Wildcats Earn Double-Digit Win over Owls in Home Finale

BALDWIN CITY - Playing for the final time in the Collins Center this season, Baker women's basketball pulled out a 79-68 victory over William Woods on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats bookended their conference win with a couple of crucial quarters, storming out to a nine-point lead in the first quarter to build a nice cushion before closing out the night with a 14-2 advantage in the final 10 minutes.

Baker had one of its better shooting nights of the year, going 27-for-58 from the field and 9-for-20 from three, and controlled the glass with a 47-32 gap in the rebound margin.

Kennedy Bryan turned in another productive performance, leading the team with 22 points, while Corrine Cole earned the first double-double of her BU career with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Taniya Tease tallied a team-best 13 rebounds and five assists to go along with her nine points.

A couple of early 3-pointers from Bryan and Rihanna Blanchard put the Wildcats offense in business right from the start. Cole converted a three-point lead a littler bit later as Baker stretched its opening-quarter lead.

Amaya Barnes splashed in a three before Bryan nailed her second one of the frame as the Wildcats boasted a 27-18 lead after the end of the first period.

Blanchard opened up the second quarter with an easy layup off a nice find from Tease. Bryan followed with an old-fashioned three-point play before the Owls started work their way back with a solid stretch.

After seeing its lead shrink to just two points, BU got a big defensive pick-me-up from Gabby Rose, who turned a steal into a breakaway layup, to halt WWU's rally. Cole added another three-point play and Bryan knocked down a couple of free throws to close out the scoring for Baker in the first half.

The Owls hit a three to make it a one-possession game with 1:20 left, but the final 80 seconds would go scoreless from both sides as the Wildcats went into the break carrying a 41-38 lead.

In the third quarter, Bryan buried a three and Mariah Dightman came through with a big second-chance bucket before William Woods took its first lead of the game. With the Owls leading by six, Baker got a couple of baskets from Tease and Neveah Leeks and then another triple from Bryan to make it a one-point game.

The two teams jockeyed for who would go into the final quarter with the upper hand, trading buckets, until Rose's buzzer-beating three brought BU within one again at 66-65.

Bryan's fifth 3-pointer of the game tied things up early on in the fourth period and then the junior guard got a go-ahead layup to fall, giving the lead back to the Wildcats at 70-68.

William Woods struggled to find any type of bucket in the frame, making just one of its final 17 shots as Baker finished off its double-digit Heart win, 78-69.

Up next, the Wildcats will wrap up the 2025-26 season on the road at Graceland on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tipoff from Lamoni, Iowa, is set for 2 p.m.

#BakerBuildsChampions