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The opening day of the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season would’ve been a typical one, with the top teams beating their lower-ranked opponents as expected.
But, No. 16 Baylor upended expectations by besting No. 7 Duke 58-52 in Paris.
It was an even contest entering the fourth, but new Bear Taliah Scott ended that immediately by going on her own 6-0 run. Duke struggled to score during the rest of the period, mustering up just nine points in the fourth quarter. After a pair of Scott free throws in the closing minutes, the result was secured, and the Bears were celebrating in France.
After the game, Scott discussed her play to start the fourth quarter and how it contributed to Baylor’s victory.
Yeah, I think we just came out more aggressive, right? We know it was going to be a tough game. We knew that Duke was going to come out physical, especially to start the fourth quarter. It’s the last quarter. Everybody’s trying to win. And so we came out, we matched their physicality. We were executing on offense and we just got good stuff. And credit to my teammates for getting me open, setting me up.
Scott was sensational for Baylor. She ended the night with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. DariannaLittlepage-Buggs was just as impactful with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
For the Blue Devils, Toby Fournier had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, but it wasn’t enough. If there is a lesson to learn for Duke, it’s an oldie but a goodie: Anyone can lose at any given time.
Time will tell whether this loss was a true upset or simply a case of one team being overrated and the other underrated. For now, it’s a great win for Baylor and Duke has some work to do.
Aaliyah Chavez impresses in Oklahoma debut
Aaliyah Chavez made opening day’s most anticipated freshman debut, and she started her Oklahoma career with a win, putting up 16 points, six rebounds and five assists as No. 6 Oklahoma beat Belmont 84-67.
While Chavez’s play was solid, Raegan Beers was even better. She led Oklahoma with 29 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Sooners get the win over a Bruins team that features her sister, Riley. Belmont did test Oklahoma early in the second half, taking the lead in the third quarter before the Sooners settled down and took control.
The rest of the top-25 teams—Kentucky, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Maryland, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Texas—took care of business, all winning relatively easily.
The NCAA action began on Monday, but the it will continue on Tuesday with seven games featuring top teams, including No. 8 Tennessee taking on No. 9 NC State and No. 1 UConn playing against No. 20 Louisville.
