Baylor
FDU
11/1/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears bout Knights for the first all-time meeting
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RV/RV BAYLOR BEARS (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Nicki Collen (Marquette, 1998) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
RV/RV BAYLOR (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs FDU (0-0, 0-0 NEC) Nov. 2, 2026 • 6 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Foster Pavilion (7,500) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (PxP), Didi Richards (Analyst) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via FOX Sports Radio 93.9FM in Central Texas and worldwide at youtube.com/BaylorAthletics or centexsportsfan.com. Talent: Derek Smith (PxP), Lori Fogleman (Analyst) |
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FDU KNIGHTS (0-0, 0-0 NEC) Location: Teaneck, N.J. Conference/Affiliation: Northeast Head Coach: Stephanie Gaitley (Villanova, 1983) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
Game notes:
STARTING FIVE
• The Bears open their season against FDU in the first game of a Baylor Basketball doubleheader. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. CT at Foster Pavilion on ESPN+ and the Baylor Sports Media Network.
• It is the first meeting between the Bears and the Knights, who are playing their first of two games in Texas when they travel to Austin to face the Longhorns on Wednesday.
• The Bears return six players and add six newcomers from last year's 25-9 team. Kyla Abraham, in her fifth year, and Ella Brow, in her second, were chosen team captains for the program's 53rd roster.
• Baylor is receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today coaches polls. It would rank No. 28 in the AP poll and No. 26 in the coaches poll.
• Monday's game is the first of five straight at Foster Pavilion over 13 days. Baylor will also host Central Arkansas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Prairie View A&M and East Texas A&M.
RETURN OF THE "PROFESSIONAL SCORER"
• Taliah Scott returns to Baylor for another season after an introductory year in green and gold in which she averaged 19.7 points per game and landed all over the program's single-season top 10: tied for third in 3-pointers made, first in 3-pointers attempted, fifth in free throws made, tied for eighth in free throws attempted and first in free throw percentage (89.5%).
• The Jacksonville, Fla., native accounted for 27% of the Bears' offense last season and ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring.
• Scott led Baylor in scoring in 27 of 33 games in 2025-26 and scored in double figures 30 times, including her first double-double (23 points, 10 assists) against Southeastern Louisiana.
• She reached 1,000 career points in her 48th game in early 2026, averaging 21.1 points at the time. She became the 22nd Division I player since 2000 to hit the mark in 48 games or fewer, tying for the 19th-fewest games needed.
• Scott earned numerous postseason honors, including Women's Basketball Coaches Association honorable mention All-America and All-Big 12 first team.
FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THE NICKI COLLEN ERA
• Head coach Nicki Collen holds the third-most wins by a power conference coach in their first five seasons at their current schools with the fifth-best winning percentage.
• Collen is one of four DI head coaches to begin their career with at least five consecutive 20-win seasons in the last 15 years.
• Baylor WBB leads the Big 12 Conference with the most wins since Collen took the head position on May 5, 2021.
• During this stretch, Baylor extended its streak of 20-win seasons to 26 straight years, the second-longest active run in the nation behind UConn, and remained second only to UConn with 21 consecutive NCAA tournaments featuring at least one win.
FIFTH-YEAR ABRAHAM
• Kyla Abraham returns for her fifth season at Baylor, a rare feat in today's era of college athletics.
• Abraham is one of two* fifth-year seniors in the Big 12 who have spent their entire careers at one school, joining Kansas State's Mikayla Parks. She is the only player in the league to appear in at least one game in each of those five seasons.
• The Virginia native is also one of 15* players in the Power Four conferences and the Big East to stay put for all five seasons: Isaline Alexander (Michigan State), Theryn Hallock (Michigan State), Emma Koabel (Duke), Allison Weidner (Nebraska), Chloe Kitts (South Carolina), Sarah Graves (Texas), Kaitlyn Duhon (Auburn), Ines Noguero (Georgia Tech), Mikayla Parks (Kansas State), Bri McDaniel (Maryland), Averi Kroenke (Missouri), Shailyn Pinkney (Seton Hall), Carleigh Wenzel (Virginia Tech) and Mara Braun (Minnesota).
*As of Friday, Oct. 23
PORTAL PICKUP POINTS FROM CNC
• Coach Collen turned to the transfer portal after Baylor lost four starters who accounted for 45% of last season's points, plus an additional 16% off the bench.
• Utah's Reese Ross was the first addition, bringing "an elite energy forward with the ability to run the floor, straight-line drive, move without the ball, make threes and defend multiple positions," to Waco. "She is an experienced Big 12 player who rebounds the basketball at a high level and does all the little things to help her team be successful. Our fans will love her tenacity, toughness and burning desire to win."
• Tianna Thompson, who has experience at Georgia Tech and Ole Miss, "is a versatile guard with elite shot-making ability. Tianna is a high-level 3-point shooter who can also score off the bounce. Her length allows her to play the passing lanes and create offense off her defense."
• Another SEC pickup followed in Georgia's Trinity Turner, who arrives with big expectations at point guard: "She is a proven point guard from the SEC who can both score and facilitate at the highest level. Her midrange game is elite, and she has the ability to put her teammates in position to succeed. Trinity is a special on-ball defender who can set the tone for our defense."
• Skylar Jones, who spent a year in the Big 12 at Arizona before moving on to Louisville, was the next addition: "Skylar is an elite athlete who can impact the game at both ends. Her length and anticipation make her a menace on the defensive end, while her ability to attack the rim to score or draw fouls gives our offense an added dimension. Skylar has the versatility to play multiple positions and the speed to elevate our transition game."
• Kate Koval, who came to Baylor from LSU after a stop at Notre Dame, was a late addition: "She has played at an elite level over the last two seasons and has shown the consistent ability to score around the rim and protect the rim. Kate, at 6-5, can be a decision maker on the perimeter both as a scorer and facilitator, which will expand our offense. Her shot-blocking ability will help anchor our defense."
LAST TIME OUT
• Baylor's 2025-26 season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 69-46 loss at No. 8 Duke, which avenged a 58-52 loss to the Bears in the season opener in Paris.
• Taliah Scott was the only Baylor player to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
• It was the final game for four seniors: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Jana Van Gytenbeek, Kiersten Johnson and Bella Fontleroy.
Littlepage-Buggs, Van Gytenbeek and Fontleroy each spent four years at Baylor and played for Nicki Collen in every season except her first.
• Littlepage-Buggs finished her career in the program's top 10 in several categories: fourth in rebounds, fifth in rebounding average, fifth in double-doubles, seventh in games started and ninth in field goal percentage. Fontleroy ranked third in 3-pointers attempted and fourth in 3-pointers made, and Van Gytenbeek recorded the program's eighth all-time triple-double.
• Baylor finished the season 25-9 and third in the Big 12, extending the nation's second-longest active streaks of 20-win seasons (26) and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (22). The Bears led the conference in blocks per game and 3-point percentage defense and ranked 14th nationally in field-goal percentage defense.
NUMBERS TO WATCH
• Kyla Abraham is 13 blocks away from 100 career blocks.
• Kate Koval is 2 blocks away from 100 career blocks.
