Baylor women’s basketball headed to Sweet 16 for 16th time

Sixteen is sweet, indeed.

Baylor women’s basketball is headed back to the Sweet 16, thanks to a pair of big NCAA tournament wins this weekend in Blacksburg, Virginia. Head coach Nicki Collen’s squad dominated Vanderbilt on Friday, 80-63, then beat Virginia Tech in front of a feisty home crowd, 75-72, on Sunday night.

The first win made this the program’s 20th straight tournament with a first-round victory; the second will carry the Bears to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time in program history.

“I wanted this bad, but I didn’t want it for me,” said Collen after the second win of the weekend. “It’s never been about me at Baylor. It’s about these players… I’m just grateful for the kids that believed in me and chose Baylor.”

Sophomore forward Bella Fontleroy was the star on Friday, leading the Bears with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a game Baylor led nearly start to finish. On Sunday, junior guard Jada Walker was the hero, scoring a career-high 28 points — 26 of them in the second half — to carry the Bears. In a game where Baylor led throughout, but could never quite pull away, it turns out Walker’s 3-pointer from the logo to beat the buzzer as the third quarter ended was the difference. Check it out:

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED ‼️ #MarchMadness x ESPN / @BaylorWBB pic.twitter.com/3wmJ1N9ww6

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 25, 2024

The Baylor men also won their first-round game on Friday, blowing past Colgate 92-67 to make BU one of 13 schools to have both teams reach the NCAA second round. But on Sunday, the Bears’ comeback against Clemson fell short; down 16 with less than seven minutes left, head coach Scott Drew’s squad cut the lead to two in the final minute before falling, 72-64.

The Baylor women will next face the winner of USC-Kansas this weekend in Portland; stay tuned to Baylor and Baylor Athletics social media accounts for details when those are available.

Sic ’em, Baylor women’s basketball!