Kansas State Wildcats Women’s Basketball Falls Short to Baylor at Foster Pavilion
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MANHATTAN, Kan. — In the high-stakes world of Big 12 women’s basketball, there are no breathers, every trip matters.
And on Monday night, the Kansas State Wildcats women's basketball wrapped up one of their toughest stretches of the season. They are doing that with a road showdown at Foster Pavilion against the No. 18/14 Baylor Bears women's basketball team.
Kansas State Wildcats Showcasing a Tale of Two Shooting Performances
It marked the end of an eight-day, four-game grind for Kansas State. Waiting at the finish line was a ranked Baylor squad determined to defend its home floor.
Final in Waco pic.twitter.com/ir8RT9mZ3l
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) February 24, 2026
Baylor secured an 80-54 victory, moving the Wildcats to 15-15 overall and 8-9 in Big 12 play. While the 26-point margin tells one story, the matchup served as another demanding test of K-State’s resilience late in the regular season.
The Wildcats now sit at 2-3 against ranked opponents this year and 97-251 all-time against AP Top-25 teams. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, Kansas State holds a 56-78 road record, and Mittie is 4-27 in his career against Baylor.
Baylor delivered one of its sharpest offensive performances of the season. The Bears shot 52.6 percent from the field, going 30-of-57, and were even more dangerous from beyond the arc, hitting 50.0 percent of their threes at 13-of-26. Those 13 three-pointers marked a season-high for Baylor.
Kansas State, meanwhile, struggled to match that rhythm. The Wildcats shot 33.8 percent from the floor, finishing 22-of-65, and connected on 26.1 percent from deep at 6-of-23.
Over the course of four quarters, that gap widened. In conference play, especially on the road, shooting disparities like that are tough to overcome. For much of the first half, the Wildcats kept things within reach. K-State trailed just 35-26 at halftime and remained within striking distance.
Then came the third quarter. Baylor opened the second half on a 7-2 run, building a 42-28 lead with 8:10 left in the period and forcing Kansas State to burn its second timeout. From there, momentum tilted heavily toward the home team.
Bella Fontleroy ignited the surge, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the third quarter alone. During the opening five minutes of the frame, Baylor knocked down 4-of-6 shots from three-point range. Taliah Scott, who finished with a game-high 20 points, added a flurry of triples that pushed the lead to 57-32 with 4:01 remaining in the quarter.
Baylor outscored Kansas State 25-14 in the third, stretching the advantage to 60-40 heading into the fourth. The Bears closed it out with a 20-14 edge in the final period, sealing the 80-54 result.
The Wildcats actually shot a respectable 46.2 percent in the first quarter, going 6-of-13 from the field. But ball security proved costly. Kansas State committed seven turnovers in the opening ten minutes. With that, they handed Baylor extra possessions and helped the Bears build a 19-13 lead after one.
In the second quarter, Baylor tightened the screws defensively, holding K-State to 27.8 percent shooting at 5-of-18. The Bears took that 16-13 frame to carry a 35-26 cushion into halftime.
Let's Talk About the Individual Performances That Stood Out
Even in a tough team result, several Wildcats reached key milestones and delivered notable efforts. Tess Heal reached double figures for the 90th time in her career and the 16th time this season, finishing with 12 points. Her collegiate total now stands at 1,761 points. She also knocked down two three-pointers, marking her 30th career game with two or more makes from long range.
Jordan Speiser matched Heal with 12 points and tied her career high with four three-pointers. It marked her 15th game this season in double figures and her 15th contest with two or more threes. Brandie Harrod added 10 points and four rebounds while tying her career high with four steals. It was her sixth career game with 10 or more points.
Gina Garcia handed out five assists, moving into fifth in program history for assists in a freshman season with 141. It was her 15th game this year with five or more assists. Nastja Claessens continued her consistency on the boards, pulling down five or more rebounds for the 10th time this season.
The all-time series now stands at 45-12 in favor of Baylor. In its 30th season of Big 12 play, K-State owns a 253-256 conference record. Across 58 seasons, the Wildcats are 305-335 in road games and 97-251 against AP Top-25 teams, including a 25-74 mark under Mittie.
Kansas State will close its Big 12 regular season on Sunday, March 1, at 1 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum against the Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team.
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Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.