Smith scores 17 to lead No. 6 Baylor women past Sun Devils

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — NaLyssa Smith scored 17 points with 12 rebounds and No. 6 Baylor defeated Arizona State 62-52 on Friday, the second day of the Cancun Challenge.

The Bears (5-1) held the Sun Devils (2-4) to 27% shooting through three quarters and then weathered a late surge.

Jordan Lewis added 15 points and Queen Egbo 11 for Baylor, which went 2 of 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter after making 16 of 20 through three quarters.

Mael Gilles scored 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Sun Devils, who trailed by 22 points in the last minute of the third quarter but got within within eight with 2:33 to play.

Smith answered with a drive and after two ASU free throws Ja’Mee Asberry hit a clinching 3-pointer with 1:13 left.

Arizona State went 8 of 11 from the line in the final 10 minutes after going 5 of 7 before. The Sun Devils finished 3 of 19 from 3-point range and shot 30.5% overall (18 of 59) with 16 turnovers.

A 13-2 run in the first quarter, fueled by making 7 of 9 free throws and Lewis scoring seven points, put Baylor up by double figures early. The Bears led 33-20 at the half.

Nine-straight points in the third quarter turned into a 15-2 run that made it 48-26 for the Bears.

Baylor wraps up the tournament against Houston on Saturday while the Sun Devils face Fordham.

___

More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up