Horns’ offense falters vs. Bears
Star Collier limited to just 2 points as UT struggles from 3-point range
When coach Vic Schaefer agreed to leave Mississippi State for Texas last April, he was fully aware that overthrowing Baylor would take precedence over just about everything else. He also understood it would take time to challenge the Bears for Big 12 dominance.
What happened Sunday afternoon only served to crystallize the notion that Texas isn’t ready to topple coach Kim Mulkey’s juggernaut as currently constructed. No. 7 Baylor (16-2, 11-1 Big 12) cruised by Texas (14-6, 8-5) in a 60-35 win at the Ferrell Center in Waco, dispatching another would-be challenger on its path to an 11th straight Big 12 regularseason championship.
It was a brutal day for Texas junior center Charli Collier in particular, though no one in burnt orange produced much on either end. But Collier, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 WNBA draft, was rendered bootless by the Bears’ unyielding defense.
“We got a bunch of really good looks, y’all, we just couldn’t make a shot,” Schaefer said. “I thought they did a good job of taking away Charli. And when that happens, you have to work a little harder, and at the same time some other people have to step up.”
Collier didn’t attempt a shot until the 1:41 mark of the first quarter — her pullup jumper from the freethrow line caromed off back iron. And Texas’ guards struggled making clean entry passes to the 6-foot-5 center, who was often blanketed by 6-2 NaLyssa Smith or 6-3 Queen Egbo with help lurking nearby.
Collier finished with just two points on 1-for-3 shooting, five rebounds, three turnovers and one block. She fouled out in 29 minutes. It was Collier’s worst outing since a five-point, three-rebound showing Jan. 9 in a 92-58 loss to West Virginia.
And with its two-way star grounded, Texas flailed.
“When somebody takes away your No. 1 option, you’ve gotta do some other things a little bit better,” Schaefer said. “I thought they were really focused on Charli. They were denying her at the hole, denying her at the 3-point line. They were really limiting her touches, and they were there on the catch a lot.”
Baylor found its footing after carrying a 12-8 lead into the second quarter. With Collier neutralized and the Longhorns’ guards unable to gain much headway attacking, the Bears began to playing to their strengths to pull away.
Baylor guard DiJonai Carrington (13 points) corralled a cross-court pass and sank a 3-pointer to put Baylor ahead 25-11, leading to a frustrated timeout from Schaefer with 3:41 remaining. Collier scored her two points shortly after that pause, only to then draw a third foul and return to the bench as Baylor built a 33-17 halftime lead.
Texas and Baylor combined to score 14 points in the third quarter as the game slowed to a crawl. The Bears’ defense effectively had taken Collier out of the game, and the Longhorns didn’t even attempt a 3pointer after missing all seven attempts in the first half.
“We had plenty of looks, plenty of open opportunities,” Texas junior forward Lauren Ebo said. “Just have to see the ball go through the basket. Our defensive effort was there. Obviously, our rebounding could have been better, free throws could have been better. All those things.”
Baylor dominated in nearly every meaningful category. It grabbed 20 more rebounds, hit one more 3 and 12 more free throws and finished with an 11-0 advantage in fast break points. Texas did score 14 points off 20 Baylor turnovers, but the Bears converted 16 UT turnovers into 13 points.
The one bright spot for Texas was its defense. Baylor shot 42 percent and scored only eight points on 3-for-13 shooting in the third quarter.
“Not about moral victories, but I thought we competed defensively,” Schaefer said. “Held ‘em to 60 points, and that’s a really good offensive team over there.”
The Longhorns nearly matched a program record for shooting futility with a 1for-12 showing from 3-point range — a meaningless fourth-quarter 3-pointer by guard Ashley Chevalier spared them the embarrassment of clanking every attempt from deep. Texas also shot 24.6 percent, tied for the sixth-worst mark in program history. And the 35point output tied for the second-lowest in team history.
Smith led all scorers with 14 points on 7-for-16 shooting and added six rebounds. Baylor senior DiDi Richards handed out a game-high 10 assists and played her typical stymieing defense. Egbo recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Texas sophomore Celeste Taylor led the team with 11 points on 5-for-19 shooting and snared eight rebounds. Ebo just missed out on a double-double, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes.
Texas will hit the road again for its next matchup. The Longhorns face TCU (810, 3-10) on Feb. 17 at Schollmaier Arena.