By Jerry HillThe Baylor Insider bear
Sometimes Sarah Andrews doesn’t even look at the sheet music. The Baylor junior guard is “just having fun with basketball, honestly.” Maybe it’s better this way. After Kansas narrowed a double-digit deficit to two, Andrews hit back-to-back layups and scored nine of her career-high 23 points in the final 1½ minutes to lead the Baylor women to a 77-73 victory over the Jayhawks Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center. Instead of running a bit with a four-point lead, Andrews ducked and scored on a fast break layup that put the pressure on Kansas (14-6, 4-5). “Was she just around that time as a coach when she’s playing with an edge and you start looking at how much time is left and should we be running?” said Baylor coach Nicki Collen, whose team won its second straight while improving to 15-6 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12. , creating that double possession, needing 3. That was a big key in the game. Freshman Bella Fontleroy said Andrews “nearly gave me a heart attack” on that second layup with 1:11 left in the game. “I was like, ‘No, Sarah!’ And then you have it,” Fontleroy told Andrews in the post-match press conference. “All of a sudden, I had a rush of energy, if we’re being honest,” said Andrews, who added eight assists, three blocks and three steals. “I don’t know, I had a few jets fire up… Jaden (Owens) threw the ball at me, and I was like, ‘I’m about to put that in the hole.”’ When the Jayhawks pulled back two-on-one triple by Sanna Strom and a layup by Zakiyah Franklin, Andrews iced it with a pair of free throws with 9.6 seconds left. She became the first NCAA Division I player to have at least 20 points, eight assists, three steals and three blocks in a single game since 2019 and only the fourth since 2009-10. “Are you kidding me?” Fontleroy said he played with Andrews. “I haven’t met many other players who can do what Sarah does. She creates space so easily. She’s so smart, she gets to the edge and she’s done. All I have to do is follow her and bounce, just in case. But most of the Sometimes I don’t have to. Due to the freezing rain and icy streets in Waco, the game was in doubt and could have been moved to Thursday. But Collen said, if both teams and the umpires could make it, “that was worth worth playing tonight.” “The alternative was to push the game one day, which then puts us in a three-game-in-five-day (situation) having to go to Iowa State the next day and play (Oklahoma) Tuesday,” said Collen. . “Iowa State is not an easy one-day prep.” Both teams battled out of the gates, combining to hit just one of their first 13 shots and scoring two points each in the first five minutes.Kansas is went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-6 lead, but the Bears closed out the first quarter with a Darianna Littlepage-Buggs bucket and tied it just 14 seconds into the second period when Andrews drained a triple. Ended by a pair of Andrews field goals, the Bears had eight unanswered points and held a 30-28 lead at halftime. After some freezing shots in the first half (11-for-32), Baylor was on fire early in the third quarter, hitting his first seven shots to take a double-digit lead, 47-36, when Littlepage-Buggs hit a jumper on an Owens feed. “I think we just got locked up,” Andrews said. “You have to be better and better coming out of half-time. They went into the locker room and probably talked about what they needed to work with, and we talked about what we needed to do. We needed to play downhill, get them in a bad way, and that’s what we did.” Bickle, one of four double-digit scorers for the Bears with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, gave Baylor a 51-43 lead entering the quarter with a second chance on offensive rebounds and assists from LIttlepage-Buggs. Kansas pulled within two when Baylor went scoreless by two minutes, but consecutive layups by Andrews gave the Bears the cushion they needed. “Anyone can go out on any night, and we’re at our best basketball when we share the ball,” said Andrews of the Bears who assisted on 22 of the team’s 29 field goals. “When we go from good to great, it’s amazing.” Littlepage-Buggs, who earned the last two Big 12 Freshman of the Week awards, recorded his second straight double-double of the season and ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Fontleroy made his second straight start and scored 14 points, while Ja’Mee Asberry had all nine of his second half points. Holly Kersgieter had 20 points and seven rebounds, helping the Jayhawks dominate the scoreboard, 44-32. Taiyanna Jackson just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Wyvette Mayberry and Franklin had 13 points apiece. Looking to extend its two-game hitting streak, Baylor will travel to face 12th-ranked Iowa State (15-5, 7-3) for the first time. The Cyclones lost to Kansas State, 78-77, Wednesday night and fell one game behind 24th-ranked Texas (17-6, 8-2).
NOTABLES
- Baylor’s women’s basketball team survived the Kansas Jayhawks, 77-73, inside the Ferrell Center Wednesday night.
- The win over the Jayhawks marked the ninth straight BU swept season series.
- The Bears had their 10th win of the season at the Ferrell Center and moved to 25-5 at home with Nicki Collen at the helm.
- Baylor forced 20 turnovers from Kansas, marking the seventh time this season, the Bears have forced their opponent to run the ball at least 20 times.
- Four Bears hit double digits led by juniors Sarah Andrews who notched his sixth 20-plus point performance of the season, finishing with 23. He’s reached double digits in the scoring column in all but three games this season and nine in a row since Wednesday’s outing.
- According to Her Hoop Stats, Andrews became just the fourth player in NCAA Division I since 2009-10 to earn at least 20 points, eight assists, three steals and three blocks in a single game and is the first to do so since 2019.
- Big 12 freshman of the week in charge Darianna Littlepage-Buggs he recorded his second consecutive double-double and ninth of the season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
- According to Her Hoop Stats, Littlepage-Buggs joined Brittney Griner (8x) and Nina Davis (7x) as the only Baylor freshman since 2009-10 to earn five double-doubles in championship play.
- Fifth year Caitlin Bickle finished with 16 points – his second-highest in a Big 12 game this season – while a rookie Beautiful Fontleroy he added 14 in his second consecutive start.
- Ja’Mee Asberry she combined with Andrews with three steals marking the fourth straight outing that the graduate has recorded a hit.
