Box Score By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Coming off a "very hard loss to swallow" at Connecticut, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey had a couple things she wanted to get out of Sunday afternoon's game against overmatched Mississippi Valley State.
Five players scored in double figures and 12 of the 13 players tallied at least two points as the second-ranked Lady Bears (3-1) coasted to a 101-36 victory over the Delta Devils (1-2) before a Ferrell Center crowd of 5,633 for the Sunday afternoon matinee.
But Mulkey said, "You've got to come into this game and never look at the scoreboard."
"Two things that we got out of this game - conditioning, and that's why I pressed from start to finish," she said. "This is two hours, and we've got to play basketball and get in shape. The second thing is Mississippi Valley State played zone, and that's what we're going to see. We're going to see lots and lots and lots of zones."
The sometimes suffocating press helped the Lady Bears create 28 turnovers, including 17 in the second half. Baylor's stifling defense also blocked 13 shots and limited Mississippi Valley to just 24.1 percent shooting from the field (14-of-58) and 8.3 percent from outside the 3-point arc (1-of-12).
While the press was obviously effective, Mulkey said it was more about trying to find players "who can help me in the closer, tighter games that I might see out here in a press and who can help me in penetrating the zone and getting good looks."
"Those were the things that I challenged them to do in the timeouts," Mulkey said. "Don't look at the scoreboard, just play and go do what I'm asking you to do. . . . We got to play a lot of players today. That's always good, if they do what I've asked them to do. If your role is to do this, did you do it today? And for the most part, I thought it was pretty good by all of them."
Three days after being held scoreless in the 72-61 loss at UConn - the first time in 115 career games - senior All-American forward Nina Davis was 6-of-9 from the field and scored a game-high 15 points.
She hit a jumper from just inside the free-throw line with 4:12 left in the game, becoming just the sixth player in program history to go over 2,000 points. The others are Suzie Snider Eppers (3,861), Brittney Griner (3,283), Odyssey Sims (2,533), Sophia Young (2,480) and Maggie Davis-Stinnett (2,027).
"It's an honor, definitely a blessing," said Davis, who scored in double figures for the 103rd time in 116 career games, "but it doesn't really mean much if I don't win a championship this year or we don't get to the Final Four. It's a great milestone, but I want more."
"Nina has been a great ambassador for our program, she's an All-American," Mulkey said of Davis. "She quietly does her work. She's played a role from the time she got here, being what you want every player to be. And that is someone that represents this school, this program and her own family very well."
Baylor's freshmen also bounced back from rough outings in top-10 matchups against UCLA and UConn. Lauren Cox was a combined 0-for-8 in the two games, while Natalie Chou took just two shots and Calveion "Juicy" Landrum didn't play in either game.
Against Mississippi Valley, Landrum had a career-high 10 points and six assists, Chou hit two treys and added 10 points, and Cox chipped in with nine points, four boards, two assists and a block.
"All they need are minutes," Mulkey said. "And as many minutes as you can give them, it helps them grow. And when you play UConn the next time or you play UCLA or you get into Big 12 play, are they more comfortable, more calm, more relaxed? That's why, in these non-conference games when you can get them some minutes, it helps with their confidence. It's a process."
The Lady Bears scored the first seven points of the game and took a double-digit lead, 13-2, on a 3-pointer by Alexis Prince, who finished with 11 points and five boards in 16 minutes. They stretched it to 27-10 by the end of the quarter and went in at halftime up 49-19.
"Our kids need to play these games to flat-out get better," said first-year MVSU coach Jessica Kern. "We will not see a bigger team, we will not see a stronger team, all year long. . . . We're going to be better going into our next game. But, hats off to Baylor, they played a phenomenal game."
After a bucket by Jazmine Holmon to open the third quarter, the Lady Bears reeled off 18 points in a row and extended their lead to 67-21 on a run that was capped by a Landrum trey.
The Delta Devils' foul trouble took its toll late in the third when senior forwards Kenya Hailey and Christina Reed both fouled out, with senior preseason all-conference forward Ashley Beals already limited by a shoulder injury.
"I had five freshmen on the floor, and I'm biting every nail I had left, `Please get it over half court,''' Kern said of trying to beat Baylor's press. "They're very long, extremely athletic, and I think they'll definitely cause some problems when it comes to conference play."
Sophomore post Beatrice Mompremier recorded her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career with 11 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, while 6-7 sophomore post Kalani Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Sophomore guard Lauren Elliott had a team-high 11 points for Mississippi Valley, which was outrebounded 59-30 and outscored 46-18 on points in the paint.
Baylor will host Southeastern Louisiana (1-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday before heading to the Gulf Coast Showcase that begins Friday in Estero, Fla.
