By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
Especially during her first year, before she moved into her house, Baylor coach Nicki Collen would rarely leave the Ferrell Center before 10 p.m.
 
"I spent a lot of time here, so it just becomes a part of you," Collen said. "Just like any part of your life, it becomes home. It becomes where you build relationships. But walking (the Foster Pavilion) today, I definitely am excited to call that home and create those memories."
 
Playing their 537^th and final game at the 35-year-old Ferrell Center before moving into the new Foster Pavilion in January, the 10^th-ranked Baylor women (7-0) will host Delaware State (2-7) for the annual Future Bears Day game at 11 a.m. Thursday, with more than 6,000 elementary school students expected to attend the game.
 
"It's kind of sad because this is where it all started," said senior guard Sarah Andrews, who played her first game at the Ferrell Center on Nov. 25, 2020, when Baylor defeated Central Arkansas, 82-37. "I'm the only one who has played a lot of games in here. It's been a lot of memories. Sad to see it go, but let's go to Foster!"
 
Not so fast, Sarah.
 
Before the Bears' first scheduled game at the Foster Pavilion (Jan. 3 versus TCU), they will play Delaware State in a farewell to the Ferrell, followed by neutral-site matchups against No. 24 Miami (8-0) on Saturday in San Antonio, Providence (5-5) and South Florida (7-3) next week in the West Palm Beach Invitational and the conference opener Dec. 30 at No. 5/7 Texas (11-0).
 
"Between Christmas break and finals being done, they're just wired," Collen said. "Trying to keep them focused on the task at hand is a unique challenge. When you get back from Christmas, conference is coming up, and there tends to be a different focus. But this whole, we're done with school and now we have free time and now we have money to spend, it's not my favorite time as a coach."
 
This is the Bears' first game in 11 days since beating Oregon, 71-51, behind an 18-point outing by Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and a double-double by Aijha Blackwell with 10 points and 14 boards.
 
"You worry about the layoff, you worry about the sharpness, you worry about conditioning," Collen said of the 10-day break for fall semester final exams. "We were lucky, we had the practice guys up through (Wednesday). We won't have them now for a while. And we can certainly go against one another, but it always gets a little chippy."
 
Collen counts her introductory press conference at Baylor on May 3, 2021, as "a really impactful moment for me."
 
"I had never been to Waco before, let alone Ferrell," she said. "I think it was a significant moment because I had never been a part of a press conference where there were 1,000 people there. My press conference with the (WNBA's Atlanta) Dream was during a Hawks game in the media room at State Farm Arena. And there were a couple TV people and news reporters.
 
"I felt really good about where I was at in my career when I was with the Dream. But I think (the Baylor press conference) made me understand the importance of this job and the expectation and the support."
 
Andrews cites Baylor's 85-49 win over Kansas State on Feb. 27, 2021, when the Bears cut down the nets after clinching the outright conference title, as "the best memory so far."
 
"I've grown tremendously, honestly," she said, "from not playing my freshman year to coming in and starting my sophomore year, junior year, senior year, and now being a leader, being a veteran . . . I'm just happy to be here."
 
Similarly, Collen's "favorite moment" came in her first year at Baylor, when the Bears defeated Texas Tech, 82-57, on March 6, 2022, to clinch the Big 12 regular-season championship.
 
"Confetti coming down against Texas Tech," Collen said. "We had dominated from start to finish in that game. To me, the Ferrell Center is as much about its warts as its greatest moments. The men's gym will be a sauna and our gym will be an icebox, or vice versa. It's the rain and towels in the practice gym, at times."
 
The Bears are an unbeaten 6-0 in the Ferrell Center this year and 436-100 all-time.
 
"I feel it's going to be good for us, all the energy," senior forward Catarina Ferreira said of the 6,000 elementary school children for the game. "I know they're going to be screaming and yelling, but we're excited. It's going to be a fun game."
 
Baylor features a balanced attack that includes four double-figure scorers and seven averaging at least 8.3 points per game. Kentucky transfer Dre'Una Edwards leads the way with 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, followed by Andrews (12.3 ppg, 4.0 assists), Littlepage-Buggs (12.0 ppg, 6.7 rebounds) and Blackwell (10.6 ppg, 7.4 rebounds).
 
"It's been a while since we played," Andrews said. "So, I think (Thursday) we've got to come out and play to prepare for Miami. But most of all, we've got to take it one game at a time. We can't focus on Miami today. We play Delaware State (Thursday). That's not how it goes. You've got to take it one game at a time. As soon as we're done with Delaware, then we'll start preparing for Miami."
 
Thursday'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.



WACO, Texas – The No. 10 Baylor women's basketball team returns to action after 10 days off when it hosts Delaware State for its annual Future Bears Day game on Thursday at 11 a.m. before traveling to San Antonio for the Hall of Fame Series game with Miami on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Thursday's game with the Hornets marks the final regular-season contest at the Ferrell Center for the women's program in the 35-year history of the arena. 
 
Both games are available on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ while live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter and live stats. Additionally, a live radio broadcast will be available on ESPN Central Texas (1660AM/92.3 FM) on Thursday and locally on 104.9 FM on Saturday. 
 
STARTING FIVE

• Baylor is ranked No. 10 for the second-straight week in the AP Top-25 Poll. The Bears' appearance in the top 10 last week marked the first time since week 18 of the 2021-22 season that BU found itself in the top-10. 
• The Bears are coming off their fifth game with a margin of victory of 20-plus points, their most recent a 71-51 win over the Oregon Ducks (Dec. 3) that moved BU to 7-0 on the season.
• Aijha Blackwell turned in her best performance of the year, recording her team-leading 35th double-double of her career with 10 points and 12 rebounds while adding a career-high five steals. 
• The pair of matchups this week will be Baylor's first against Delaware State and just the third meeting with Miami. The two previous outings against Miami were also at neutral sites, most recently in 2015. 
• Baylor is seeking its eighth-straight win to start the year on Thursday. With this accomplishment, the Bears will match their best start since the 2018-19 season. 

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS AND THE SERIES
Delaware State enters Thursday's game with a 2-7 record and will be playing its eighth road game of the year. The meeting between the Bears and the Hornets will be the first matchup in program history. The Hornets have won two of their last three contests, picking up a 25-point win over Long Island in that stretch. Delaware State has three players averaging double figures, led by Tyshonne Tollie's 12.3 points per game.
 
Saturday's meeting with Miami marks the third between the Bears and the Canes in program history and it will be the third time meeting on neutral ground. The series is split at one win apiece with the last going in favor of the Bears, 88-81, in 2015. Miami is 8-0 to begin the season and ranked No. 24 in the most recent AP Top-25 Poll. The Canes have a pair averaging double figures, led by Jasmyne Roberts at 12.1 points per contest. 
 
PROMOTIONS
Thursday's game has been tabbed Future Bears Day with over 6,000 elementary school students planning to be in attendance. To account for the size of this event, we ask that all ticket holders sit in sections 101, 103, 111, 113 and 123. Rows 2-16 will be for general seating and rows A-F will still be reserved. For questions about seating, contact the Baylor Ticket Office at 254-710-1000. Event staff ushers will also be able to assist fans on game day.
 
HALL OF FAME SERIES INFORMATION
The Baylor vs. Miami game will be the first of three contests a part of the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio this year and the only women's basketball game at the event. The contest is slated for 4 p.m. and will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets on the event website here. 
 
To stay up to date on all things Baylor women's basketball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.