
Baylor

UCF
Highlights
Preview
Preview: Baylor Lady Bears at UCF Knights OVIEDO, Fla. (Interstat) — The Baylor Lady Bears look to rebound from a rare home loss when they visit the UCF Knights in a Big 12 Conference women’s basketball matchup Sunday at CFE Arena. Baylor (21-5, 10-3 Big 12) enters after a disappointing 83-67 defeat to TCU on Thursday, which snapped a three-game winning streak. The Lady Bears, however, have been strong on the road in conference play and will be heavily favored against a struggling UCF squad. The Knights (10-14, 3-10) have lost six consecutive games, most recently a 106-56 blowout at West Virginia on Wednesday. UCF’s last win was a 74-68 victory over Colorado on Jan. 18. All eyes will be on Baylor guard Taliah Scott, who is averaging 20.4 points per game in conference play. Scott scored 22 points in just 29 minutes in the first meeting against UCF, a 73-48 Baylor win in Waco on Jan. 21. She is coming off a 22-point, 4-assist performance in the loss to TCU. UCF will counter with forward Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, who has been a bright spot during the losing skid. She is averaging 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds over her last five contests. Chandler-Roberts was held scoreless in the January meeting with Baylor, playing 25 minutes. For the Knights to pull an upset, they must improve drastically on offense. UCF ranks near the bottom of the Big 12 in scoring, averaging just 58.8 points in conference games, and was held to a season-low 48 points by Baylor’s defense last month. Baylor, which leads the all-time series 2-0, will aim to re-establish its defensive identity after allowing TCU to shoot 50% from the field. The Lady Bears had held their previous three opponents under 40% shooting. The game is part of a critical closing stretch for Baylor, which remains in contention for a top seed in the Big 12 tournament. UCF is fighting to improve its seeding and snap its prolonged slump. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST Sunday.