WBB Uses Inside-Out Attack to Beat Villanova, 73-62, in Bahamas

Monday, November 25

Paradise Island, Bahamas

1:30 PM

Baylor

5-2,0-0Big 12

Villanova

4-3,0-0Big East

Villanova

Baylor

WBB Uses Inside-Out Attack to Beat Villanova, 73-62, in Bahamas

11/25/2024 4:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NASSAU, Bahamas – As the only team in the country with six players who have scored over 1,000 career points at the Division I level, the Baylor women don't have to make it complicated.

"We just need to take what the defense gives us," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said.

That blueprint worked to perfection Monday afternoon in the third-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, as Baylor's inside-out attack proved to be too much for the Villanova Wildcats in the Bears' 73-62 win at the Imperial Arena.

Sarah Andrews bounced back from a rough shooting game against Indiana to hit 3-of-4 from 3-point range and score 15 points, while Colorado transfer Aaronette Vonleh had a season-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field to help the Bears pick up their second win in three days in the Bahamas.

"The game doesn't have to be complicated when you have players that are good in space and players that are good," said Collen, whose team improved to 5-2 with its fourth win in the last five games. "Our team did a great job, I thought, executing late and getting to easy shots where we were either going to score. And then, we got on the glass."

Yes, they did. The Bears dominated the battle of the boards, 42-25, shot a sizzling 58.7% from the floor and outscored the Wildcats (4-3), 40-12, in the paint.

And with the game tied at 53-53 going into the fourth, Baylor took control by feeding the post, with the 6-3 Vonleh scoring eight of her team's first 11 points in the period and kickstarting a 12-2 run that gave the Bears a double-digit lead.

"I think that's what helped us finish the game off strong," said Vonleh, who scored in double figures for the fourth time this season. "We needed to go on a run, and we found something that was working and kept doing it. It was nice to just execute and get the results we wanted and be able to finish the game the way we wanted to."

After going a combined 4-for-25 in Sunday's 73-65 semifinal loss to Indiana, Baylor's backcourt duo of Andrews and Jada Walker hit a combined 9-of-15 overall versus the Wildcats. Walker chipped in with 11 points and a team-high five assists, while Darianna Littlepage-Buggs narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine boards.

"Every game is going to be a little bit different," Collen said. "You look at Jada, she took 16 shots last night; today, she took eight. So, you've got a totally different feel. . . . I thought Buggs did a good job of just moving the ball and getting in next action. And she hit a big 3 at the end of the third quarter to give us some momentum going into the fourth. I thought Buggs was really, really good."

Villanova (4-3), which scored just 36 points in its semifinal loss to 16^th-ranked North Carolina, hit its first six 3-pointers and scored 37 points in the first 15 minutes of Monday's game against the Bears.

But the Wildcats had a nearly 10-minute scoring drought, missing 15 shots in a row from the five-minute mark of the second quarter to midway through the third. Baylor closed the gap to 37-36 by the end of the first half and finished off a 12-0 run to go up 44-37.

After Nova answered with back-to-back 3-pointers by Maddie Burke to take a two-point lead, a Littlepage-Buggs grabbed an offensive board and hit a jumper at the buzzer to tie it at 53-53 going to the fourth.

Bella Fontleroy, who had nine points, nine boards and three blocks, hit a dagger 3-pointer that gave the Bears a double-digit lead, 72-60.

Mississippi State transfer Denae Carter led the Wildcats with 13 points and six rebounds, with freshman point guard Jasmine Briscoe contributing 12 points and seven assists. After hitting its first six from 3, Villanova was 5-of-15 from distance in the second half and shot just 33.3% overall (21-of-63).

Vonleh said playing three games in three days was "definitely a challenge."

"I don't think any DI athlete is used to play games like that back-to-back, like it feels almost like AAU," she said. "But I think that's why we spend so much time just taking of our bodies and seeing our trainer, just to stay on top of everything so that we can keep going. I'm glad we were able to just finish the weekend off with another win so we can go home."

Senior guard Yaya Felder was named to the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team, scoring 42 points across the three games (14.0-point average). She hit her only 3-point attempt and scored eight points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes off the bench.

The Bears return home for the first of five-straight at the Foster Pavilion, hosting New Orleans at 2 p.m. Friday, and will open Big 12 play on the road at Kansas on Dec. 21.