Strong finish leads No. 23 Baylor women over TCU 64-42

WACO, Texas (AP) — Caitlin Bickle scored 19 points and No. 23 Baylor pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat TCU 64-42 in a Big 12 Conference opener on Saturday.

Bickle sank 8 of 12 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lady Bears (10-3).

Sarah Andrews and Bickle scored five points apiece and the Lady Bears sank half of their 12 shots to grab a 15-8 lead after one quarter.

Ja’mee Asberry hit the first of two free throws to put Baylor up 24-10 with 5:22 left in the second quarter. The Horned Frogs (6-6) battled back, using two free throws by Bella Cravens with 1:12 left to pull within 26-18 at halftime.

Emily Fisher followed her layup with a 3-pointer and Tomi Taiwo had a layup off her steal to pull the Horned Frogs within 30-29 with 6:10 left in the third quarter. Andrews made 1 of 2 free throws and a layup to push the Lady Bears’ lead to four. Asberry’s layup with 2:19 remaining was the last basket of the quarter and Baylor led 37-31.

The Lady Bears put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

Bickle scored the first two baskets, Andrews hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Bickle connected from beyond the arc to give Baylor a 50-31 lead with 6:44 left to play. Lucy Ibeh, who led TCU with nine points, had a three-point play with 4:33 remaining to end Baylor’s 15-0 run to start the quarter and a 22-2 run spanning two periods.

Asberry and Andrews both made three 3-pointers, scoring 16 and 14, respectively.

Baylor shot 46% overall and 48% from 3-point range (10 of 21). TCU shot 31% and made just 1 of 12 from distance. The two teams combined for 43 turnovers.

Baylor improved to 46-5 all-time versus TCU. The Lady Bears have won 105 of their last 109 games against schools from Texas.

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