Baylor
East Texas A&M
No. 17 WBB Returns to Foster with East Texas A&M
11/13/2024 3:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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17/17 BAYLOR BEARS (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Nicki Collen (Marquette, 1998) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
17/17 BAYLOR (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. EAST TEXAS A&M LIONS (2-1, 0-0 SLC) Nov. 17, 2024 • 7 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Foster Pavilion (7,500) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN+ Talent: Lincoln Rose (pxp), Jim Haller (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via FOX Sports Radio 93.9FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com. Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Lori Fogleman (analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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EAST TEXAS A&M LIONS (2-1, 0-0 SLC) Location: Commerce, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Southland Head Coach: Valerie King (Cincinnati, 2004) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – With fifth-year guard Jana Van Gytenbeek suffering a season-ending knee injury and junior forward Bella Fontleroy questionable with a sprained ankle, the 17th-ranked Baylor women (1-1) will be shorthanded when they host East Texas A&M (2-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Foster Pavilion.
"My rule is if you don't practice the day before, I'm not playing you," said Baylor coach Nicki Collen, whose team is coming off a 76-74 road loss to Oregon on Sunday. "If you aren't ready to prepare to play, then it's probably best that you don't play. That's kind of our philosophy. If (Fontleroy) can go today, you'll see her tomorrow."
Already down two players with freshman guard Ines Goryanova expected to redshirt and fifth-year forward Madison Bartley limited by an injury, the Bears lost Van Gytenbeek in last Thursday's season opener against Incarnate Word and then Fontleroy went down in the first two minutes of the Oregon game.
Until Fontleroy gets back, Collen said the Bears could go with a "double-big" lineup with Colorado transfer Aaronette Vonleh (10.5 ppg) and 6-3 junior Kyla Abraham joining 6-1 junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (22.0 ppg, 8.0 rebounds) and guards Sarah Andrews (9.0 ppg, 5.0 assists) and Jada Walker (15.0 ppg, 5.5 assists).
"It's real hard. You don't want to do a 180 two weeks into the season, and I don't think we're going to have to," Collen said. "We're going to get Bella back. Eventually, we're going to get (Florida transfer Aliyah Matharu). Being down two is way more significant than being down one."
Maybe even bigger than figuring out a revamped starting lineup, Collen has to fill Van Gytenbeek's minutes in a rotation that includes senior guard Yaya Felder and New Zealand native Waiata Jennings, a junior college All-American at Collin College.
Felder logged the most minutes (32) she has in her two seasons at Baylor and had nine points and three assists, while Jennings played 15 minutes with one steal and a rebound.
"I think (Jennings) has the furthest to go, just being the new kid on the block and playing with players that are seniors or have been in our system three years," Collen said. "She's got the biggest jump to make. Yaya has been here, she knows what the expectations are. I think this is an opportunity for her."
No matter who's in at guard, the point of emphasis will be getting the ball into the 6-3 Vonleh, who took only two shots through the first three quarters against Oregon. Vonleh finished with just five points and five boards, hitting 2-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the line.
"Our goal is going to be to throw the ball into the post," Collen said. "We're not going to go another half where Aaronette gets one shot, one touch. We have to do a better job. And it's a two-way street. She's got to demand, she's got to be in more actions. . . . The ball's got to touch the paint more, and not just off the bounce."
East Texas A&M, which formally changed its name from Texas A&M-Commerce just a week ago, sandwiched blowout home wins over North Texas-Dallas and LeTourneau around a road loss to Arkansas. A guard-heavy team, the Lions are led by Hannah Humphrey (12.3 ppg), Jordyn Newsome (12.0 ppg), Cora Horvath (10.3 ppg) and 6-2 forward Alva Hedrich (7.3 ppg, 8.7 rebounds).
Second-year head coach Valerie King has gone international, signing Hedrich from Germany as a transfer from West Virginia Tech and twin sisters Cora and Nina Horvath from Austria. The Bears have an international flavor as well, with Jennings from New Zealand and Goryanova from Bulgaria.
"It's been hard for me, but it's been really good," Jennings said of the transition from junior college to NCAA Division I basketball at the Power 5 level. "I've been coming into practice every day, thinking every day is an opportunity to grow and learn."
Thursday's game will be streamed by ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose and former Baylor men's basketball head coach Jim Haller calling the action.
• Baylor is back at Foster Pavilion on Thursday for its third game of the season against East Texas A&M, formerly known as Texas A&M-Commerce, on Thursday evening at 7.
• BU is without guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, who exited Game No. 1 of her third year as a Bear with a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.
• The Bears look to return to the win column on Thursday, after a two-point loss to then-NR Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.
• Baylor and East Texas A&M, recently renamed from Texas A&M Commerce, will play the first-ever game against one another on Thursday.
• Thursday night is Pickleball Night and students receive free Baylor WBB branded pickleball paddles, while supplies last.
• The Lions have a 2-1 start to their season, only falling to Arkansas in Fayetteville on Friday night by 19 points.
• In ETAMU's two early wins over UNT Dallas and LeTourneau in Commerce, the Lions won by at least 25 points. Against LeTourneau, ETAMU eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time in their DI era with a dominating 104-33 victory.
• Hannah Humphrey, Jordyn Newsome and Cora Horvath each average 10+ points per game, while Alva Hedrich's 26 rebounds, 8.7 per game, is the rebound leader for the Lions.
• Aaronette Vonleh is 20 points away from 1,000 in her career. She would be Baylor's fifth active roster member to hit 1k points at the DI level and would give Baylor the lone lead among power conferences.
• Baylor's roster holds four student-athletes who have eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark at the Division I level.
• Sarah Andrews (1,396 pts - all at BU), Yaya Felder (1,124 pts - 261 at BU), Madison Bartley (1,061 pts - 54 at BU) and Jada Walker (1,037 pts - 314 at BU).
• BU's four ties the nations' best among power conferences with Illinois and Notre Dame.
• NJCAA transfer Waiata Jennings scored 1,227 career points in a two-year stint at Collin College, upping the total to five across collegiate competition.
• Sarah Andrews is 23 assists away from 500 in her career. If she reaches this milestone, she will be just the fifth player to reach 500 in program history.
• Andrews is also 17 3-pointers away from breaking the all-time career record at BU of 258 set by Odyssey Simms (2010-14). 16 would tie the record for the fifth-year senior.
• Madison Bartley is 48 boards away from 500 career rebounds.
• Kayla Nelms is still in search of the first points in her college career and Waiata Jennings is still pursuing her first points at the Division I level, after posting 1,227 at Collin College (NJCAA) over two seasons.
• The 2024-25 season will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Baylor women's basketball, a program with three National Championships, 24 Big 12 titles and the fourth-longest active NCAA Tournament appearance streak in the nation.
• An Alumni Weekend Celebration will be held this weekend around the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi game, welcoming back Bears of all years and specifically celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2005 NCAA National Championship.
• Fans can submit favorite moments from throughout the years at BaylorBea.rs/WBB50 to be featured on social media and on the videoboard at home games this season.
• Baylor suffered its first loss of the season at Oregon, 76-74, on Sunday night in Eugene.
• Down 62-48 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bears outscored the Ducks, 26-10, in the first nine minutes of the final frame, but Oregon's four points in the last minute from Deja Kelly and Elisa Mevius secured the win for the home team.
• Jada Walker scored 24 on the evening to lead the green and gold, shooting 9-for-20 from the field in 36 minutes with another team-leading four steals.
• Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had her fifth straight game in double figures and got her first double-double of the season, 20th of her career.
• Sarah Andrews scored 13 in 36 minutes with six assists, her best since last season's contest (7) against Oklahoma State at Foster Pavilion.
