TCU Leaves Baylor Women's Basketball with Questions to Answer
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The TCU Horned Frogs increase their streak to four games against the Lady Bears. PG Olivia Miles plays the villain in the packed Foster Pavilion, scoring 24 in the third quarter and leading the Horned Frogs to a 83-67 victory.
A rivalry that Baylor recently had the whip hand over, winning 37 straight against the Horned Frogs, has been flipped on its head over the last two seasons.
Slow start
Bad passes led to five early turnovers for the Lady Bears, and the Horned Frogs were getting to the cup with ease. A 9-0 run from Baylor was immediately doused by back-to-back deep balls from Miles.
The trend continued throughout the rest of the game; stops were few and far between for a team that can thrive in transition. Baylor leans heavily on their defense, and Olivia Miles exposed it.
Taliah Scott Takeover
Baylor's star point guard, Taliah Scott, put together an electric second quarter. She scored 13 without missing a shot and looked unguardable.
In what could've been a dominant second quarter, the Baylor defense could not get enough stops to put a run together.
Baylor's strong perimeter defense collapses
Ranked no. 1 in the country, Baylor allows an astoundingly low 23.2% from beyond the arc. TCU shot 51.7% from deep, launching 29 over the course of the game.
TCU PG Olivia Miles got whatever she wanted from beyond the arc. She reached a career high of 33 points before the 4th quarter started.
Until the final quarter of play, Baylor refused to step out on the career 32.7% three-point shooter. "We wanted to make her score," said BU head coach Nicki Collen. Miles took advantage, taking 28 shots and scoring 40 points.
It's hard to understand how the defensive scheme was not adjusted for Miles, who had no reason to stop taking open looks. "We wanted to make her score."
Looking ahead
"We still control our own destiny," said Collen. The Lady Bears will have an opportunity to prove it in a get-right game on Sunday. They will hit the road to Orlando, Florida, where they will be welcomed by the 10-14 UCF Knights.
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Bennett is an undergrad student at Baylor University, studying journalism on the sports track. He is from the DFW area and grew up playing and watching sports, which inspired him to pursue sports writing.
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