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WACO, Texas - Playing with a full roster for the first time in her three seasons at Baylor, Nicki Collen can "truly play chess with and move the pieces around."
Written by Jerry Hill | Baylor Bear Insider
Tuesday night, Collen played like a grandmaster, making every move count in the 21st-ranked Bears' 84-77 upset win over No. 4 Utah before the largest student draw in program history and a Ferrell Center crowd of 4,800.
"I just think we get to truly play chess with and move the pieces around" said Collen, whose team improved to 2-0 with its first win over a top-five team since beating No. 1 UConn, 74-58, on Jan. 9, 2020. "We have these pieces that can move around, so it allows us to take advantage of things."
Never trailing after taking a 11-2 lead in the first 3 ½ minutes of the game, the Bears closed the third quarter on a 12-3 run and went up 63-54 on Bella Fontleroy's buzzer-beating 3-pointer after Utah (2-1) had tied it for the first time since it was 2-2.
"Every day at practice, every single day, we work on that opposite-wing drt pass to the corner for 3," said Fontleroy, who was 2-for-3 from 3-point range and gave the Bears their fourth double-figure scorer with 12 points. "To see that play out in the game and to hit that shot, especially to help stretch the lead, that was really fun."
It was Sarah Andrews' turn in the fourth quarter. Held to six points through the first three quarters, the senior guard knocked down two 3-pointers and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line in scoring 12 of her team-high 18 points in the final quarter to hold the Utes at bay.
"It was a great win," said Andrews, who finished 4-of-6 from outside the arc, adding two assists, two rebounds and two steals. "I think everybody contributed in a different way. Everybody took over a quarter in some way. In the fourth quarter, I just let the game come to me. But we just played a great game tonight."
Dre'Una Edwards, who started her collegiate career at Utah, had 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks, while Missouri transfer Aijha Blackwell added 13 points and eight boards.
"There were lots of moments where we started to see the Aijha Blackwell that came from Missouri, that was attacking, finishing 6-for-6 inside the arc," Collen said. "The game started to come back to her, and I saw her energy, her passion."
Reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Alissa Pili had a game-high 22 points for the Utes, who fell to 2-1 after topping the 100-point mark in their previous two games. Pili picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and didn't play the rest of the first half.
"Our game plan was to get Pili in foul trouble," Collen said. "We thought the best way to defend her was her sitting on the bench. That worked really well early. It (happened) a little bit faster than I anticipated."
Edwards scored three-straight buckets, sandwiched between bookend baskets by Blackwell, as Baylor jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first quarter. Digging out of that early hole, Utah pulled to within one, 19-18, before Andrews buried a 3-pointer to make it 24-20 after one.
Even with Pili sitting on the bench, the Utes were able to keep it close and pulled back within one, 30-29, on a three-pointer by Gianna Kneepkens. The Bears answered with seven unanswered points, including buckets by Edwards, Iowa State transfer Denae Fritz and Fontleroy, and had a 39-33 halftime lead.
"I think you saw everybody grow up," Andrews said. "Bella and Buggs (Darianna Littlepage-Buggs), they're not freshmen anymore. They're sophomores. You saw them play with poise. You saw us stick together as a team."
Baylor's defense kept throwing different players at her down on the low block, but Pili missed just once in 11 attempts and scored a game-high 22 points.
"I think everyone who shared that job of guarding Pili did really well," Fontleroy said. "Of course, she got loose a little bit, but that's what she does.
Gianna Kneepkens added 18 points and seven rebounds, but also had seven of the Utes' 18 turnovers. After hitting a program-record 21 three-pointers
Baylor continues a season-opening five-game homestand with a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee matchup against Harvard (2-1). The Crimson placed five players in double figures in an 85-41 win over Quinnipiac.