Compared to years past, the No. 5 Baylor Women’s Basketball team (arguably the shining star of Baylor Athletics every single year) hasn’t had as smooth a journey toward the regular season Big 12 title. First-year head coach Nicki Collen has dealt with team COVID issues, a dilapidated roster, and the first 0-2 start to conference play since Texas Tech in 2000 and she still somehow led the Bears to their 12th straight Big 12 title! The Bears earned their 12th straight and 23rd overall conference title following their absolutely dominant 87-62 win over No. 9 Iowa State in Ames. Last year after the Bears recorded their 11th consecutive honor, Baylor Athletics’ Jerry Hill (aka papa) wrote, “To put this amazing run in perspective, Baylor freshmen [now sophomore] Sarah Andrews and [no longer with the program] Hannah Gusters were in the second grade the last time the Lady Bears didn’t win a conference title (2010).” Baylor WBB still has one more game left in the regular season against Texas Tech in Waco on Sunday where they’ll undoubtedly celebrate their unprecedented 12th straight conference honor and the incredible seniors who stuck it out for their final year—Fs NaLyssa Smith and Caitlin Bickle, G Jordan Lewis, and C Queen Egbo. Should the Bears beat the Red Raiders over the weekend, they’ll win the Big 12 title outright! They’ve also clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City starting next week. Smith, WBB star and most likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, continued her string of outrageous performances by scoring 28 points and grabbing a career-high 20 boards. Only two days ago against Kansas, Smith recorded a career-high 33 points and 16 rebounds. Lewis added 23 points as she was 5-5 from the 3 point line. The Bears just won’t stop winning!
