Arizona State Falls Short in Pursuit of Ranked Victory Over Baylor

The Sun Devils played Baylor incredibly tough to the wire on Saturday.

ASU Sun Devils head coach Molly Miller talks to her team during a timeout in their game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Feb. 1, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (19-6, 6-6) nearly secured a signature win in the first year of the Molly Miller era, but fell short against the Baylor Bears (21-4, 10-2) on Saturday evening in Waco, Texas by a score of 67-64.

The Sun Devils went into this game coming off of a major victory over Oklahoma State at home, while Baylor took down the Cincinnati Bearcats on the road.

Follow key happenings from the game, as well as giving key performers due respect and listing out what's next for ASU below.

ASU Sun Devils forward McKinna Brackens 921) fights for a loose ball with Kansas State Wildcats guard Taryn Sides (11) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Feb. 1, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

First Half

The game started off in a relatively slow manner, as Baylor took a 15-9 lead after 10 minutes in lieu of both sides struggling to get into a flow offensively.

Arizona State guard Jyah LoVett tied the game up at 26 late in the second quarter after securing a steal and taking the ball coast-to-coast with a layup finish. Baylor retook a 29-26 lead going into halftime after a connection on three free throws by Taliah Scott.

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Molly Miller reacts during action against the Arizona Wildcats on Jan. 28, 2026, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Second Half

Baylor started out the second half with a major push, as they extended their advantage to eight points. A series of events which included a "flopping" technical foul on Baylor gifted new life to Arizona State, as they took the lead for the first time since the first quarter - as they went up 44-43 at the three minute mark of the third quarter.

Baylor rebuilt momentum over the final three minutes, going on a 10-4 run to put the Sun Devils at a deficit of five going into the final 10 minutes of game action.

Arizona State refused to go away in the fourth quarter, as LoVett tied the game at 53 early in the period with a three-point connection.

ASU forward Deborah Davenport tied the game back up at 58 with around six minutes left in the game after a steal resulted in a transition layup.

The Sun Devils remained in position to take the game late, but late Baylor free throw connections and a turnover from Gabby Elliott with just over three seconds remaining ultimately sealed the victory for the Bears.

Key Performances

• Gabby Elliott - 25 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST

• Jyah LoVett - 16 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST

• Martina Fantini - 6 PTS, 4 REB

What's Next

Arizona State is set to take on Utah at home in a rematch on Wednesday 2/11 before traveling to take on Arizona in Tucson next Saturday.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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