No. 6 Baylor vs No. 23 TCU | Big 12 | 1.3.24

WACO, Texas – Baylor vs TCU


Sophomore Bella Fontleroy chipped in a career high 21 points to lead No. 6 Baylor women's basketball to a 71-50 rout of No. 23 TCU, its 37th straight win over the Horned Frogs in the opening of the Paul & Alejandra Foster Pavilion, on Wednesday night.

The Bears cruised to the win after trailing at halftime, 26-22, dominating the Horned Frogs in an electric second half that saw BU outscore TCU 49-24.

The contest marked the first women's game played at the new Paul & Alejandra Foster Pavilion, which opened on Tuesday night with a Baylor men's basketball win over Cornell. It ends a 35-year history of the Bears playing at the Ferrell Center.

Baylor (13-0, 2-0 Big 12 Conference) dominated its second straight unbeaten top-25 opponent and matched the best start to a second since 2015-16, when the Bears went 36-2. On Saturday, BU posted an 85-79 win at No. 5 Texas for its 14th straight win in Austin.

The Bears now have four top-25 wins to open the year, besting No. 4 Utah, No. 24 Miami (Fla.), the win over the Horns in Austin and the beatdown of TCU in Waco on opening night of The Foster.

The win marked the 36th consecutive win for the Bears over the Horned Frogs, stretching the series lead to 48-5, including a 23-2 mark in Waco. TCU has not beaten Baylor in Waco since the 1989-90 season.

Fontleroy led the Bears with 21 points on 8-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-9 from distance. Sarah Andrews had 16 points, including four triples, while Yaya Felder had 13 points. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs finished with four points and eight boards, while Dre'Una Edwards had a team-leading 10 rebounds and added four assists. Jada Walker chipped in seven points, three boards and four assists. Aijha Blackwell added eight points and eight boards.

The Bears were held to 39 percent shooting but went 13-of-25 from 3-point range. TCU shot 41 percent and was 2-for-16 from deep. BU won the battle of the boards, 39-34, had a 21-5 margin in bench points, a 13-2 mark in fast-break points and had assists on 19 of 25 made buckets.

TCU (14-1, 1-1 Big 12) saw Sedona Prince led the Frogs with 20 points on 21 shots, adding 10 rebounds. The Frogs were held to just 50 points in the BU win, 30 points shy of their average for the year. TCU had opened the year with 14 straight wins, including results over Oral Roberts, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Rice, UIW, Army, UTEP, Nebraska, Tulsa, Prairie View A&M, Lamar, Omaha, Mount St. Mary's and BYU.

THE RUNDOWN
TCU's Jaden Owens opened the scoring with an elbow jumper and Littlepage-Buggs got the Bears on the board, finishing off the glass on a Jada Walker drive. Walker and Fontleroy each connected on game-tying buckets as the game went to the first media break of the first quarter even at six.

Anderson sank the first 3-pointer in the Foster Pavilion for a 9-6 lead and after a TCU basket, Blackwell beat the first-quarter buzzer with a lay-in on a Felder drive and dish for an 11-8 lead.

After TCU took a 13-11 lead, Felder sank a corner triple for a 14-13 lead. Walker gave the Bears a 16-14 lead with a transition finish on a speedy trip down the floor and Felder pushed the lead to 19-14 with her second 3-pointer.

TCU use a 6-0 run, including two baskets from Madison Conner, to take a 20-19 lead before Fontleroy connected on a corner 3-pointer. The Frogs used a 6-0 run to close the half and take a 26-22 lead. Felder led the Bears with six points, with Edwards chipping in six boards. The Bears shot just 28 percent in the first half, with TCU shooting 12-for-26, including an 11-for-18 mark (6.1 percent) from inside the arch.

Out of the break, TCU scored six of the first eight points to take a 32-25 lead. Edwards was the first Bear to appear at the free-throw line, sinking a pair to cut into the lead and Walker finished a transition and-1 to cut the lead to 32-29.

Fontleroy cut the lead to 33-32 and after TCU took a 35-32 lead, the Bears spurted out on an 8-0 run to take a 40-35 lead, including corner 3-pointers from Fontleroy and Blackwell.

After Prince made one free throw, the Bears got a wing 3-pointer from Andrews to take the lead to 43-36 with 90 seconds left in the third quarter. The third quarter closed on a 13-1 run, for a 45-36 BU lead, after Andrews had a steal and was fouled on a transition lay-up.

Felder opened the fourth quarter with free throws and Fontleroy sank her fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 51-36 lead. Andrew then went on a 5-0 run including a triple and a transition finish off a steal. After a TCU bucket cut the lead to 56-38, BU got a fifth 3-pointer from Fontleroy and a pair of free throws from Felder for a 61-38 lead.

Fontleroy finished a drive from Edwards on the baseline for a 23-point lead with five minutes left. Andrews sank a deep trey for a 66-42 lead as the clock ticked to four minutes remaining.

The lead grew in the closing minutes as the Bears continued to pull away from the upstart Frogs.