Baylor women’s basketball wasted little time making its presence felt in an exhibition that looked lopsided from the opening tip. The Bears rolled past West Texas A&M, 96-56, on Sunday afternoon at the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion, and the difference was clear in the way Baylor turned defense into offense all afternoon.
The biggest edge came from pressure. Baylor forced 30 Lady Buff turnovers and turned those mistakes into 37 points. That constant disruption fueled an opening surge, a steady push before halftime and then the knockout blows in the third and fourth quarters.
The Bears opened with a 9-0 burst and later added another 9-0 run in the first quarter. Their defense smothered WT early, forcing 10 turnovers in the period and converting them into 13 points. Lorena Awou capped one of those stretches with a jumper off an Ines Goryanova assist as Baylor took control quickly.
That same formula showed up again in the second quarter. Baylor forced five straight Lady Buff turnovers and cashed in through Kyla Abraham and Reese Ross.
Awou then took over with eight straight points, stretching the margin to 15 with just under four minutes left before halftime. Ross closed the half with a 3-pointer off a Trinity Turner assist, sending Baylor to the break up 43-29.
The third quarter was the next decisive stretch. Baylor shot 10 of 15 in the period, piled up nine assists and outscored West Texas A&M 28-14. Late in the frame, the Bears ripped off an 11-0 run and kept WT off the scoreboard for more than four minutes to blow the game open.
They finished the job in the fourth. Baylor used a 10-0 run to put the game fully out of reach, with Awou scoring seven points in that stretch. Kayla Nelms added a free throw and a paint jumper as the Bears kept attacking inside, finishing with 22 points in the paint in the quarter before closing out the 96-56 win.
Awou led Baylor with 19 points. Ross added 16 points and a block, while Nelms, Tianna Thompson and Ella Brow each finished with 12.
Skylar Jones scored 10. Turner ran the offense with 11 assists and also shared the team lead with Jones with four steals.
Baylor now turns to the official opener on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. CT against FDU. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the Baylor Sports Media Network.
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