ORLANDO — The UCF women’s basketball team came up short against Baylor, 75-64, as the Bears snapped a two-game losing streak Wednesday evening at Addition Financial Arena.
The Knights’ (7-12, 0-9 Big 12) 35 rebounds were not enough to contain the Bears’ (17-5, 7-2) strong offensive showing including nine three-pointers and 22 assists in the contest.
UCF put up a strong defensive showing in the first 6:38, limiting Baylor’s three-point shooting to just 20% (1-for-5). Mahogany Chandler-Roberts gave the Black and Gold some momentum in the closing stages of the first quarter, converting a second-chance layup to end the quarter trailing 17-14.
The second quarter was a high-scoring affair, as Baylor widened the gap by halftime to 43-30. The Bears’ dominance in the second period was highlighted by conference rebound leader Darianna Littlepage-Buggs’ seven rebounds and team leading scorer Aaronette Vonleh’s 12 points.
Baylor went on a 5-0 run at the start of the third quarter to extend its lead as they made the most of its opportunities and helped to control the tempo of the game. Nevaeh Brown made two free throws at the end of the quarter to cut the Bears’ lead down to 62-46 entering the fourth quarter.
Brown spearheaded UCF’s comeback with 10 points to outscore the Bears 19-16 in the fourth quarter, but the Black and Gold’s efforts fell short as Baylor ended the game with a 75-64 victory.
With her performance, Brown, who had come off the bench to score a game-high 23 points against Iowa State last Saturday) tied her career high points tally with 25 and went 12-for-12 from the free throw line to tie the school record with former player Aliyah Gregory. Kaitlin Peterson continued her offensive dominance this season with 18 points. Adeang Ring also chipped in with 10 rebounds, collecting a season-high eight on the defensive end.
Up Next:
The Knights will return to Addition Financial Arena today (Saturday) to host Houston at noon as the opening game a doubleheader with the men, who will play BYU at 4 p.m. in the nightcap. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Here is the box score:
Baylor 75, UCF 64
Baylor (17-5, 7-2)
Aaronette Vonleh 11-12 0-2 22, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs 6-11 4-6 17, Sarah Andrews 4-15 0-0 12, Bella Fontleroy 3-13 1-3 8, Jada Walker 2-6 3-4 7, Aliyah Matharu 2-4 0-0 6, Yaya Felder 1-5 0-0 3, Waiata Jennings 0-1 0-0 0, Kayla Nelms 0-0 0-0 0, Kyla Abraham 0-0 0-0 0. Totals _ 29-67 8-15 75.
UCF (7-12, 0-9)
Nevaeh Brown 6-15 12-12 25, Khyala Ngodu 3-6 3-4 9, Achol Akot 3-5 2-2 8, Mahogany Chandler-Roberts 1-4 0-2 2, Ally Stedman 0-2 0-0 0, Kaitlin Peterson 7-17 3-7 18, Adeang Ring 1-5 0-0 2, Lucie Castagne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals _ 21-54 20-27 64.
Baylor 17 26 19 13 _ 75
UCF 14 16 16 18 _ 64
3-point field goals _ Baylor 9-31 (Andrews 4-12, Matharu 2-3, Fontleroy 1-9, Littlepage-Buggs 1-3, Felder 1-3, Walker 0-1); UCF 2-11 (Peterson 1-4, Brown 1-3, Stedman 0-2, Ring 0-1, Chandler-Roberts 0-1). Team fouls _ Baylor 18; UCF 18. Fouled out _ none. Technical fouls _ none. Rebounds _ Baylor 41 (Littlepage-Buggs 11, Fontleroy 7, Vonleh 5); UCF 35 (Ring 10, Ngodu 7). Turnovers _ Baylor 6; UCF 9. Assists _ Baylor 22 (Andrews 7, Walker 6); UCF 5 (Peterson 2). Steals _ Baylor 14 (Fontleroy 2); UCF 1 (Akot). Blocked shots _ Baylor 3 (Vonleh 2); UCF 2 (Ngodu 2).
