Incoming Head Coach Nicki Collen’s Green and Gold-clad Baylor University women’s basketball Bears have ample reason to anticipate another memorable season. They carry the torch of a program featuring a dozen Conference Titles and three National Championships.
Of note, the last eleven Conference Titles were won consecutively through 2021. The long-range objective is to advance beyond last year’s Tournament results when the Bears made it to the Elite Eight only to be narrowly eliminated by UConn’s Lady Huskies in a game decided by two points.
The Bears roster that took Waco’s Farrell Center home floor in the 2021-22 October 27th season-opening game was a talented veteran-filled team. They faced State and Big 12 Conference rival Texas A&M.
Predictably, the favored Bears raced out to a 23-3 First Quarter lead and never looked back, steadily adding to the advantage over the remaining three quarters. They coasted to an 88-52 final score victory. Four months and another 29 regular-season games remain for the seventh nationally-ranked Bears.
The team is headed by Big 12 Player of the Year and preseason All-American Senior forward NaLyssa Smith out of Converse, TX. Last year she poured through 18 points per game with a 56% success rate shooting from the field and nearly 80% success from the free-throw line.
Smith initiated this season with a 27 point and 15 rebound effort against A&M. While on defense, she was only charged with two personal fouls.
Other key players to highlight are the following: 2nd-year guard Sarah Andrews out of Irving, TX with 17 points and three steals. Senior 4th-year center from Houston, Queen Egbo with 15 points, a dozen boards, and four blocks. Point guard Jordan Lewis, a transfer this year from Alabama, contributed nine points while dealing out six assists.
The team remained balanced as eight Baylor players saw fifteen or more minutes of court time.
With a team filled with seasoned veterans and a solid opening to their season, we look forward to following the Bears’ efforts in the months and games to come.
