LOCK-DOWN DEFENSE
1/15/2026 9:19:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WBB: Bears hold Utah to 26% shooting in 61-45 road victory
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Following the scouting report to a tee, the No. 18/17 Baylor women's basketball team took away Utah's 3-point threats and back-cut layups to hold the Utes to 26.2% shooting overall and just 3-of-25 from outside the arc in a defensive-minded 61-45 win Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center.
"They're one of the best teams that I have ever played in my college career at cutting and getting people open," said Baylor senior forward Bella Fontleroy, who had eight points, five rebounds and three of the Bears' seven blocks. "They are all really good shooters and good cutters, so it was a tough one. But I think we jumped to the ball, we were in position and communicated with each other so well, that we didn't give any of that up."
Baylor coach Nicki Collen, whose team improved to 16-3 overall and 5-1 in conference with its fifth-consecutive win, said she was "super proud . . . we didn't give up a lot of back-cut layups."
"The number of times they moved the ball side to side, and the number of opportunities they had to cut in and the number of times we didn't give up layups, was pretty impressive," Collen said. "And I'll tell you, the upper-class group that had played against Utah, I thought they really set the tone at the defensive end."
After making 8-of-19 shots overall (42.1%) and 2-of-6 from outside the arc (33.3%) in the first quarter, the Utes (13-5, 4-2) hit just eight of their last 42 shots (19.0%) and 1-of-19 from 3-point range (5.3%) over the last three quarters combined.
"That's a big focus of ours, to take away the three-point shot," said senior point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, who had 10 points and six assists. "Shout out to our defensive coach, Coach Tony (Greene)."
Leading 21-18 at the end of the first quarter, the Bears went more than six minutes without a field goal in the second quarter before closing the period on a 10-0 run. Van Gytenbeek hit a driving layup after the Utes closed the gap to one, followed by a Taliah Scott 3-pointer and pull-up jumper and a Kiersten Johnson trey that pushed the lead to 35-24 at the half.
Scoring on back-to-back layups in the first minute of the third quarter, the Utes got within seven. But Darianna Littlepage-Buggs got an offensive rebound and putback, followed by another Scott 3-pointer, that pushed it to a double-digit lead the Bears never relinquished.
"I thought the difference was . . . we did an elite job on (Maty) Wilkie," Collen said of holding the 5-10 guard to just five points, all in the second half. "I thought taking her away . . . and our defense on (Reese) Ross, because those are the two kids that can get them going."
Baylor's defense also made senior guard Lani White "obviously inefficient." White matched Scott and Utah 6-3 senior forward Chyra Evans with a game-high 14 points, but she was just 4-of-15 overall and 1-for-8 from deep.
"White is like Taliah, she's going to create some of her own," Collen said. "She's going to get to the line a little bit more. She was obviously inefficient, but she was going to go."
Collen said the Bears made Evans "uncomfortable."
"We blocked her shot, we contested. And she's good at hitting cutters, and we just didn't give her that. So, she had to go one-on-one, which is not something she does a lot.
Baylor's defense was dominant, despite Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs playing just over half the game because of foul trouble and logging four minutes apiece in the fourth quarter. The Bears got "good minutes" off the bench from 6-3 redshirt junior center Kyla Abraham and backup forwards Kiera Pemberton and Kayla Nelms.
"I thought Buggs got a little frustrated, but she was good when she was in there," Collen said of Littlepage-Buggs, who finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, hitting 5-of-6 from the floor. "She's taking good shots, she's cutting at the right time. . . . Ultimately, I just felt like our defense bothered them."
As veterans who have "weathered the storm for four years," Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs "know how to lead, know how to communicate," even when they're battling foul trouble.
"I know my job is to talk on defense and communicate with the team, get us where we need to be," Fontleroy said. "I know Buggs is going to go clean up the boards, and she's going to make stuff happen on offense. We all just kind of filled our roles today and did a really good job of not getting too caught up in the moment with those foul calls."
Completing their two-game road swing through the state of Utah, the Bears will face BYU (14-3, 3-2) at 3 p.m. CT Saturday in Provo. The Cougars had a midweek bye after defeating Houston, 79-64, last Saturday.
Baylor Bear Insider
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Following the scouting report to a tee, the No. 18/17 Baylor women's basketball team took away Utah's 3-point threats and back-cut layups to hold the Utes to 26.2% shooting overall and just 3-of-25 from outside the arc in a defensive-minded 61-45 win Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center.
"They're one of the best teams that I have ever played in my college career at cutting and getting people open," said Baylor senior forward Bella Fontleroy, who had eight points, five rebounds and three of the Bears' seven blocks. "They are all really good shooters and good cutters, so it was a tough one. But I think we jumped to the ball, we were in position and communicated with each other so well, that we didn't give any of that up."
Baylor coach Nicki Collen, whose team improved to 16-3 overall and 5-1 in conference with its fifth-consecutive win, said she was "super proud . . . we didn't give up a lot of back-cut layups."
"The number of times they moved the ball side to side, and the number of opportunities they had to cut in and the number of times we didn't give up layups, was pretty impressive," Collen said. "And I'll tell you, the upper-class group that had played against Utah, I thought they really set the tone at the defensive end."
After making 8-of-19 shots overall (42.1%) and 2-of-6 from outside the arc (33.3%) in the first quarter, the Utes (13-5, 4-2) hit just eight of their last 42 shots (19.0%) and 1-of-19 from 3-point range (5.3%) over the last three quarters combined.
"That's a big focus of ours, to take away the three-point shot," said senior point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, who had 10 points and six assists. "Shout out to our defensive coach, Coach Tony (Greene)."
Leading 21-18 at the end of the first quarter, the Bears went more than six minutes without a field goal in the second quarter before closing the period on a 10-0 run. Van Gytenbeek hit a driving layup after the Utes closed the gap to one, followed by a Taliah Scott 3-pointer and pull-up jumper and a Kiersten Johnson trey that pushed the lead to 35-24 at the half.
Scoring on back-to-back layups in the first minute of the third quarter, the Utes got within seven. But Darianna Littlepage-Buggs got an offensive rebound and putback, followed by another Scott 3-pointer, that pushed it to a double-digit lead the Bears never relinquished.
"I thought the difference was . . . we did an elite job on (Maty) Wilkie," Collen said of holding the 5-10 guard to just five points, all in the second half. "I thought taking her away . . . and our defense on (Reese) Ross, because those are the two kids that can get them going."
Baylor's defense also made senior guard Lani White "obviously inefficient." White matched Scott and Utah 6-3 senior forward Chyra Evans with a game-high 14 points, but she was just 4-of-15 overall and 1-for-8 from deep.
"White is like Taliah, she's going to create some of her own," Collen said. "She's going to get to the line a little bit more. She was obviously inefficient, but she was going to go."
Collen said the Bears made Evans "uncomfortable."
"We blocked her shot, we contested. And she's good at hitting cutters, and we just didn't give her that. So, she had to go one-on-one, which is not something she does a lot.
Baylor's defense was dominant, despite Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs playing just over half the game because of foul trouble and logging four minutes apiece in the fourth quarter. The Bears got "good minutes" off the bench from 6-3 redshirt junior center Kyla Abraham and backup forwards Kiera Pemberton and Kayla Nelms.
"I thought Buggs got a little frustrated, but she was good when she was in there," Collen said of Littlepage-Buggs, who finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, hitting 5-of-6 from the floor. "She's taking good shots, she's cutting at the right time. . . . Ultimately, I just felt like our defense bothered them."
As veterans who have "weathered the storm for four years," Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs "know how to lead, know how to communicate," even when they're battling foul trouble.
"I know my job is to talk on defense and communicate with the team, get us where we need to be," Fontleroy said. "I know Buggs is going to go clean up the boards, and she's going to make stuff happen on offense. We all just kind of filled our roles today and did a really good job of not getting too caught up in the moment with those foul calls."
Completing their two-game road swing through the state of Utah, the Bears will face BYU (14-3, 3-2) at 3 p.m. CT Saturday in Provo. The Cougars had a midweek bye after defeating Houston, 79-64, last Saturday.
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