Jan. 15, 2008
WACO, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#6/7 Baylor (14-1, 2-0) vs. Kansas (11-4, 0-2)
Wednesday, Jan. 16 - 6:05 p.m.
Ferrell Center (10,284) - Waco, Texas
OVER THE AIRWAVES
Television
College Sports Television (CSTV)
Direct TV - Ch. 610; Dish Network - Ch. 152; Grande - Ch. 223; Time Warner Cable - Ch. 435
Ann Schatz, play-by-play
Tammy Blackburn, color analyst
Internet Feeds
Webcast: www.BaylorBears.com
Audio: Live audio stream at BaylorBears.com
Radio: KRZI/ESPN - 1660 AM - Waco
KVCE - 1160 AM - Dallas
Radio Talent:
Rick May, play-by-play
Lori Fogleman, color analyst
BAYLOR AND KANSAS
No. 6 Baylor puts its 11-game home win streak on the line when it hosts the Kansas Jayhawks on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 6:05 p.m.
Baylor is 14-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 action while the Kansas Jayhawks are 11-4 on the season which includes an 0-2 league mark.
Baylor has posted two straight league wins and seven straight overall wins, a road victory at Texas Tech (72-67) and a home win over Texas A&M (59-56) while the Jayhawks lost a home game to Oklahoma State, 59-54 and lost at Nebraska, 71-51.
Baylor seeks to start 3-0 in Big 12 play for the first time in the league's 12-year history.
BAYLOR ON THE TUBE
Baylor will make its third of 10 regular season television appearances this season when it plays Kansas on Wednesday in a game televised by CSTV. The Lady Bears have appeared twice on FSN, defeating then-No. 12 California (69-56) and losing to then-No. 5 Stanford (87-63).
BAYLOR Lady Bears
IN THE POLLS
6 - Associated Press
7 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
G-5 Melissa Jones - Fr., 5-10 - 5.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg
P-11 Danielle Wilson - So., 6-3 - 12.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg
G-15 Jhasmin Player - Jr., 5-10 - 13.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg
P-14 Rachel Allison - Jr., 6-1 - 13.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg
G-20 Angela Tisdale - Sr., 5-7 - 14.7 ppg, 2.5 apg
KANSAS Jayhawks
IN THE POLLS
NR - Associated Press
NR - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
G-3 Ivana Catic - Jr., 5-8 - 4.9 ppg, 4.3 apg
G-4 Danielle McCray - So., 5-11 - 15.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg
F-13 Taylor McIntosh - Sr., 5-11 - 8.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg
C-14 Krysten Boogaard - Fr., 6-5 - 8.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg
F-20 Sade Morris - So., F, 5-11 - 12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey
When Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey accepted the position of women's basketball head coach at Baylor University, few could have predicted the dramatic and prestigious turn the program was about to take. In just seven years at Baylor, the former All-American and Olympic gold medalist has guided the Lady Bear basketball program to the pinnacle of women's basketball, the 2005 NCAA national championship, six NCAA Tournament appearances and seven 20-win seasons.
The 2005 national title was Baylor's first for a women's team sport and is the only basketball national title, men's or women's, in the Big 12 Conference's 11-year history.
In winning the 2005 title, Mulkey became the first person, man or woman, to win a basketball national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
En route to the NCAA championship, the Lady Bears won their first Big 12 Conference championship and were the league's tournament champion as well. Mulkey has produced amazing results since taking over the reins of the program on April 4, 2000, averaging 26.1 wins a season. In her eight years at the program's helm, she has posted an impressive 197-54 (.785) record which ranks her No. 7 nationally in winning percentage.
Since taking over a squad that was just 7-20 the season prior to her arrival, Mulkey has guided the Lady Bears to seven postseason appearances, including six NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the WNIT finals.
Mulkey's autobiography, "Won't Back Down," hit bookstores on Nov. 1, 2007.
MULKEY NEARING 200 VICTORIES
With 197 career victories to her credit, eighth-year head coach Kim Mulkey needs just three more wins to reach the 200-win milestone. She will become one of the fastest coaches ever to reach the 200-win plateau.
Fastest to 200 victories (NCAA Division I)
241 - Joan Bonvicini - Long Beach State (currently at Arizona)
245 - C. Vivian Stringer - Cheyney (currently at Rutgers)
251 - Andy Landers - Georgia
259 - Pat Summitt - Tennessee
261 - Tom Collen - Colorado State, Louisville (currently at Arkansas)
262 - Chris Weller - Maryland (retired)
281 - Tara VanDerveer - Stanford
281 - Geno Auriemma - Connecticut
Kim Mulkey 197-54 = 251
LADY BEAR LEADERS
With 15 games under their belt, the Lady Bears boast all five regular starters averaging double-digit scoring. Leading the way is the squad's lone senior, point guard Angela Tisdale, with 14.7 a contest, while Rachel Allison, a junior forward/post, manages 13.6 points and a team-leading 7.9 rebounds a game. Junior guard Jhasmin Player follows with 13.0 a contest and sophomore post Danielle Wilson manages 12.2 points an outing. Junior guard/forward Jessica Morrow completes Baylor's double-digit scoring with 11.6.
In addition to Allison's 7.9 boards, four other players haul down 4.8 or more rebounds an outing. Wilson shares team rebounding honors with Allison at 7.9 a game while Player averages 6.2, freshman Melissa Jones manages 5.0 and sophomore post Jessika Bradley snags 4.8.
BAYLOR QUICK HITS
- Entering the 2007-08 season, Baylor ranked No. 7 on the NCAA's Winningest Teams During the Last Five Years list with 135 victories. Schools ranking ahead of the Lady Bears are: Duke (159), Tennessee (159), Connecticut (157), LSU (151), North Carolina (149) and Stanford (141).
- Baylor's No. 6 AP ranking is its highest listing since the Jan. 11, 2006, poll when it ranked No. 5.
- Baylor ranks in the top 10 in NCAA Division I statistics in seven categories as of games through Jan. 13: No. 4 in both blocked shots (6.8), won-lost percentage (93.3) and scoring margin (+25.13); No. 5 in field goal percentage defense (33.7), No. 7 in rebounding margin (11.7); No. 9 in scoring defense (53.13) and No. 10 in scoring offense (78.1).
- Danielle Wilson's 2.9 blocks per game rank her No. 10 nationally.
- Baylor's 80 percent field goal percentage (20-of-25) in the first half against N.C. A&T was the best percentage in a half since the Lady Bears shot 82.1 percent (23-of-28) in the second half against Texas Tech on Feb. 9, 2000 in Waco.
- Baylor is the only team in the Big 12 (as of Jan. 16) to have five players ranked among the league's top-30 in scoring average (#9 Tisdale, #16 Allison, #17 Player, #22 Wilson, #27 Morrow).
- BU owns the top game high mark in the league in six categories this season: FG % (.604 vs. N.C. A&T), FT made (42 vs. St. Mary's), FT attempts (58 vs. St. Mary's), rebounds (63 s. Howard), blocked shots (15 vs. Oregon), turnovers (30 vs. Howard).
- The Lady Bears have shot 44.3 percent or higher in 11 of 15 games this season and have posted a 52.6 percent or higher mark in five games.
- Baylor has shot 50 percent or higher from 3-point range in five games.
- BU is 99-19 (.839) since the start of the 2004-05 season with 16 of the 19 setbacks coming at the hands of nationally ranked opponents. Baylor's last 14 losses have come to ranked opponents.
- Baylor is 154-13 (.922) under Coach Mulkey when scoring 70 or more points, including 95-3 (.969) when putting 80 or more on the scoreboard.
- Baylor is 11-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points, 8-0 when putting 80-plus on the scoreboard.
- Bernice Mosby, who left school early in 2007 to play for the WNBA, received her Baylor degree on Dec. 15. Baylor boasts a 100% graduation rate by Lady Bears who have completed their athletic eligibility at BU since Coach Mulkey's arrival.
- Danielle Wilson has blocked at least one shot in 43 of 48 career games, including 4 or more 15 times and 3 or more on 20 occasions. Wilson's wing span is 82.25 inches, only 5 inches less than Mamadou Diene, the 7-foot center on the Baylor men's team.
- Wilson narrowly missed a triple-double when Baylor defeated Oregon. She hauled down 10 rebounds, rejected a school-record nine shots and scored nine points.
- Angela Tisdale has been named by the WNBA Player Personnel Department one of the 2008 WNBA Draft's top 20 prospects.
- Tisdale has 424 career assists and needs just 34 to claim the top spot on BU's career chart from Chelsea Whitaker (457, 2002-05).
- Jhasmin Players' 13-of-13 effort from the free throw line against Saint Mary's and Danielle Wilson's nine blocks against Oregon both rank No. 1 in the Big 12.
- The trio of Danielle Wilson (41), Jessika Bradley (21) and Jessica Morrow (17) have combined for 79 of the team's 102 season blocks.
- On the season, Baylor has outscored its opponents by an average of 25.1 points a game and hauled down 11.7 more rebounds a contest. However, in Big 12 Conference play Baylor has only outscored it opponents 4.0 points a game and is even on rebounds.
- Baylor led NCAA Division I last season in blocks per game with 7.2. So far this season the Lady Bears are averaging 6.9 a contest to rank No. 4 nationally.
BAYLOR IN BIG 12 GAMES
The 2007-08 season marks the 12th year of competition for women's basketball in the Big 12 Conference. Baylor has a record of 105-73 all-time in regular season Big 12 games. However, in Kim Mulkey's eight years, Baylor is 78-36 in Big 12 play and has never posted a losing conference record. In 2004-05 the Lady Bears claimed their first-ever Big 12 Conference championship, winning both the regular season and tournament titles.
2000-01 - 9-7
2001-02 - 12-4
2002-03 - 8-8
2003-04 - 10-6
2004-05 - 14-2
2005-06 - 12-4
2006-07 - 11-5
2007-08 - 2-0
BAYLOR QUICK STARTS UNDER Kim Mulkey
A win over Kansas would match the second-best start in school history behind a 19-1 beginning in 1975-76 and last year's 15-1 start. Baylor's 1977-78 team also started 14-1. The Lady Bears have started no worse than 12-1 in each of Kim Mulkey's seven seasons along the Baylor sideline.
2007-08 13-1
2006-07 15-1
2005-06 12-1
2004-05 12-1
2003-04 12-1
2002-03 12-1
2001-02 13-1
2000-01 14-1
BAYLOR IN THE RANKINGS
After beginning the season ranked No. 15 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Preseason Polls, Baylor has achieved its highest AP ranking of the season, moving up to No. 6 this week in the AP poll and No. 7 in the Coaches' ranking. Prior to the loss to then-fifth-ranked Stanford, Baylor was ranked No. 10 for three weeks. After dropping to No. 11 for one week, the Lady Bears are now back among the top 10. Baylor has been ranked in a school-record 78 straight regular-season AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24.
Baylor's No. 6 AP ranking is its highest listing since the Jan. 11, 2006, poll when it ranked No. 5.
SCOUTING THE JAYHAWKS
The Kansas Jayhawks, 11-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference action, enter the contest winners of eight of their last 11 contests despite dropping their first two league games. The Jayhawks lost their Big 12 opener, 59-54 at home to Oklahoma State and then lost at Nebraska on Saturday, 71-51.
Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is in her fourth year at Kansas after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech where she compiled a record of 158-62 (.718). She is 51-53 (.490) at KU, 209-115 (.645) in her career and 0-4 versus Baylor.
Kansas is led in scoring by 5-11 sophomore guard Danielle McCray's 15.9 points and she ranks second on the squad in rebounding at 7.1 an outing. Sade Morris, a 5-11 sophomore forward, is the team's second-leading scorer with 12.5 a contest. Taylor McIntosh, a 5-11 senior forward, is the squad's top rebounder at 7.8 a game.
SERIES RECORD
Baylor holds an 11-6 series lead over Kansas, including a 5-2 mark in the Ferrell Center. The Lady Bears have won nine straight contests versus the Jayhawks. In her seven seasons at Baylor, Coach Mulkey has posted a 9-0 record versus Kansas.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Baylor and Kansas have only one common opponent so far this season, California. Kansas lost at Cal, 74-41, while the Lady Bears posted a 69-56 win in Waco.
LAST MEETING
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Bernice Mosby scored 12 points in 22 minutes as No. 18 Baylor won its Big 12 Conference women's tournament opener with a 71-54 victory over Kansas on Wednesday.
Baylor (25-6) has won its opening Big 12 tournament game in each of coach Kim Mulkey's seven seasons and has beaten Kansas (11-20) nine straight times.
Baylor trailed only once, at 3-2. Kansas started the game by missing 14 of its first 16 shots and had a 7 1/2-minute drought, allowing the Bears to build an 18-6 lead with 8:32 left in the first half.
Kansas cut the margin to eight points twice, but Baylor answered with nine straight points and the Bears - who shot 53.8 percent from the field in the half - led 35-19 at halftime.
The Jayhawks got no closer than 12 points in the second half. Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson received a technical foul with 12:28 left and the Jayhawks down 15. Within four minutes, the Baylor lead grew to 26 points.
The Lady Bears used mostly reserves in the final minutes, allowing their starters to rest.
Baylor had five blocked shots, giving the Lady Bears 233 on the season, breaking the Big 12 record of 232, set in 2005 by Texas Tech.
Baylor's 17-point margin of victory matched its largest this season against a Big 12 opponent.
JAYHAWKS WITH TEXAS TIES
Two current Jayhawks have Texas ties. Sophomore forward Porscha Weddington is from Temple, Texas, while LaChelda Jacobs, a 5-10 sophomore guard, is from Mansfield, Texas.
