WBB Moves Into First-Place Tie With 83-71 Win Over BYU

Saturday, February 8

Waco, Texas

7 PM

Baylor

BYU

WBB Moves Into First-Place Tie With 83-71 Win Over BYU

2/8/2025 9:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Littlepage-Buggs collects 10th double-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds

JJerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

WACO, Texas – When Darianna Littlepage-Buggs recorded her 10^th double-double of the season with 15 rebounds and a season-high 26 points in leading the Baylor women to an 83-71 win over BYU Saturday night, coach Nicki Collen's only explanation was, "She was just Buggs."

She's not wrong.

The 6-1 junior forward posted her seventh career 20-point game while shooting an efficient 9-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line and grabbing five of her game-high 15 boards on the offensive end.

"I just have to give the biggest shout out to my teammates," Littlepage-Buggs said. "They find me every time, and they're just very unselfish. Just a lot of credit to them, because I can't get those points without them. I guess you could say I'm in a zone, and they find me. We look for each other. So, honestly and truly, just shout out to them."

With its fourth win in a row, Baylor improves to 20-5 overall and tied for first in the Big 12 with ninth-ranked TCU (22-3, 10-2) and 12^th-ranked Kansas State (22-3, 10-2) at 10-2 in league play after K-State was blown out by No. 25 Oklahoma State, 85-55.

"I think it means that our goals are still attainable," Collen said. "But I think there's about seven teams right now that still feel like their goals are attainable. . . . What I'm grateful for is we are where we are, and we're in control of our own destiny. Proud of our girls for putting themselves in this situation, and we've got to keep working."

The Bears also reached the 20-win plateau for the 25^th-consecutive year, the second-longest active streak behind fifth-ranked UConn's 32 straight.

After a slow start, Baylor used its press to force seven of BYU's 26 turnovers in the first quarter, closing the period on a 12-1 run over the last three minutes to go up 22-13.

"We definitely wanted to speed them up, but it was also for us. We needed to speed up," Littlepage-Buggs said. "We thrive off our defense. So, once we get our defensive going, that's when we get stops and we can play on offense. So yes, to speed them up, but also to help us just get our fire."

Florida transfer Aliyah Matharu knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight of her 14 points in a dominant second quarter that saw the Bears push their lead out to 47-29 going into the locker room at half.

Including a combined 26 points from Matharu and senior guard Yaya Felder, Baylor's bench outscored the BYU reserves, 33-14.

"Yaya has been great all year," Collen said of Felder, who scored 12 points and had her sixth-straight turnover-free game. "I just think she's been super effective. . . . Now, you add Aliyah to that. She got a layup right when she came in, doing the same thing."

Felder hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 10-0 third-quarter run that gave the Bears their biggest lead of the night 57-35. But the Cougars shot almost 60% in the second half and actually outscored Baylor 42-36 in the last 20 minutes.

For the game, BYU shot 53.8% overall and 7-of-14 from outside the arc, but the 26 turnovers and nine missed free throws (8-of-17) were too much to overcome.

"When teams shoot 54%, it's a little frustrating," Collen said, "because I think we're better than that. I thought we let their leading scorers get too many open shots versus, 'Okay, if they're going to take a lot of shots and be their leading scorers, we need to make them inefficient. They were efficient, and we fouled (Delaney) Gibbs a lot. I think we could have been better on both sides of the ball, honestly."

Gibb was just 6-of-11 from the line, but the freshman guard scored a team-high 21 points and added six rebounds, five assists and four steals with six turnovers. The Cougars, who had a modest two-game winning streak snapped, also got 17 points and six rebounds from 6-5 center Emma Calvert.

Littlepage-Buggs scored 11 of Baylor's 15 points and grabbed five of the Bears' six rebounds in the fourth quarter, going 5-for-5 from the floor.

Playing just 19 minutes, Colorado transfer Aaronette Vonleh had eight points and eight rebounds, but she missed 12 of 16 shots for the game. Jada Walker finished with seven points and eight assists, with Bella Fontleroy adding seven points and three steals.

The Bears grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and beat the Cougars on the glass overall, 42-33, scoring 18 second-chance points.

Finishing off a two-game homestand, Baylor will face 18^th-ranked West Virginia (19-4, 9-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Foster Pavilion. The Mountaineers have won three straight and six of their last seven, blowing out Houston, 79-51, on Saturday.