Baylor survives upset bid from Britt Prince, Nebraska in Women's NCAA Tournament
Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY
·
2 min read
DURHAM, NC —Baylorhas survived the first legitimate upset bid of the Women's NCAA Tournament.
Taliah Scott sank a nifty layup in traffic with 21.9 seconds left to give No. 6 Baylor a two-possession lead over No. 11Nebraska. TheLady Bearshung on for an 67-62 win on Friday afternoon inDuke's Cameron Indoor Stadium after trailing by as much as nine points at the start of the final quarter.
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Scott is Baylor's leading scorer this season, but struggled with her shot as she finished 3-of-12 from the floor and 0-of-8 from the 3-point line. She made her trips to the free throw line count, hitting 9-of-12 to finish with 15 points.Darianna Littlepage-Buggsadded 13 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (25-8), whileJana Van Gytenbeekscored 12 points.
Nebraska was powered by star sophomore Britt Prince, who finished with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting, four rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Logan Nissley added 11 points and eight rebounds for theCornhuskers(19-13). Had Nebraska won, it would've been just the second team since the Women's NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2022 to advance to the second round out of the First Four.
UConn's Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness. Here's the best players in women's college basketball:
It's hard to believe Sarah Strong could top her record-breaking freshman season, but she's one-upped herself. Strong has career highs in points (18.5), assists (4.1), steals (3.4), field goal percentage (60.1%) and free throw percentage (87.3%). She leads UConn in nearly every statical category, including points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Expect Strong to have a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament. She set the freshmen points record in an NCAA Tournament (114) last season.
UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts' stats are slightly down from last season, but she's no less dominant. She leads UCLA in points (16.4), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game and has 11 double-doubles. Her efforts earned her Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in Big Ten history to earn both in the same season.
Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker has reached new heights this season earning first-team All-SEC after recording career highs in points (18.9), steals (2.3) and field goal percentage (51.6%), which she raised from 46.1% last season. Booker leads the Longhorns in scoring and has been in double-digits for all but two games this season. She's only a junior, but she's already climbed to No. 6 on Texas' all-time scoring list with 1,873 points career points entering March Madness.
UConn Huskies senior guard Azzi is shooting lights out from the 3-point line. She's averaging a career-high 44.6% from beyond the arc and her 104 3-pointers rank second in the nation. Her field goal percentage (48.9%) also marks a career-high. Fudd has also helped anchor UConn's top-ranked scoring defense. She's one of three Huskies to have at least 85 steals this season, joining Sarah Strong (111) and KK Arnold (93). Fudd is also flirting with the 50-40-90 stat line — 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.
Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes was named the SEC Player of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to its first 27-win regular season in program history. Blakes leads the nation in scoring averaging 27.0 points per game, including 12 games of 30 or more points. Ten of those 12 games came in conference play. Blakes has recorded double-digit points in every game this season and is currently riding a 50 game double-digit scoring streak, the longest active streak in the SEC and third longest in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Blakes is the second Vanderbilt star to win SEC Player of the Year and the first sophomore since South Carolina's A'ja Wilson in 2016.
Olivia Miles' transfer from Notre Dame to TCU has been seamless if you look at her stat line. Miles is the centerpiece of the Horned Frogs' offense and has upped her scoring average from 15.4 points last season to a career-high 19.6 points. Miles tops the nation with five triple doubles and has done so efficiently, with career highs in field goal percentage (48.7) and free throw percentage (84.4%).
Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks ended the regular season with a bang, dropping 41 points and 13 rebounds against Kansas State — shooting an efficient 16-of-19 from the field. That marked Crooks' fourth 40-point game of the season and 12th double-double. Crooks has scored in double digits every game this season, extending her streak to 97 straight career games — the longest active streak in the nation. She became the fastest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 points on Jan. 28 and picked up an unanimous first-team All-Big 12 nod.
Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge has arrived! The sophomore guard is in midst of a breakout season. She upped her points per game from 15.4 last season to 22.8, which ranks seventh in the nation. Her field-goal percentage also increased by nearly eight points to 49.0%. She's scored double-digit points in every game this season and became the 40th Buckeye to surpass 1,000 career points on Feb. 8 against Oregon. She's only the fifth Ohio State player to record 700 points in a season.
South Carolina Gamecocks forward Joyce Edwards has taken a large step this season. The 6-foot-3 forward slid into the starting lineup after senior forward Chloe Kitts was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury in her right knee. Edwards has powered South Carolina to the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation (86.3 points per game). She's averaging a team-high 19.6 points in 34 starts, up from 12.7 points and one start her freshman year. Her stat line is rounded out by 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo has been a walking highlight reel. Hidalgo turned in career highs in points, steals, rebounds, field-goal percentage and made ACC history by winning both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals in a game and scored a school-record 44 points in Notre Dame's 85-58 win over Akron on Nov. 12. She leads the nation in total steals (173), which set a single-season ACC record.
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Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
UConn's Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness. Here's the best players in women's college basketball:
1/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
UConn's Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness. Here's the best players in women's college basketball:
2/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
It's hard to believe Sarah Strong could top her record-breaking freshman season, but she's one-upped herself. Strong has career highs in points (18.5), assists (4.1), steals (3.4), field goal percentage (60.1%) and free throw percentage (87.3%). She leads UConn in nearly every statical category, including points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Expect Strong to have a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament. She set the freshmen points record in an NCAA Tournament (114) last season.
3/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts' stats are slightly down from last season, but she's no less dominant. She leads UCLA in points (16.4), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game and has 11 double-doubles. Her efforts earned her Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in Big Ten history to earn both in the same season.
4/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker has reached new heights this season earning first-team All-SEC after recording career highs in points (18.9), steals (2.3) and field goal percentage (51.6%), which she raised from 46.1% last season. Booker leads the Longhorns in scoring and has been in double-digits for all but two games this season. She's only a junior, but she's already climbed to No. 6 on Texas' all-time scoring list with 1,873 points career points entering March Madness.
5/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
UConn Huskies senior guard Azzi is shooting lights out from the 3-point line. She's averaging a career-high 44.6% from beyond the arc and her 104 3-pointers rank second in the nation. Her field goal percentage (48.9%) also marks a career-high. Fudd has also helped anchor UConn's top-ranked scoring defense. She's one of three Huskies to have at least 85 steals this season, joining Sarah Strong (111) and KK Arnold (93). Fudd is also flirting with the 50-40-90 stat line — 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.
6/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes was named the SEC Player of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to its first 27-win regular season in program history. Blakes leads the nation in scoring averaging 27.0 points per game, including 12 games of 30 or more points. Ten of those 12 games came in conference play. Blakes has recorded double-digit points in every game this season and is currently riding a 50 game double-digit scoring streak, the longest active streak in the SEC and third longest in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Blakes is the second Vanderbilt star to win SEC Player of the Year and the first sophomore since South Carolina's A'ja Wilson in 2016.
7/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
Olivia Miles' transfer from Notre Dame to TCU has been seamless if you look at her stat line. Miles is the centerpiece of the Horned Frogs' offense and has upped her scoring average from 15.4 points last season to a career-high 19.6 points. Miles tops the nation with five triple doubles and has done so efficiently, with career highs in field goal percentage (48.7) and free throw percentage (84.4%).
8/11
Audi Crooks enters transfer portal after 3 seasons at Iowa State
Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks ended the regular season with a bang, dropping 41 points and 13 rebounds against Kansas State — shooting an efficient 16-of-19 from the field. That marked Crooks' fourth 40-point game of the season and 12th double-double. Crooks has scored in double digits every game this season, extending her streak to 97 straight career games — the longest active streak in the nation. She became the fastest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 points on Jan. 28 and picked up an unanimous first-team All-Big 12 nod.
9/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge has arrived! The sophomore guard is in midst of a breakout season. She upped her points per game from 15.4 last season to 22.8, which ranks seventh in the nation. Her field-goal percentage also increased by nearly eight points to 49.0%. She's scored double-digit points in every game this season and became the 40th Buckeye to surpass 1,000 career points on Feb. 8 against Oregon. She's only the fifth Ohio State player to record 700 points in a season.
10/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
South Carolina Gamecocks forward Joyce Edwards has taken a large step this season. The 6-foot-3 forward slid into the starting lineup after senior forward Chloe Kitts was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury in her right knee. Edwards has powered South Carolina to the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation (86.3 points per game). She's averaging a team-high 19.6 points in 34 starts, up from 12.7 points and one start her freshman year. Her stat line is rounded out by 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
11/11
Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament
Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo has been a walking highlight reel. Hidalgo turned in career highs in points, steals, rebounds, field-goal percentage and made ACC history by winning both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals in a game and scored a school-record 44 points in Notre Dame's 85-58 win over Akron on Nov. 12. She leads the nation in total steals (173), which set a single-season ACC record.
Baylor led by as much as 11 points in the first quarter, but Nebraska used a 15-6 run to pull ahead in the second frame. That surge was capped off by a 3-pointer from Prince, one of three shots that she swished from behind the arc. Nebraska led by as much as nine points near the start of the fourth quarter, thanks to another 3-pointer from Prince.
The Bears clawed back and took a lead late in the fourth quarter with under four minutes to play after Petrie was whistled for a flagrant foul for an unnecessary pulldown, leading to two free throws for Scott. Baylor went up three points after Petrie was called for her fifth foul moments later and Littlepage-Buggs hit one of two shots from the free throw line.
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Baylor won the rebounding battle by 10 and outscored Nebraska in the paint by eight points.
Bears coach Nicki Collen said Thursday she and her Baylor staff recruited Prince "really, really hard." Baylor lost that recruiting battle, but defeated Prince and the Cornhuskers in the most crucial game of the season.
