Trinity Turner gave Baylor’s offense a spark, but Texas had too much firepower Thursday night in Austin.
The Bears fell 85-64 to the preseason No. 6 Longhorns in an exhibition at the Moody Center, even as Turner poured in a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
She knocked down 2 of 3 from deep and kept Baylor afloat at different points in the night. Reese Ross joined her in double figures with 13 points and also pulled down a team-high five rebounds, all on the defensive end.
Baylor had its moments early before turnovers turned the first quarter against it. The teams traded leads in the opening stretch, but seven Baylor giveaways led directly to 11 Texas points.
Ross buried a 3-pointer off an assist from Ella Brow, and Ines Goryanova added five late points to pull the Bears within four. Texas answered with the last three points of the period to close the quarter ahead.
The second quarter proved even tougher. Baylor managed just 10 points in the frame, though it did piece together a brief 6-0 run midway through the period.
Skylar Jones hit two free throws, Ross scored off a Turner assist, and Kyla Abraham added a jumper. Texas, though, seized control from there and finished the half on a 9-0 surge to take a 50-29 lead into the locker room.
Baylor settled in after halftime and nearly matched the Longhorns in the third quarter, trailing 19-18 in the period. Turner led the way with eight points in the frame, including a 3-pointer with a little more than two minutes left. Still, six more turnovers kept the Bears from cutting deeper into the deficit.
The fourth quarter was Baylor’s best stretch of the night. The Bears outscored Texas 17-16, forced four steals and turned those mistakes into seven points.
Goryanova started the pressure with two steals early in the period, and Turner finished one of them with a fast-break 3-pointer. She later added two jumpers, while Ross chipped in late points at the line and on a layup before Texas closed it out.
Texas got 18 points from Zya Vann, who hit all six of her 3-point tries. Addison Bjorn added 11 points, five steals and a block, while Breya Cunningham finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks. Madison Booker also scored 12 and added three assists and two steals.
Baylor now turns to its official season opener Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. CT against FDU. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the Baylor Sports Media Network.
In Other News...
Baylor Suddenly Feels Like A Real Lincoln Riley Landing Spot
Lincoln Rileys name is back in the coaching rumor mill, and Baylor is one of the places drawing attention for all the obvious reasons. The fit makes sense on paper. His offense has always been the kind of system that can instantly change a programs ceiling, and Baylor would offer a far different setup than the grind of USCs Big Ten life, with less travel and a conference schedule that would look a lot more manageable.
The larger backdrop is what has made the speculation feel less far-fetched than it might have a year ago. USCs recent struggles have fueled frustration around Riley, while the schools administrative changes have added another layer of uncertainty to the picture. His contract situation also keeps the conversation alive, and for Baylor, that alone is enough to make the possibility worth watching even if the path from rumor to reality is still wide open. [Read more 🡒]
Taliah Scott Just Raised The Stakes For Baylors Season
Taliah Scotts rise has already given Baylor one of the more reliable building blocks in the Big 12, and now the senior guard is getting another national spotlight before the season even tips. Scott was named to the 2026-27 Jersey Mikes Naismith Trophy Womens College Player of the Year Watch List, a nod that comes after a strong previous season and a run of postseason and preseason recognition that has kept her profile climbing.
She is one of eight Big 12 players on the watch list, which says plenty about the level of competition Baylor will face in its own league and about the expectations now attached to Scotts final college season. For the Bears, the honor is less about one more line on the rsum than the reminder that one of their most important players is carrying real national weight into a season where every big performance will be watched a little more closely. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors First Game After Aranda Will Show A Lot
Dave Arandas firing has pushed Baylor into a new phase, and the Bears now head into their next game under interim coach Joe Klanderman with plenty of eyes on how the program responds. Klanderman has already signaled support for offensive coordinator Jake Spavitals play calling, while also making it clear he wants to see more energy from the offense as Baylor tries to steady itself in the wake of the change.
UCF arrives as the first test of that reset, and it figures to tell a lot about how quickly the Bears can settle in under the new leadership structure. Interims often inherit more than just a play sheet and a headset, and this one comes with the added challenge of keeping the team focused while making sure the offense looks sharper and more urgent right away. [Read more 🡒]