No. 19 WBB Stampedes Colorado

Wednesday, February 19

Boulder, Colo.

8 PM

Baylor

23-5,13-2Big 12

Colorado

17-9,8-7Big 12

Baylor

Colorado

No. 19 WBB Stampedes Colorado

2/19/2025 10:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Fontleroy hits six 3-pointers, scores 21 in 84-62 blowout

BaylorBears.com

BOULDER, Colo. – Not even in her wildest dreams did Baylor coach Nicki Collen think that the 19^th-ranked Bears' game Wednesday night at the CU Events Center would be a walk in the park.

To make matters worse, they had to do it without leading scorer and rebounder Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who suffered a leg injury in Saturday's road win at Texas Tech.

No problem, though, as Baylor (23-5, 13-2) got balanced scoring from four double-digit scorers and raced out to a 23-point halftime lead in blowing out an even more shorthanded Colorado Buffaloes team, 84-62, to match the Bears' season high with a seven-game winning streak.

"That's our girl. We love Buggs a lot," said Bella Fontleroy, who hit six of Baylor's 14 made 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points. "One of the biggest things she gives to us as a leader on our team is energy. So, we had to come out and create our own energy. . . . We definitely stepped up in a really big way. People were coming in, playing defense, doing what we're supposed to do and playing Baylor basketball. I think we filled the gap pretty well."

With only a couple days to adjust after Littlepage-Buggs' injury, Collen said the Bears used more of an open style, "which was really, really good until the fourth quarter, when it wasn't."

Snapping Colorado's 10-game homecourt winning streak, Baylor blew out to a 23-point halftime lead and led by as many as 38 before being outscored 24-8 in the fourth quarter, turning it over seven times and going just 1-of-10 from the floor.

"You protect when you can protect," said Collen, who sat out Fontleroy and fellow starters Sarah Andrews and Aaronette Vonleh in the fourth quarter. "Believe me, it was a little painful as we were turning it over and getting tired there in the fourth quarter. But you weigh what's coming versus any numbers.

"We're chasing a championship right now."

That Big 12 title race will come down to the last three regular-season games, with the Bears and 10^th-ranked TCU (25-3, 13-2) tied atop the standings and one game up on No. 12/15 Kansas State (24-4, 12-3).

In a challenging stretch of three games in eight days, Baylor will host Iowa State (19-9, 10-5) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Foster Pavilion and the Horned Frogs the following Saturday, March 2, sandwiched around a difficult road test at K-State on Monday night in Manhattan.

"We weren't thinking we were going to come in here and have an easy win," Collen said. "They've been 20 points better at home than on the road. I thought we did a good job of being disruptive with our ball pressure and making them play downhill. And then, obviously, making shots, balance what Nettie (Vonleh) was doing inside."
Returning to Colorado, where she played the previous two seasons and earned All-Pac-12 honors last season, the 6-3 Vonleh had 10 points and eight rebounds while playing just 18 minutes.

"She's amazing," Fontleroy said of Vonleh. "She's not fazed by things very often. She came in today and knew she had to do her job and did just that. I love playing with her. I think we all do, because it's like she has magnets on her hand. Whenever we throw up a pass, she's going to go get it and she's going to make a play, she's going to make things happen."

Already down three players – Madison Bartley medically retired and Jana Van Gytenbeek suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener – Baylor got another scare when senior point guard Jada Walker rolled her ankle on a drive to the basket less than four minutes into the game.

Returning to the floor about a minute later, Walker sparked a closing 14-6 run that included a pair of Fontleroy 3-pointers and a halfcourt shot by Walker that banked in for a 22-14 lead.

"That was the most Jada Walker thing," Fontleroy said.

Walker hit similar shots last season against Iowa State and Virginia Tech, which "means we're due for another one," Collen said.

The Bears going 14-for-31 from 3-point range was "awesome," Collen said.

"And a big part of that was the play I drew up for Jada to shoot a halfcourt shot with seven seconds left," she said. "She had time to dribble down and shoot a layup, which was what was crazy about it. I guess she just didn't look up. But no one's made more of those in two years that I've coached in my whole career."

Carrying the momentum of that halfcourt shot into the second quarter, Baylor went on a 15-2 run and went up 39-17 on a three-point play by Vonleh. Fontleroy scored six-straight points to give the Bears their biggest lead to that point, 47-21.

A 13-0 third-quarter run put this one away. Fontleroy started it with another 3-pointer, and junior college transfer Waiata Jennings knocked down a pair of free throws with 4:44 left in the period to put Baylor up 63-30.

"I thought Wise (Jennings) gave fantastic minutes tonight," Collen said. "I thought she battled, thought she made plays. She did simple things, she didn't try to do too much. I just thought she was really, really solid for us. That gives me a lot of confidence, knowing that Bella has to sub. But I thought Wise's minutes were awesome."

Walker had 17 points and six assists after the early injury scare, while Andrews hit two 3-pointers and scored 12 points to go with five assists, three boards and three steals with no turnovers.

In her best game in a Baylor uniform, Jennings played 25 minutes, hit 2-of-3 from the floor and scored seven points with three rebounds, two steals and a block. All nine active players got in the game, with Florida transfer Aliyah Matharu and Yaya Felder scoring eight and seven points, respectively.

Missing three starters, including leading scorer Frida Formann, the Buffaloes were led by Jade Masogayo with 16 points and Johanna Teder with 14.

Saturday's 1:30 p.m. game against Iowa State is Baylor's "Play4Kay" Game and also a "Pink Out" at Foster Pavilion. The game will be a national broadcast on FOX.