Thursday, February 1
Waco, Texas
7:30 PM
Baylor
vs
Texas
No. 13 WBB Hosts No. 12 Texas in Thursday Night Showdown
1/31/2024 2:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The game is set to air nationally on ESPN at 7:30 p.m.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Bottom line, Thursday's 7:30 p.m. game at Foster Pavilion will be the last time that the 13th-ranked Baylor women and No. 12 Texas will play a regular-season game as Big 12 rivals.
"I don't think (Texas coach Vic Schaefer) has skirted playing good competition, and neither have we," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. "Whether it's next year or in the future, I don't think it's the last time you'll see Baylor and Texas play one another, but certainly with the Big 12 brand."
Conference rivals for the last 40-plus years, going back to the Southwest Conference, Baylor (16-3, 5-3) and Texas (19-3, 6-3) have been at or near the top of the league for most of its 28-year history. But along with Oklahoma, Texas leaves for the SEC after this season.
The Bears had won 13 in a row and 27 of 28 games in the series before losing to the Longhorns in the 2022 Big 12 tournament final and then splitting last year's two games.
Baylor is going for a season series sweep after beating Texas, 85-79, in the conference opener on Dec. 30 in Austin. The Bears had five double-figure scorers, led by Jada Walker with 19 points, while Texas freshman Madison Booker had 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in just her second game filling in for Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Rori Harmon at point.
"I think they are different. I think we're different," Collen said. "When you look at that game, Aijha (Blackwell) was coming off an injury and was ineffective in the 10 minutes she played. And we have Aijha back now. Taylor Jones being back makes them different. It makes them harder to guard at the 5 (center).
"While (Khadijah) Faye is a very good rebounder, scores around the rim, she's more of a recipient scorer than someone that they play to a lot. You have to game plan for Taylor Jones."
Harmon suffered a season-ending ACL injury prior to the first matchup against Baylor, while the 6-4 Jones (13.7 ppg, 7.1 rebounds) missed four games with a hip injury. One of the top freshmen in the country, the 6-1 Booker has averaged more than 20 points per game in conference play and is averaging 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the season.
After losing to unranked Oklahoma at home, the Longhorns bounced back with a 67-50 road win over Cincinnati, even with 6-2 senior forward DeYona Gaston (ankle) and Booker (hamstring) both out with injuries.
"Madison Booker was very, very good against us the last time and has continued to be very, very good against everyone else as well," Collen said. "I thought we got to her early. And Vic put her on the bench for a little bit, to get her thoughts back. And she responded really well. They simplified, ran fewer things, they kept the ball in the middle of the floor against us, got in a lot of ball screens, just really did a good job playing in the tunnel."
Baylor had lost three of four before rallying from an early nine-point deficit to defeat Oklahoma State, 72-60, Sunday afternoon on the road. Dre'Una Edwards and Bella Fontleroy had 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Blackwell had seven points and a season-high 19 rebounds.
"I would say we just woke up," said Blackwell, who is averaging 8.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. "We just woke up and started playing as a team, started sharing the ball, started going through our zone offense, because we know teams are going to throw that at us."
The 5-foot-11 Blackwell, who led the SEC in rebounding two years ago at Missouri with 13.1 rebounds per game, has had double-digit rebounds in five of the last six games.
"Aijha is starting to rebound now because we tend to have her guard in the interior," Collen said. "She's been an effective defensive rebounder for us. She's strong, she's not afraid of contact, all those things. My challenge to her was we need the offensive rebounding version, where you're relentless on the glass."
Thursday's game will be nationally televised by ESPN, with Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe calling the action.
WACO, Texas – The No. 13 Baylor women's basketball team will face No. 12 Texas for the final time in the regular season as a Big 12 opponent on Thursday.
Tip-off from Foster Pavilion is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe on the call. A live radio broadcast will be available on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM) and live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter and live stats.
STARTING FIVE
Texas leads the all-time series against Baylor, 60-50, and the Bears are 24-25 at home against the Longhorns. Prior to the 2021-22 postseason, the Bears had won 13-straight meetings, including twice in the regular-season. Last year's series split with Texas marked the first time Baylor lost a regular season game to the Longhorns since the 2009-10 campaign when the Bears lost both contests.
In the unbalanced Big 12 schedule this year, the Bears have the opportunity for their first series sweep of the season on Thursday. The Bears have won four of the last five meetings in Waco.
LAST TIME VS. TEXAS
Baylor's 85-79 conference-opening win at Texas on Dec. 30 marked the 14th-straight win in Austin for the Bears. The win marked the Bears' second top-five win of the year after a non-con victory over then-No. 4 Utah. The last time Baylor picked up two top-five wins in the regular season was during the 2012-13 campaign, beating No. 3 UConn and No. 5 Notre Dame on the road.
Baylor forced Texas to commit 23 turnovers - the most in a game by the Longhorns this season and the most in a Big 12 game since turning the ball over 24 times at Oklahoma on Jan. 29, 2022. Baylor's nine 3-pointers were the most given up by the Longhorns this year. Senior Sarah Andrews went a team-best 4-for-8 from deep and moved into second all-time at Baylor in made 3-pointers. Five Bears finished in double figures led by Jada Walker's season-high 19-point outburst. The newcomer added four steals while Dre'Una Edwards finished with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds and six assists.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor women's basketball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.
Baylor Bear Insider
Bottom line, Thursday's 7:30 p.m. game at Foster Pavilion will be the last time that the 13th-ranked Baylor women and No. 12 Texas will play a regular-season game as Big 12 rivals.
"I don't think (Texas coach Vic Schaefer) has skirted playing good competition, and neither have we," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. "Whether it's next year or in the future, I don't think it's the last time you'll see Baylor and Texas play one another, but certainly with the Big 12 brand."
Conference rivals for the last 40-plus years, going back to the Southwest Conference, Baylor (16-3, 5-3) and Texas (19-3, 6-3) have been at or near the top of the league for most of its 28-year history. But along with Oklahoma, Texas leaves for the SEC after this season.
The Bears had won 13 in a row and 27 of 28 games in the series before losing to the Longhorns in the 2022 Big 12 tournament final and then splitting last year's two games.
Baylor is going for a season series sweep after beating Texas, 85-79, in the conference opener on Dec. 30 in Austin. The Bears had five double-figure scorers, led by Jada Walker with 19 points, while Texas freshman Madison Booker had 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in just her second game filling in for Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Rori Harmon at point.
"I think they are different. I think we're different," Collen said. "When you look at that game, Aijha (Blackwell) was coming off an injury and was ineffective in the 10 minutes she played. And we have Aijha back now. Taylor Jones being back makes them different. It makes them harder to guard at the 5 (center).
"While (Khadijah) Faye is a very good rebounder, scores around the rim, she's more of a recipient scorer than someone that they play to a lot. You have to game plan for Taylor Jones."
Harmon suffered a season-ending ACL injury prior to the first matchup against Baylor, while the 6-4 Jones (13.7 ppg, 7.1 rebounds) missed four games with a hip injury. One of the top freshmen in the country, the 6-1 Booker has averaged more than 20 points per game in conference play and is averaging 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the season.
After losing to unranked Oklahoma at home, the Longhorns bounced back with a 67-50 road win over Cincinnati, even with 6-2 senior forward DeYona Gaston (ankle) and Booker (hamstring) both out with injuries.
"Madison Booker was very, very good against us the last time and has continued to be very, very good against everyone else as well," Collen said. "I thought we got to her early. And Vic put her on the bench for a little bit, to get her thoughts back. And she responded really well. They simplified, ran fewer things, they kept the ball in the middle of the floor against us, got in a lot of ball screens, just really did a good job playing in the tunnel."
Baylor had lost three of four before rallying from an early nine-point deficit to defeat Oklahoma State, 72-60, Sunday afternoon on the road. Dre'Una Edwards and Bella Fontleroy had 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Blackwell had seven points and a season-high 19 rebounds.
"I would say we just woke up," said Blackwell, who is averaging 8.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. "We just woke up and started playing as a team, started sharing the ball, started going through our zone offense, because we know teams are going to throw that at us."
The 5-foot-11 Blackwell, who led the SEC in rebounding two years ago at Missouri with 13.1 rebounds per game, has had double-digit rebounds in five of the last six games.
"Aijha is starting to rebound now because we tend to have her guard in the interior," Collen said. "She's been an effective defensive rebounder for us. She's strong, she's not afraid of contact, all those things. My challenge to her was we need the offensive rebounding version, where you're relentless on the glass."
Thursday's game will be nationally televised by ESPN, with Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe calling the action.
WACO, Texas – The No. 13 Baylor women's basketball team will face No. 12 Texas for the final time in the regular season as a Big 12 opponent on Thursday.
Tip-off from Foster Pavilion is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe on the call. A live radio broadcast will be available on ESPN Central Texas (1660 AM/92.3 FM) and live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter and live stats.
STARTING FIVE
- A win over the Longhorns on Thursday would move Baylor to 5-1 against ranked opponents this season and it would be the Bears' second ranked win over Texas this year. Other top-25 wins include Utah, Miami and TCU.
- Graduate senior Aijha Blackwell is the only player on the roster with more than 800 career rebounds and needs just 15 boards to reach 1,000. She's finished in double figures on the boards in three-straight contest and five of the last six.
- Senior Sarah Andrews has 211 career 3-pointers and needs 50 more to break Odyssey Sim's record of 258. The senior guard has hit at least one from range in 17 of 19 games this year.
- The Bears had a different leading scorer in their first six games to start the year. In Big 12 play, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Bella Fontleroy and Dre'Una Edwards have each led Baylor in scoring twice.
- Thursday's nationally televised game on ESPN marks the sixth of the season for the Bears and third-straight contest aired on the big screen. Baylor is 4-1 in nationally televised games this season and 11-7 in the Nicki Collen era.
Texas leads the all-time series against Baylor, 60-50, and the Bears are 24-25 at home against the Longhorns. Prior to the 2021-22 postseason, the Bears had won 13-straight meetings, including twice in the regular-season. Last year's series split with Texas marked the first time Baylor lost a regular season game to the Longhorns since the 2009-10 campaign when the Bears lost both contests.
In the unbalanced Big 12 schedule this year, the Bears have the opportunity for their first series sweep of the season on Thursday. The Bears have won four of the last five meetings in Waco.
LAST TIME VS. TEXAS
Baylor's 85-79 conference-opening win at Texas on Dec. 30 marked the 14th-straight win in Austin for the Bears. The win marked the Bears' second top-five win of the year after a non-con victory over then-No. 4 Utah. The last time Baylor picked up two top-five wins in the regular season was during the 2012-13 campaign, beating No. 3 UConn and No. 5 Notre Dame on the road.
Baylor forced Texas to commit 23 turnovers - the most in a game by the Longhorns this season and the most in a Big 12 game since turning the ball over 24 times at Oklahoma on Jan. 29, 2022. Baylor's nine 3-pointers were the most given up by the Longhorns this year. Senior Sarah Andrews went a team-best 4-for-8 from deep and moved into second all-time at Baylor in made 3-pointers. Five Bears finished in double figures led by Jada Walker's season-high 19-point outburst. The newcomer added four steals while Dre'Una Edwards finished with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds and six assists.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor women's basketball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.
- BaylorBears.com -
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