WBB Storms Past Vanderbilt to Advance to Second Round
3/22/2024 7:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears dominant behind Bella Fontleroy
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Baylor sophomore Bella Fontleroy is like a chameleon, constantly changing and adapting to whatever the team needs from her.
On Friday, her role morphed into being the fifth-seeded Bears' go-to player, recording her third double-double of the year and sixth of her career with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds in a doinating 80-63 NCAA Tournament first-round win over No. 12 seed Vanderbilt at Cassells Coliseum.
"I just think Bella understands that her role is a little bit different every game," said third-year Baylor head coach Nicki Collen, whose team improved to 25-7 with its 21st opening-round game in 22 NCAA Tournament appearances.
"If she's making shots, she's probably going to get a lot of shots. If she's not, she's going to be out there because she defends and rebounds and does a good job being a team player, takes charges."
Playing all but one minute of the first half, the 6-foot sophomore forward knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in helping Baylor jump out to an early 24-8 lead and go into intermission up by seven, 41-34.
Scoreless for the first time in her career in a Senior Day win over Oklahoma State three weeks ago, Fontleroy said she has "been getting up a lot of shots" since Baylor went 3-for-24 as a team in the fourth quarter of a loss to Iowa State at the Big 12 tournament.
"I have been very confident in my shot," she said. "I have coaches that believe in me, and they tell me to shoot it whenever I'm open. So, that definitely worked well for me from the 3-point line and the free throw line."
Yes, it did. Fontleroy was 4-of-7 from 3-point range for the game, 6-of-12 overall and 3-for-3 from the line.
"It's tournament time," she said. "You want to advance, and you have to show up in every way you can for your teammates, whether it's rebounding, making shots, defending the best player. Everybody tonight had a job, and every person on our team did their job."
Capitalizing on nine first-quarter turnovers by the Commodores (22-10), Baylor jumped out to a 24-8 lead on a 3-pointer by Dre'Una Edwards almost nine minutes into the game. But Vandy closed out the quarter with back-to-back baskets and then had an 11-0 second-quarter run sneak back within 30-27 on a layup off a steal by Khamil Pierre at the 4:00 mark.
"I thought the second quarter, our turnovers were a result of (Vanderbilt) really ramped it up and got into their switching man-to-man and made passes a little tougher and sped us up; and we had some travels. We just got ourselves caught in tight spaces."
Duke transfer Jordyn Oliver, who started her career at Baylor, got it back to a three-point game. But the Bears responded with a 9-3 run and went into the break with a 41-34 lead.
In a pivotal third quarter that saw Baylor outscore the Commodores, 28-15, to go up by 20, the Bears got scoring from six different points. Fontleroy made her only attempt from distance and was a perfect 3-for-3 in the period to lead the way with eight points.
"I think the thing about Bella, even from her freshman year to her sophomore year, she understands a little more who she is," Collen said. "And she just gives us such good position versatility. Like, she's capable of getting 11 rebounds every game. She doesn't always, but that's always the challenge. I think she's got this unique ability to not just shoot the ball, but she can bounce up."
Baylor led by as many as 25 in the fourth quarter before the Bears turned it over six times in the last 6 ½ minutes and went scoreless for the last 3:57.
Iyana Moore led Vandy with 15 points but was just 3-of-14 from the floor and had five of the Commorodores' 21 turnovers. Jordyn Cambridge and Pierre scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Oliver had nine points and seven rebounds.
Senior guard Sarah Andrews scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, hitting 4-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Rounding out the double-figure scorers for the Bears were Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Jana Van Gytenbeek with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Winning the rebounding battle, 39-34, the Bears also got a combined 15 points and nine boards from Edwards and fellow senior Aijha Blackwell, who was playing in her first NCAA Tournament game after spending her first three years at Missouri before sitting out most of last season with an injury.
Baylor, playing in its 20th-consecutive NCAA Tournament, advances to face fourth-seeded Virginia Tech (25-7) in a second-round matchup at 7 p.m. CT Sunday. The Hokies, playing without 6-6 All-American center Elizabeth Kitley, rolled over 13th-seeded Marshall, 92-49.
GAME NOTES
Baylor Bear Insider
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Baylor sophomore Bella Fontleroy is like a chameleon, constantly changing and adapting to whatever the team needs from her.
On Friday, her role morphed into being the fifth-seeded Bears' go-to player, recording her third double-double of the year and sixth of her career with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds in a doinating 80-63 NCAA Tournament first-round win over No. 12 seed Vanderbilt at Cassells Coliseum.
"I just think Bella understands that her role is a little bit different every game," said third-year Baylor head coach Nicki Collen, whose team improved to 25-7 with its 21st opening-round game in 22 NCAA Tournament appearances.
"If she's making shots, she's probably going to get a lot of shots. If she's not, she's going to be out there because she defends and rebounds and does a good job being a team player, takes charges."
Playing all but one minute of the first half, the 6-foot sophomore forward knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in helping Baylor jump out to an early 24-8 lead and go into intermission up by seven, 41-34.
Scoreless for the first time in her career in a Senior Day win over Oklahoma State three weeks ago, Fontleroy said she has "been getting up a lot of shots" since Baylor went 3-for-24 as a team in the fourth quarter of a loss to Iowa State at the Big 12 tournament.
"I have been very confident in my shot," she said. "I have coaches that believe in me, and they tell me to shoot it whenever I'm open. So, that definitely worked well for me from the 3-point line and the free throw line."
Yes, it did. Fontleroy was 4-of-7 from 3-point range for the game, 6-of-12 overall and 3-for-3 from the line.
"It's tournament time," she said. "You want to advance, and you have to show up in every way you can for your teammates, whether it's rebounding, making shots, defending the best player. Everybody tonight had a job, and every person on our team did their job."
Capitalizing on nine first-quarter turnovers by the Commodores (22-10), Baylor jumped out to a 24-8 lead on a 3-pointer by Dre'Una Edwards almost nine minutes into the game. But Vandy closed out the quarter with back-to-back baskets and then had an 11-0 second-quarter run sneak back within 30-27 on a layup off a steal by Khamil Pierre at the 4:00 mark.
"I thought the second quarter, our turnovers were a result of (Vanderbilt) really ramped it up and got into their switching man-to-man and made passes a little tougher and sped us up; and we had some travels. We just got ourselves caught in tight spaces."
Duke transfer Jordyn Oliver, who started her career at Baylor, got it back to a three-point game. But the Bears responded with a 9-3 run and went into the break with a 41-34 lead.
In a pivotal third quarter that saw Baylor outscore the Commodores, 28-15, to go up by 20, the Bears got scoring from six different points. Fontleroy made her only attempt from distance and was a perfect 3-for-3 in the period to lead the way with eight points.
"I think the thing about Bella, even from her freshman year to her sophomore year, she understands a little more who she is," Collen said. "And she just gives us such good position versatility. Like, she's capable of getting 11 rebounds every game. She doesn't always, but that's always the challenge. I think she's got this unique ability to not just shoot the ball, but she can bounce up."
Baylor led by as many as 25 in the fourth quarter before the Bears turned it over six times in the last 6 ½ minutes and went scoreless for the last 3:57.
Iyana Moore led Vandy with 15 points but was just 3-of-14 from the floor and had five of the Commorodores' 21 turnovers. Jordyn Cambridge and Pierre scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Oliver had nine points and seven rebounds.
Senior guard Sarah Andrews scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, hitting 4-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Rounding out the double-figure scorers for the Bears were Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Jana Van Gytenbeek with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Winning the rebounding battle, 39-34, the Bears also got a combined 15 points and nine boards from Edwards and fellow senior Aijha Blackwell, who was playing in her first NCAA Tournament game after spending her first three years at Missouri before sitting out most of last season with an injury.
Baylor, playing in its 20th-consecutive NCAA Tournament, advances to face fourth-seeded Virginia Tech (25-7) in a second-round matchup at 7 p.m. CT Sunday. The Hokies, playing without 6-6 All-American center Elizabeth Kitley, rolled over 13th-seeded Marshall, 92-49.
GAME NOTES
- The five-seeded Baylor women's basketball team kickstarted its 2024 NCAA Tournament run with an 80-63 victory over 12th-seeded Vanderbilt on Friday night.
- Baylor's appearance marked the 20th-straight for the Bears in the Big Dance which is the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
- The Bears will face Virginia Tech, who took down Marshall, 92-49, on Sunday. TV designation and game time are to be determined.
- The meeting between the Bears and the Commodores marked the first-ever outing between the two programs.
- Friday's game marked the 100th career game for head coach Nicki Collen. She holds a 73-27 record at the helm of the Bears.
- With the win, Baylor moved to 56-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Bears have won their opening-round game 21 times in 22 showings in the Big Dance.
- Baylor opened with 24 points in the first quarter, marking the second-straight NCAA Tournament game that the Bears notched 24 in the opening frame.
- The Bears held a 41-34 lead at halftime and moved to 22-2 this season when leading at the break.
- Baylor outrebounded the Commodores, 39-34.
- The Bears are an impressive 21-1 when besting their opponent on the boards this season.
- Bella Fontleroy turned in her third double-double of the year, and sixth of her career, with a 19-point, 11-rebound performance. The sophomore led the Bears in both categories.
- Fontleroy played a career-high 36 minutes, going a team-leading 4-for-7 from 3-point range. She led the team with two blocks, matching a career high in the category.
- Sarah Andrews (13), Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (11) and Jana Van Gytenbeek (10) joined Fontleroy in double figures.
- For the 13th time this season, Andrews led BU in assists, dishing out five.
- Jada Walker recorded a game-leading four steals.
- Baylor remained undefeated when shooting higher from the floor than its opponent, moving to 21-0, going 30-for-65 (46.2%) from the field.
- The Bears shot 42.9% from 3-point range while holding Vanderbilt to 17.6% from behind the arc.
- BU has held its opponent to below 20% shooting from 3-point range in three of the last five games.
- Baylor's 80 points marked the 11th time this year that the Bears have put up at least 80 and first time since scoring 83 at Houston on Feb. 4.
- The Bears improved to 16-1 this season when besting their opponent by 16-plus points.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballBaylor Basketball (W): Postgame vs. TCU | February 12, 2026
Saturday, February 14
Baylor Basketball (W): Jana Van Gytenbeek (14 PTS) vs. TCU | February 12, 2026
Friday, February 13
Baylor Basketball (W): Condensed Game vs. TCU | February 12, 2026
Friday, February 13
Baylor Basketball (W): Highlights vs. TCU | February 12, 2026
Friday, February 13
