Jan. 3, 2008
WACO, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#9/9 Baylor (11-1) vs. Texas State (6-6)
Friday, Jan. 4 - 7 p.m.
Ferrell Center (10,284) - Waco, Texas
OVER THE AIRWAVES
TV: None
Webcast: www.baylorbears.com
Radio: 1660 AM - KRZI - Waco
Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip off.
Radio Talent:
Rick May (Play-by-play)
Lori Fogleman (Color analyst)
BAYLOR AND TEXAS STATE
After playing just five games between Nov. 29 and Dec. 22, the ninth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears will wrap up a three-game, six-day homestand when they host the Texas State Bobcats in the Ferrell Center on Friday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
Baylor is 11-1 on the season, including a 9-0 Ferrell Center record, while Texas State is 6-6 on the season which includes an 0-6 road mark.
LADY BEAR LEADERS
With 12 games under their belt, the Lady Bears boast all five starters averaging double-digit scoring. Leading the way is the squad's lone senior, point guard Angela Tisdale, with 14.6 a contest, while Rachel Allison, a junior forward/post, manages 13.3 a game. Junior guard Jhasmin Player follows with 12.9 a contest and sophomore post Danielle Wilson manages 12.6 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds an outing. Junior guard/forward Jessica Morrow scores 10.9.
In addition to Wilson, two other players haul down 5.9 or more rebounds an outing, Allison ranks behind Wilson at 7.3 a game while Player averages 5.9.
Over the past two contests, Allison has averaged 22.5 points a game, tallying 17 against Rice and a career-high 28 versus North Carolina A&T.
IN THE POLLS
9 - Associated Press
9 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
20 Angela Tisdale-Sr., G, 5-7 - 14.6 ppg, 2.92 apg
15 Jhasmin Player-Jr., G, 5-10 - 12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg
3 Jessica Morrow-Jr., G, 6-0 - 10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg
14 Rachel Allison-Jr., F, 6-0 - 13.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg
11 Danielle Wilson-So., P, 6-3 -12.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg
TOP RESERVES
1 Jessika Bradley-So., F, 6-3 - 5.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
5 Melissa Jones-Fr., G, 5-10 - 5.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg
21 Kelli Griffin-Fr., G, 5-8, 3.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
BAYLOR QUICK HITS
- Baylor ranks in the top 10 in NCAA Division I statistics in six categories: No. 4 in field goal percentage (.494), No. 5 in scoring margin (+28.1), No. 7 in both scoring offense (80.3) and rebound margin (+12.4), No. 8 in blocks per game (6.4) and No. 9 in field goal percentage defense (.328).
- Danielle Wilson's 3.55 blocks per game rank her No. 6 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. 2) to have five players ranked among the league's top 30 in scoring average (Tisdale, Allison, Player, Wilson, Morrow).
- BU owns the top game high mark in the league in six categories this season: FG % (.604), FT made - (42), FT attempts (58), rebounds (58), blocked shots (15) and turnovers (30).
- The Lady Bears have shot 44.3 percent or higher in 11 of 12 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 96-19 (.835) 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 152-13 (.921) under Coach Mulkey when scoring 70 or more points, including 94-3 (.969) when putting 80 or more 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 42 of 46 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 421 career assists and needs just 37 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.
- Sophomore posts Danielle Wilson (40) and Jessika Bradley (15) have combined for 45 of the team's 86 season blocks.
- On the season, Baylor has outscored its opponents by an average of 28.4 points a game and hauled down 13.3 more rebounds a contest.
- Baylor led NCAA Division I last season in blocks per game with 7.2. So far this season the Lady Bears are averaging 7.2 a contest.
HOME SWEET HOME
In Kim Mulkey's eight seasons along the Ferrell Center sidelines, her teams have posted some impressive numbers in the venue. The Lady Bears have maintained a 107-14 (.884) Ferrell Center record during that time span.
2000-01 - 12-2
2001-02 - 15-2
2002-03 - 17-4
2003-04 - 12-2
2004-05 - 14-0
2005-06 - 12-1
2006-07 - 16-3
2007-08 - 9-0
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. 9 in both polls. 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 76 straight regular-season AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24.
INJURY REPORT
Danielle Wilson, Baylor's leading shot-blocker and top rebounder, left the N.C. A&T game with a sprained right ankle with 3:53 left in the first half and did not return. She will be evaluated as to the extent of the injury and will not play against Texas State.
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS
The Texas State Bobcats, formerly known as Southwest Texas State, enter the contest with a 6-6 record. They snapped a two-game losing streak in their last outing, a 111-57 win over Huston-Tillotson. The Bobcats are winless on the road this season at 0-6.
Texas State is led by 11th-year head coach Suzanne Fox who sports a 131-163 record at the school and a 248-196 mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
Senior forward Joyce Ekworomadu is the team's leading scorer averaging 15.9 points per game. Ashley Cole, a junior guard, comes off the bench to score 11.3 an outing. Senior center Marie Moser comes off the bench to lead the team in rebounding at 5.8. However, six Bobcats average 4.0 or more rebounds a contest.
The Bobcats victories have come over TAMU-International (77-52), Concordia (84-55), Southeast Missouri (80-47), UT-Pan-American (69-58), Southwestern Assemblies of God (84-51) and Huston-Tillotson (111-57). They have suffered losses to Louisiana-Monroe (72-66), New Mexico State (76-68), Missouri (70-61), UMKC (80-68), Kansas State (90-52) and Wichita State (80-77).
TEXAS STATE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
4 Victoria Davis - So., G, 5-6 - 6.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
12 Brooke DeGrate - Sr., G, 5-7 - 5.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
22 Joyce Ekworomadu - Sr., F, 5-9 - 15.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
33 Kim Cessna - Jr., C, 6-2, 5.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
34 Aimee Hilburn - So., F, 6-1 - 7.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg
SERIES RECORD
Friday's matchup will be the 18th meeting between Baylor and Texas State and the first since Dec. 7, 1999. Baylor leads the series 14-3, including a 5-1 record in Waco.
COMMON OPPONENTS
The Lady Bears and the Bobcats have played two common opponents this season, Southeast Missouri and UT-Pan American, both schools posted two victories. Baylor downed Southeast Missouri, 81-51, on the road while Texas State won, 80-47, at home. Each school triumphed at home against UT-Pan Am, Baylor by a score of 76-39 and Texas State, 69-58.
LAST MEETING
The last time the two teams met was on Dec. 7, 1999, in San Marcos, Texas, the contest resulted in an 87-62 Baylor win. In that game, the Lady Bears' Mandy Hayworth drained a school-record nine 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 34 points. She was 12-of-19 from the floor, including 9-of-12 from 3-point range in the contest and added five assists, three steals and a block. All told, Baylor was 13-of-21 (.619) from 3-point range, establishing a school record for treys made in a game.
VERSUS SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Baylor is 71-35 against Southland Conference foes, including a 69-42 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 19. Baylor holds a 14-3 series lead over Texas State
