No. 17 Baylor shines defensively to hand Islanders first loss
It pays to have a good defense when the offense just isn't clicking.
The script was flipped for Baylor women's basketball after a 100-plus-point game last Thursday. In a 65-42 win Sunday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion, the Bears had trouble building a comfortable lead over Texas A&M Corpus Christi for three quarters before pulling away on five three-pointers in the fourth.
No. 17 Baylor (3-1) shot 33 percent from two and 36 percent from the perimeter while knocking down just 53 percent from the line and turning it over 15 times. But defensively, the Bears clicked to hold a previously undefeated Islanders (3-1) squad to a 30 percent clip, just one three-pointer on 11 attempts and 42 percent from the free throw.
"I need to give credit to Corpus Christi because if you look at them analytically, this is what they do," said Baylor head coach Nicki Collen. "So, am I frustrated with our offensive execution and our inability to finish at the rim? Yes. Do I think that they had something to do with it? Yes.
"I think they make you play to some jump shots and then, when you get the corner turn, they're usually in rotation or someone's on your hip. They're physical, so someone's on your hip most of the time. They dive under those ball screens and then you got to meet them and you got to win what we call 'holding the line' to the rim. And I thought we got there. I thought we just didn't finish."
The Bears forced 21 turnovers which they converted into 23 points, picking up 11 steals and nine blocks. Junior guard Bella Fontleroy led the way with a career-high five blocks while also taking charge on offense with 12 points. The Springfield, Mo., native said that through five games, Baylor is clicking more and more defensively.
"We talk about how we're a pressure team. We want to be in those spots," Fontleroy said. "We really, this past week, have worked on our rotation and communicating on who is where in our rotation, so that when the time comes on those drives, we're there to either make a play or to just get a stop."
Senior guard Yaya Felder continued to be a spark off the bench, matching Fontelroy with 12 points as the duo combined for six of the Bears' 11 treys. Fifth-year point guard Sarah Andrews was just a pair of rebounds shy of continuing her double-double streak, posting 11 points and eight boards, whiles also snatching four steals.
Senior center Aaronette Vonleh scored nine points to surpass the 1,000-career points mark. After averaging double-digits through the first four games, junior guard Darianna Littlepage-Buggs settled for nine on Sunday but pushed the Bears on the boards with 12 rebounds to just give Baylor a 48-43 margin.
"We have people that are better at certain things than others," Fontleroy said. "Whenever everyone is doing what they're supposed to do, we're going to have people who chip in a little bit and every point that someone brings, whether it's off the bench or in the starting lineup... it just really contributes and helps pour team grow."
Corpus Christi cut the Bears' lead to two at the media timeout in the second quarter and Baylor came out with a 12-2 run to finish the half, capping the run with a buzzer-beater three from Andrews for Baylor to take a 35-23 edge into the break.
Collen credited Felder and grad forward Madison Bailey's minutes off the bench during that stretch for the push.
"I think Madison gave us really good minutes in that stretch," Collen said. "She didn't try to do too much. She screened. She pursued the ball off the offensive glass. She didn't try to go back up with it."
Collen noted that what made the Islanders an uncomfortable team to play against, other than their physicality and ability to dive under ball screens, was the way they slowed the game, shaving off 20-25 seconds off the clock every possession.
"It's hard to defend for that long," Collen said. "I thought there were times that we did break down... We broke down because it got to seven or eight on the clock and then it was freelance, right? So, I thought we did an excellent job at guarding all their Princeton elbow action, really good job. Made them hard to catch the ball on the high post. Made them uncomfortable."
Baylor will head to the Bahamas later this week for the Battle 4 Atlantis, opening against Southern Miss 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday.
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