop by the Baylor marketing tables on the concourse to get an exclusive "Greater Than" T-shirt.

WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's basketball team will battle No. 25 Texas on Sunday inside the Ferrell Center at 4 p.m. The game marks BU's seventh top-25 matchup of the year and third in Big 12 play.

The contest between the Bears (13-5, 4-2 Big 12) and the Longhorns (13-6, 4-2 Big 12) airs nationally on ESPN2. 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.

Fans in attendance can stop by the marketing tables on the concourse to get an exclusive "Greater Than" T-shirt while supplies last.

LAST TIME OUT
Baylor jumped back in the win column Wednesday night with a 69-48 victory over Kansas State inside the Ferrell Center, improving to 9-2 at home this season. The 21-point victory marked the ninth time this season the Bears have bested their opponent by at least 20 points. Additionally, it was the second-largest margin of win over a Big 12 opponent this year behind the 22-point win over TCU to start conference play.

Three Bears reached double figures, as Darianna Littlepage-Buggs recorded her team-high seventh double-double of the year with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the team in both categories.

SHARING IS CARING
In Wednesday's win over Kansas State, Baylor recorded an assist on 96.6% (28-of-29) of its made baskets, which was the highest percentage of assisted baskets in a Division I game this season. Caitlin Bickle led the way with a career-high eight assists, while Jaden Owens finished with seven and Jana Van Gytenbeek added four off the bench.

SCOUTING TEXAS AND THE SERIES
Texas holds the 59-48 advantage in the all-time series with Baylor, as the teams are knotted at 24 wins apiece in Waco. Last season, the Bears topped Texas twice in three days during the month of February, before the Longhorns responded with the 67-58 victory in the Big 12 Championship game in Kansas City. Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Bears had won 13-straight games against the Longhorns.

Texas is led by Vic Schaefer, who is in his third season at the helm in Austin. The Longhorns enter Sunday's game with a 13-6 overall record and 4-2 ledger in Big 12 action. Texas has five players averaging double figures led by Sonya Morris, who is sitting at 12.0 points per game. Morris and Shaylee Gonzales have started all 19 games for the Longhorns this season, as Gonzales is averaging 31.8 minutes a game.

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