Baylor's NaLyssa Smith Scores WNBA Career-High as Fever Top Sky
Former Baylor University women's basketball forward NaLyssa Smith scored a career-high 26 points to help rally the Indiana Fever to an 89-87 victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Smith, who drilled the go-ahead three in the closing seconds of regulation, also pulled down 11 rebounds in the contest.
Baylor women's basketball gave a social media shout-out to the WNBA rookie following her performance.
Career high for the rook 🤩#SicEm | #GreaterThan | @NaLyssaSmith pic.twitter.com/ABnJJ6tl0i
— Baylor Women's Basketball (@BaylorWBB) June 19, 2022
A 6-4, 185-pound power forward for the Fever, Smith was selected second overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
The rookie is averaging 13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc through her first 14 contests.
As a standout at Baylor, Smith took home multiple honors -- including being a part of the 2019 NCAA national championship team as a freshman and taking home accolades as first-team All-American (2021), Big 12 Player of the Year (2021), and first-team All-Big 12 (2020, 2021), just to name a few.
In the 2019 national championship victory over Notre Dame, Smith came off the bench to replace the injured Lauren Cox and scored eight points along with four rebounds to help push the Lady Bears to the title.
Smith played high school hoops at East Central High School in San Antonio and averaged 23.4 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior.
She was also named a McDonald's All-American in 2018 and was a five-star recruit by ESPN, choosing Baylor over offers from other schools such as South Carolina, Ohio State and Louisville.
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Denton Ramsey has been a journalist for over 20 years with a decade of experience as a sports writer and editor for a plethora of newspapers throughout Texas and Alabama. Growing up in Houston and attending Baylor University, Ramsey is a die-hard sports fan with a true passion for writing. He may be reached via email at denton.itb@gmail.com