Baylor
Oklahoma State
WBB Rings in 2025 Against the Cowgirls in Conference Home Opener
12/31/2024 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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RV/23 BAYLOR BEARS (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Nicki Collen (Marquette, 1998) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
RV/23 BAYLOR (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) vs RV/NR OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) Jan. 1, 2025 • 3:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Foster Pavilion (7,500) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN+ TALENT: John Morris (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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RV/NR OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) Location: Stillwater, Okla. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Jacie Hoyt (Wichita St., 2009) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – Swept by Oklahoma State two years ago in coach Jaci Hoyt's debut season as the Cowgirls' head coach, Nicki Collen said her Baylor Bears aren't about to "take any games against Oklahoma State for granted."
Coming off a 20-point road victory over Kansas in the pre-Christmas conference opener, Baylor (11-2, 1-0) will host Oklahoma State (11-1, 1-0) at 3 p.m. Wednesday to ring in the new year at Foster Pavilion.
"I think they're a really good team," Collen said of OSU, which had played only one P4 school before beating Iowa State, 81-75, in its conference opener 11 days ago. "The nature of it being more of a reload than a rebuild, with the portal these days, they added some pieces. And when you look at them analytically, their numbers are really scary. . . . When you take a deeper dive into the quality of competition, that changes. But they obviously shoot the 3 really well."
The Cowgirls lead the Big 12 and rank second nationally, shooting at a 40.32% clip from 3-point range. Sixth in the league in scoring at 17.4 points per game, Seton Hall transfer guard Micah Gray is second in 3-pointers made (40), shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc.
In a four-guard lineup, OSU has two other players averaging double-figure points, with 5-11 sophomore Stailee Heard at 13.4 and 5-8 senior Anna Gret Asi at 13.8 points and 3.2 assists per game.
"Their top five scorers all shoot around 40% from 3 and are going to make multiple 3's," Collen said. "I think they're just a really tough guard, and they're also coming in with a ton of confidence because of their record."
With Oklahoma State's guard-heavy lineup, Baylor is getting backcourt help at the right time with the addition of midyear transfer Aliyah Matharu from Florida. The 5-7 grad transfer was second in the SEC last season with 19.0 points per game and also led the Gators in assists (73) and steals (81).
"I'm going to shove her in there and give her opportunity," Collen said of Matharu. "At the same time, we have to figure out what works. Because a few practices, when we don't even have our practice guys and we're just playing against each other, it makes it harder to mix lineups, change lineups, work on things. Because of that, we're going to have to see how it happens organically."
Matharu joins the backcourt mix with three other players averaging double-digit points with Jada Walker (12.4 ppg, 5.7 assists), Sarah Andrews (12.2 ppg, 5.6 assists) and Yaya Felder (11.5 ppg). Felder has come off the bench in all 13 games this season but has "earned her minutes."
"Aliyah is probably not going to play the point, at least for the first month as we kind of acclimate her to what we do," Collen said. "I think it's easier to acclimate at one position than two. She'll be playing off the ball, which means we still need Sarah or Jada out there with her. And Yaya has earned her minutes. So, my guess is we'll play a little more small ball on the perimeter – smaller, quicker, aggressive. I would say that would be the biggest change."
Baylor president Dr. Linda Livingstone and the First Gent, Brad Livingstone, both Oklahoma State grads, will serve as honorary coaches for Wednesday's game.
"I probably don't get to talk about this enough," Collen said. "I think it's a part of the recruiting process for us when you think about academia and athletics and the crossover that has to happen at this level. Oftentimes, there's a disconnect, but we have the alignment with campus.
"I think a lot of it has to do with Dr. Livingstone and how supportive she is not just with athletics, but also with all extracurricular campus stuff. I think a president that's not just female, but played college basketball and played at a high level, says a lot about Baylor, says a lot about our commitment to athletics, our commitment to women's basketball."
Wednesday's game will be streamed by ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor men's basketball coach Jim Haller calling the action.
Game notes
• Baylor continues conference play for the first time at home this season on New Year's Day, hosting Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. live on ESPN+ from the Banks of the Brazos.
• Oklahoma State women's basketball is the first opponent to make a return trip to Foster Pavilion, men's or women's, 365 days removed from the first-ever game on Jan. 2, 2024.
• The Bears secured its 19th Big 12 lid-lifting win since the 2000-01 season and ninth on the road at Kansas, defeating the Jayhawks 86-66.
• BU completed a 10-2 proper non-conference slate, going perfect at home in the first season of non-con play at Foster Pavilion, with losses coming at Oregon and against Indiana in The Bahamas. Before the postseason, one final non-conference game will be contested against UCLA in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic on Jan. 20 in Newark, N.J.
• Baylor holds the all-time record against the Cowgirls, 50-13, entering the 64th contest between the two programs.
• BU is the victor of 31 of the last 35 face-offs, with OSU most recently taking a pair of wins to sweep the 2023 conference slate over the Bears between Waco and Stillwater.
• OSU is 2-0 against power four opponents 12 games into the season, getting a 14-point non-con win over Arkansas before beating Iowa State to open the conference slate at Gallagher-Iba.
• Three Cowgirls average double-figures in Micah Gray (17.4), Anna Gret Asi (13.8) and Stailee Heard (13.4), while Heard pairs it with a program-leading eight rebounds per game.
• Baylor won its 19th conference opener since the 2000-01 season and ninth on the road in a 20-point victory over the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse in the program's first pre-Christmas conference game since women's basketball was sanctioned by the NCAA.
• Sarah Andrews nailed five 3-pointers to put up 19 points on the night to give the Bears their seventh-straight win.
• BU tied season-best stats in turnovers (8) and blocks (11).
• Baylor held Kansas to 32.8 from the floor, but the Jayhawks picked up 23 points (23-of-30; 76.6%) from the free throw line.
• Baylor went 8-0 at home in non-conference play, completing the second-straight and third overall undefeated home non-con schedule in the fourth year of the Nicki Collen era.
• BU holds a 19-game win streak in regular season non-con home games, last dropping a Nov. 20, 2022 contest against then-No.19 Maryland, 73-68, at the Ferrell Center.
• 2024-25 held the first non-conference schedule at the new Foster Pavilion, after opening the facility for conference play in 2023-24.
