Taliah Scott scores 20 as No. 18 Baylor women beat Kansas State 80-54

Baylor pulls away in the third quarter with a 13-2 run highlighted by three 3-pointers from Bella Fontleroy.

Feb. 24, 2026 at 2:07am

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Taliah Scott scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers, Bella Fontleroy added 16 points and four makes from distance, and No. 18 Baylor beat Kansas State 80-54 on Monday night in its final home game of the regular season. The Bears pulled away in the third quarter with a 13-2 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers from Fontleroy, to take a 48-28 lead. Baylor finished 13 of 26 (50%) from 3-point range, while Kansas State shot 34% overall from the floor with 14 turnovers.

Why it matters

This win keeps Baylor in the hunt for a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, as the Bears improve to 24-6 overall and 13-4 in Big 12 play. The loss drops Kansas State to 15-15 on the season and 8-9 in conference play, making their path to the tournament more difficult.

The details

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds to help Baylor outrebound Kansas State 43-29. Jana Van Gytenbeek added 8 assists to go with 5 points. For Kansas State, Jordan Speiser and Tess Heal each scored 12 points, while Brandie Harrod added 10 points. Taryn Sides, the Wildcats' leading scorer, was held scoreless in 12 minutes of action.

  • Baylor led 35-26 at halftime after holding the Wildcats to 35% shooting, including 2 of 13 from distance.
  • The Bears pulled away by starting the third quarter on a 13-2 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers by Fontleroy, for a 48-28 lead.

The players

Taliah Scott

A Baylor player who scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers in the game.

Bella Fontleroy

A Baylor player who added 16 points and four 3-pointers, including three in the key third-quarter run.

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs

A Baylor player who recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Jana Van Gytenbeek

A Baylor player who had 8 assists to go with 5 points.

Jordan Speiser

A Kansas State player who scored 12 points in the game.

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What’s next

Baylor will play at No. 11 TCU in its regular-season finale on Sunday, while Kansas State returns home to finish the regular season against Iowa State on Sunday.

The takeaway

This game highlighted Baylor's strong 3-point shooting and balanced scoring attack, led by standout performances from Taliah Scott and Bella Fontleroy. The loss for Kansas State makes their path to the NCAA Tournament more challenging, as they look to finish the regular season strong against Iowa State.