Post Presence Powers WBB Past UCF, 75-64

Wednesday, January 29

Orlando, Fla.

6 PM

Baylor

17-5,7-2Big 12

UCF

7-12,0-9Big 12

Baylor

UCF

Post Presence Powers WBB Past UCF, 75-64

1/29/2025 8:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book (PDF)

Vonleh goes for 22, Littlepage-Buggs adds 17 in victory

BaylorBears.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – Finishing off a challenging schedule that included back-to-back losses to top-10 teams, the Baylor women got a combined 39 points from Colorado transfer Aaronette Vonleh and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs in knocking off the UCF Knights, 75-64, Wednesday night at Addition Financial Arena.

Twelve days after their last win, the Bears (17-5, 7-2) didn't play "the prettiest basketball, but glad to get back on the winning side," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said.

"I would rather play poorly and win than play poorly and lose," Collen said. "We need to get better (defensively). We weren't good today."

The Bears particularly struggled trying to contain UCF guards Nevaeh Brown and Kaitlin Peterson on downhill drives. Brown scored a career-high 25 points, going 12-for-12 from the line, while Peterson came off the bench to score 18 after pouring in 32 points in last year's 77-74 loss to Baylor.

"I don't think we executed at a high level," Collen said. "Our defense let us down most of the night, and we were fouling needlessly. We just let them drive downhill and shoot layups or fouled them, and we can't do that."

Facing a zone defense for the first time in weeks, the Bears were able to exploit the Knights' gaps by consistently feeding the ball to Vonleh for easy layups. After combining for 11 points in losses to top-ranked UCLA and No. 9 TCU, the 6-3 senior was a near-perfect 11-of-12 from the floor and matched her season high with 22 points.

"My teammates found me at the right moments," Vonleh said.

Leading by just three after the first quarter, Baylor got rolling with a 26-point second quarter and took a comfortable 43-30 lead into the locker room at halftime, with Vonleh scoring 12 of her team-high 22 points in the opening half.

"I thought we had multiple possessions in a row, whether it was against the 2-3 or man (defense), where we were able to make one pass and throw it to her and have an uncontested shot," Collen said. "I thought she did a good job finishing and really catching the ball, when the pass was underneath the rim, of kicking it out and getting us to the next action."

Littlepage-Buggs started the second half with an offensive rebound and put-back and then drained a corner 3-pointer off a dish from Sarah Andrews to push the Bears' lead to 48-30.

Leading by 16 going into the fourth, Baylor was outscored 18-13 by UCF, but the Knights were never able to get it down to a single-digit deficit.

Battling to the final whistle, Brown capped her night with a three-point play after a pair of late free throws by Jada Walker, who finished with seven points and six assists. After hitting five 3-pointers in Sunday's 80-75 loss at TCU, Andrews knocked down four against the Knights and gave Baylor its fourth double-digit scorer with 12 points.

"I think we needed this, just to get back some confidence," said Littlepage-Buggs, who recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 17 points and 11 rebounds. "I think we've taken a lot from those games and really applied them, and we're going to apply them moving forward. I think this was just a really good game to get us under our feet and get our confidence back up."

While Baylor moved within a game of first place in the league standings at 7-2, UCF lost its 10^th-straight game in falling to 7-12 overall and 0-9 in the Big 12 under third-year head coach and former Baylor assistant Sytia Messer.

Returning home for three of its next four games, Baylor will host Cincinnati (13-6, 5-4) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Foster Pavilion. The Bearkats have won four of their last five games, defeating Houston, 73-65, Wednesday night.