No. 4/4 WBB Welcomes Abilene Christian Thursday
11/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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| Baylor vs. Abilene Christian Dec. 1, 2016 | 7 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) TV: FCS |
 Watch |  Listen | |  Notes | Tickets |
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| MEDIA INFORMATION | |
| Date | Thursday, December 1 | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online |
| TV | FCS (Watch Online) |
| Radio | Baylor Sports Network - IMG College (1660AM) |
| Radio Talent | Rick May (pxp), Lori Fogleman (color) |
| Live Stats | |
| Notes | Baylor Notes |
| @BaylorWBB | |
| 4/4 BAYLOR LADY BEARS | |
| Record | 7-1 |
| Ranking | 4/4 (AP/ESPN) |
| Head Coach | Kim Mulkey |
| Career: 480-93 (17th season) | |
| BU Record: 480-93 (17th season) | |
| NR/NR ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS | |
| Record | 3-3 |
| Ranking | NR/NR (AP/ESPN) |
| Head Coach | Julie Goodenough |
| Career: 374-258 (23rd season) | |
| ACU Record: 85-38 (5th season) | |
THE MATCHUP...
The No. 4/4 Baylor Lady Bears meet Abilene Christian for the first time in program history on Thursday, Dec. 1, inside the Ferrell Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
CARE BEAR DRIVE...
Fans who bring a new stuffed animal bear to Thursday's game for the team's 11th annual "Care Bear" Drive will receive $5 admission to the game and a coupon for a free Whataburger (while supplies last). All donated bears will be delivered to children and patients at Waco's Baylor Scott & White Hospital by Lady Bear student-athletes and staff.
FOLLOW ALONG...
Fans can watch Thursday's game on Fox College Sports (FCS) with John Morris (play-by-play) and Jim Haller (analyst) on the call. Audio of the contest is also available on the Baylor Sports Network, IMG College and ESPN 1660 AM. Rick May (play-by-play) and Lori Fogelman (analyst) will call the action.
3 GAMES IN 3 DAYS FOR A TITLE...
- The Lady Bears challenged themselves with three games in three days, two against ranked opponents, last weekend and prevailed to win the Gulf Coast Showcase title.
- Baylor opened with an 84-42 win over Kent State and defeated No. 18/17 DePaul, 104-72, to reach the championship game against No. 8/8 Ohio State, where the Lady Bears recorded an 85-68 victory.
- Junior Kristy Wallace was named most valuable player and to the all-tournament team after averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, a team-high 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She set a career-high with 15 assists against No. 18/17 DePaul, which also marked the sixth-highest single game assist total in program history. Baylor graduate Niya Johnson holds the school record, distributing 19 assists against McNeese State on Dec. 13, 2015.
- Sophomore Beatrice Mompremier was also named to the all-tournament team after averaging 13.3 points, a team-best 8.7 rebounds and a team-high 2.3 blocks per contest. She paced the offense, netting 69.6 percent of her field goals in the three-game stretch. She led the Lady Bears to a championship with a double-double (13 points, team-high 14 rebounds), the sixth of her career and second of the season.
- Senior Alexis Jones had a strong three-day stretch as well, averaging a team-best 15.7 points per game. She also averaged 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals per contest, while sinking 47.4 percent of her shots from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE... - Baylor has had four 100-point scoring performances so far the season to lead NCAA Division I women's basketball. Maryland and Washington each follow with three 100-point outings. - The Lady Bears have only had four 100-point games in the first eight games of the season one other time in 1977-78 (vs. Texas State - 116, vs. Navarro JC - 107; vs. Tarleton State - 106; vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor - 105). - The Lady Bears are the only team in the country to net more than 100 points against a ranked opponent (104 vs. No. 18/17 DePaul). - Averaging 93.3 points per game, Baylor is third nationally in scoring behind Northern Illinois (97.0 points per game) and Maryland (95.0 points per game). - The Lady Bears opened the season with a 118-point performance against Houston Baptist on Nov. 11, 2016, which is the second highest scoring effort recorded by a NCAA Division I team this year (126 - Oakland). - Against Mississippi Valley State on Sunday, Nov. 20, Baylor netted 101 points for its second 100+ point performance in four games. - It was the sixth time in program history and the fourth time under head coach Kim Mulkey that the Lady Bears have recorded two 100+ point performances in the first four games of the season. - Pouring in 109 points against Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, Nov. 22, Baylor posted its third 100-point effort in the first five games of the year.
SHARING IS CARING...
- The Lady Bears, who are second nationally in points per game (94.4), have had four or more players score in double figures in all eight games this season.
- Six netted double figures against Houston Baptist in the season opener, five reached double figures against Mississippi Valley State, No. 18/17 DePaul and No. 8/8 Ohio State, and four scored double figures against No. 9/9 UCLA, at No. 3/2 UConn, Southeastern Louisiana and Kent State.
- Five Lady Bears average double figure scoring on the season, including senior Alexis Jones (16.4), sophomore Kalani Brown (14.1), sophomore Beatrice Mompremier (11.5), senior Alexis Prince (10.6) and senior Nina Davis (10.5).
- Assists and offense go hand in hand and Baylor is the national leader in assists, dishing out 22.9 per contest.
- Wallace leads the Lady Bears with 5.5 distributions per game and Jones follows closely behind with 4.9 assists per contest.
A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS...
- Abilene Christian enters Thursday's game with a 3-3 record.
- The roster, led by fifth-year head coach Julie Goodenough, is comprised of four seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and five freshmen.
- Abilene Christian, a team picked to win the Southland Conference for the second-straight season, averages 64.8 points and 40.2 boards per game.
- Senior Sydney Shelstead leads the Wildcats in scoring (14.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.5 rebounds per game).
BIG 12 AWARD SWEEP...
- Senior guard Alexis Jones and freshman forward Lauren Cox were honored by the Big 12 Conference on Nov. 29, after leading the Lady Bears to a 4-0 week and the Gulf Coast Showcase championship.
- Jones picked up the second Big 12 Player of the Week nod of her career (Jan. 19, 2016) after averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. She shot 54.3 percent (25-46) from the floor and 60 percent (15-25) from beyond the arc in the four-game stretch.
- A native of Irving, Texas, Jones opened the week with a high note, posting a team-high 25 points against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 22, netting 7-of-8 field goal and 6-of-7 three-point field goal attempts. Her six three-pointers signaled a new career-high.
- Jones reached double-figures in scoring in each Gulf Coast Showcase contest, including her seventh career double-double against No. 18/17 DePaul (15 points, 10 rebounds) on Nov. 26, and a team-leading 20-point performance against No. 8/8 Ohio State on Nov. 27. She also compiled 12 points, four assists and four rebounds against Kent State.
- Cox earned her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week award after averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench for Baylor last week. She connected on 59.1 percent (13-22) of her field goal attempts.
- Against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 22, Cox poured in a career-high 21 points and pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. It was her first time scoring in double figures.
- Cox followed it up with a 15 point, four rebound performance against Kent State on Nov. 25 before adding five blocks and one board in 11 minutes played against No. 18/17 DePaul on Nov. 26. She closed out the weekend with two points, one block and one rebound in seven minutes against No. 8/8 Ohio State on Nov. 27.
TRIO OF LADY BEARS MAKE NAISMITH TROPHY LIST...
- Sophomore post Kalani Brown, senior forward Nina Davis and senior guard Alexis Jones were included on the Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, released by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Nov. 30.
- Baylor leads the Big 12 with three selections and is one of four teams to have at least three players in consideration for the award.
- The award is one of the most prestigious player of the year honor in collegiate basketball. The list of 50 players will narrow to 30 on Feb. 8, 2017.
DAVIS EARNS OFF THE COURT RECOGNITION...
- Senior Nina Davis was named a 2017 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team nominee on Nov. 30, as announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
- The esteemed award honors an outstanding group of student-athletes who represent the sport's finest in the areas of community service and leadership among their peers.
- The 5-11 forward gives back each year, reading at elementary schools, speaking to youth at prisons, sharing her love for Christ through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, visiting patients in the hospital and NICU and even going on summer mission trips to Brazil.
- No matter where she goes after graduation, Davis plans to continue to give back. She has been inspired to make a difference in the lives of youth since receiving guidance of her own as a young person in her hometown of Memphis, Tenn.
OFFENSIVE FIRE POWER...
- The Lady Bears have the third-highest scoring offense in the country heading in to this week with an average of 93.3 points per game.
- Baylor, a team that has played four ranked opponents including three rated in the Top 10, trail only Northern Illinois (97.0) and Maryland (95.0), teams that have yet to play a ranked opponent.
- The Lady Bears are also the only team in the country to score more than 100 points against a ranked opponent, netting 104 against No. 18/17 DePaul on Nov. 26, at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
- Accomplishing four 100-point games in the first eight games of the season has only happened one other time in Baylor women's basketball history in 1977-78.
BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS...
- Depth has been a strength for the Lady Bears so far this season with 296 of their 749 overall points (39.7 percent) coming from the reserves. At least eight players have logged minutes in all eight games, with all 13 players seeing time in two games and 12 players seeing action in three games.
- Sophomore Kalani Brown has been a force off the bench, averaging 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She is also third on the team in blocks, posting 1.5 stuffs per game.
- Freshman Lauren Cox is averaging 7.5 points and 3.8 boards off the bench in 11.0 minutes per contest.
- Freshman Natalie Chou is averaging 3.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 11.3 minutes per game.
HEIGHT ADVANTAGE...
- Seven of 13 Baylor women's basketball players are over 6-0 tall.
- The starting lineup is comprised of 5-9 senior point guard Alexis Jones, 5-11 junior guard Kristy Wallace, 6-2 senior guard Alexis Prince, 5-11 senior forward Nina Davis and 6-4 sophomore post Beatrice Mompremier.
- Off the bench, the Lady Bears have 6-7 sophomore post Kalani Brown, 6-4 freshman forward Lauren Cox, 6-3 senior post Khadijiah Cave, 6-2 junior forward Dekeiya Cohen and 6-1 freshman guard Natalie Chou.
- With a high-low offense, height is key to the Lady Bears' success and winning the battle in the paint keys their success.
- Through eight games, 46.7 percent of Baylor's offense (359-766) has been recorded in the paint.
- The Lady Bears also hold a +26.1 rebounding advantage over their opponents, outdoing Houston Baptist, 62-27, No. 9/9 UCLA, 52-25, No. 3/2 Connecticut, 39-29, Mississippi Valley State, 59-30, Southeastern Louisiana, 43-14, Kent State, 49-23, No. 18/17 DePaul, 55-24, and No. 8/8 Ohio State, 52-29, on the glass.
DIVY IT OUT VS DEPAUL...
- Junior Kristy Wallace had her top day of distribution, dishing out a career-high 15 assists against No. 18/17 DePaul.
- It is the sixth-highest single game assist total in program history. Niya Johnson holds the school record with 19 assists against McNeese State on Dec. 13, 2015.
- Wallace's previous career high in assists also came against DePaul. She distributed nine against the Blue Demons on Nov. 22, 2015.
COMING ALIVE...
- Forward Nina Davis came alive in the second half of the Lady Bears' semifinal win over No. 18/17 DePaul, 104-72.
- The senior gained momentum at the 6:53 mark in the third quarter, recording six points, two steals and one rebound in a span of 17 seconds.
- Davis posted 10 points in the third quarter alone, and added six more in the fourth quarter.
- The two-time consensus All-American closed the contest with 16 points, four boards and three steals.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BREAKDOWN...
- Three Lady Bears have notched double-doubles this season through eight games, three against ranked teams.
- Senior Alexis Jones recorded her seventh career double-double against No. 18/17 DePaul with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She was just shy of a triple double with eight assists.
- Sophomore Beatrice Mompremier posted the fifth double-double of her career with 11 points and 15 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State and added her sixth with 13 points and 14 rebounds against No. 8/8 Ohio State.
- Sophomore Kalani Brown tallied her second career double-double against No. 9/9 UCLA with 25 points and 19 rebounds. Both were career-highs, and 19 rebounds tied for 10th-most in a single game.
WADE TROPHY CONSIDERATION...
- Senior Lady Bears Nina Davis and Alexis Jones are two of 25 players in consideration for the 2017 Wade Trophy.
- Davis has been a finalist for the honor twice (2015, 2016), while Jones is recognized for the first time in her career.
- The Lady Bears are the only Big 12 representatives on the list of 25, and Baylor is one of six teams in the country to have two players included.
- The Wade Trophy - now in its 40th year - is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women's basketball, is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade.
2,000 POINTS & COUNTING...
- Senior forward Nina Davis became the sixth Lady Bear to surpass the 2,000 career points mark on Nov. 20, against Mississippi Valley State.
- The Memphis, Tenn., native, netted a jumper in the paint at the 4:42 mark in the fourth quarter to accomplish the feat. Davis ended the game with 15 points.
- Through eight games this season, Davis has scored 2,037 career points.
HOME SWEET HOME WIN STREAKS...
- Baylor has won 171 consecutive home games vs. non-ranked opponents, dating back to an April 4, 2003, homecourt loss to Auburn in the WNIT finals. BU is 159-4 (.975) in non-league home games under Kim Mulkey.
- Baylor owns a 45-game home win streak overall dating back to March 2, 2014, when it lost to 11th-ranked West Virginia, 71-70.
IN THE POLLS...
- Baylor checks in at No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 and is No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll in week four of the season.
- Baylor has been included in the USA Today's Top 10 for 42-consecutive releases, including 32 Top 5 rankings, and in the AP's Top 5 for 13-straight polls. The Lady Bears have been ranked in the Top 5 in the final release of the AP poll in each of the last six seasons.
- All told, Baylor has been ranked in 286 AP polls which ranks No. 21 on the all-time list.
- Baylor has been ranked in a school-record 245 straight AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24.
APPROACHING MILESTONES...
- Senior Nina Davis is now in fifth on Baylor's all-time scoring list with 2,037 points in her career. She surpassed Maggie Davis-Stinnett (1986-89, 1990-91) for fifth and trails Sophia Young (2002-06), who is fourth in scoring with 2,480 points.
- Davis is also 103 rebounds from recording 1,000 in her career with 897. Only five other Baylor women's basketball players have compiled 1,000 or more career rebounds.
- If Davis reaches both milestones, she will become the sixth Lady Bear to compile 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
- With 897 career rebounds, Davis is eighth on Baylor's all-time list. She is 39 boards from moving in to seventh (Steffanie Blackmon - 936).
- Seventeenth-year head coach Kim Mulkey is 20 wins from tallying her 500th victory. She has guided the Lady Bears to 480 wins.
- Senior Khadijiah Cave is 180 points from reaching the 1,000-point club. She has scored 820 career points, averaging 261 points per season.
- Senior Alexis Prince is 255 points from scoring 1,000 points in her career with 745. She is averaging 11.5 points per game this season, the best average of her career.
- Redshirt senior Alexis Jones is 299 points from netting 1,000 points at Baylor with 711. After scoring 586 points in 2015-16, she has the potential to become the seventh player in Baylor women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career points mark in just two seasons played.
- Including her numbers from Duke, Jones has compiled 1,409 points and 468 rebounds in her career.
PRODUCTION IN THE PAINT...
- Through eight games, Baylor has recorded 48.1 percent (359-746) of its offense in the paint.
- The Lady Bears are outrebounding their opponents by an average of 26.1 boards per game (410-201). BU outperformed Houston Baptist, 62-27, No. 9/9 UCLA, 52-25, No. 3/2 Connecticut, 39-29, Mississippi Valley State, 59-30, Southeastern Louisiana, 43-14, Kent State, 49-23, No. 18/17 DePaul, 55-24, and No. 8/8 Ohio State, 52-29, on the glass.
THE MULKEY FILE...
- In her 17th season, Kim Mulkey has posted an impressive 480-93 (.838) record which ranks her No. 2 nationally in winning percentage among active coaches behind Connecticut's Geno Auriemma (.877).
- Kim Mulkey's 34 seasons as a player and coach have resulted in 34 postseason trips, including 33 to NCAA/AIAW Tournaments.
- In 561 of 572 games under Kim Mulkey, the Lady Bears have held their opponent at or below 50 percent field goal shooting with only five of those efforts coming in the last 14 years.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS...
- The Lady Bears have made 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 overall. Those appearances have resulted in two national championships (2005, 2012), three Final Fours (2005, 2010, 2012), seven Elite Eights and 11 Sweet Sixteens.
- Baylor has won six consecutive Big 12 regular season and tournament titles. Overall the program has won seven regular season and eight tournament conference championships, most among all Big 12 programs.
- Baylor is 216-17 (.927) over the past six seasons, 34-3 in 2010-11, 40-0 in 2011-12, 34-2 in 2012-13, 32-5 in 2013-14, 33-4 in 2014-15, 36-2 in 2015-16, and 7-1 in 2016-17. In that same span, BU is 118-6 (.952) in Big 12 play -- 100-6 in the regular season and 18-0 in Big 12 Tournament play.
- 186 of Baylor's 216 wins since 2010-11 have been by 10 or more points, and only 13 times in that span has its winning margin been five or fewer points (most recently five, 69-64, vs. West Virginia, Jan. 12, 2016).
- In Baylor's last 373 games, only two opponents (Stanford, .509 & West Virginia, .500) have shot 50 percent or above. In the 2012-13 season, the Cardinal broke BU's 217-game streak of holding an opponent to 50 percent or less shooting from the floor. BU's current string is 87 straight games holding its foe to .500 or below from the field.
BIG 12 PRESEASON HONOR ROLL...
- For the second consecutive year and the seventh time in conference history (2006, `10, `11, `12, `13, `15, `16), Baylor is favored to win the Big 12 women's basketball regular season title according to a vote of league head coaches previewing the 2016-17 regular season.
- The squad has won or tied for seven regular season championships, including the last six in a row. Baylor has also hoisted the last six Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship trophies.
- The Lady Bears received nine of 10 first place votes in the poll (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams). Texas received one first place vote and was listed second followed by Oklahoma in third place.
- For the second-straight season, senior Nina Davis was selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. It marks the seventh time a Baylor player has been named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year (Nina Davis -- 2015-16, 2016-17; Odyssey Sims - 2013-14; Brittney Griner - 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13; Sophia Young - 2005-06).
- Freshman Lauren Cox, who is rated No. 1 in her class by ESPN Hoopgurlz and All Star Girls Report (ASGR), was tabbed Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
- Senior Nina Davis and redshirt senior Alexis Jones, the 2016 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, received Preseason All-Big 12 Team distinction.
- Sophomore Kalani Brown, a Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection in 2016, was an Honorable Mention Big 12 selection.
JONES MAKES 2017 NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST...
- Redshirt senior Alexis Jones is one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2017 Nancy Lieberman Award. The award, now in its 17th year, recognizes the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
- Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.
- Jones is a Preseason All-Big 12 selection after collecting 2015-16 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year recognition as a junior.
- Jones started 34-of-38 games in her first season with the Lady Bears after transferring from Duke. She averaged 15 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and recorded 30 double-digit scoring performances en route to 2016 All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player honors.
- A WBCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2016, Jones also earned All-Tournament Team recognition at the NCAA Dallas Regional, was named a Junkanoo Jam All-Star and collected WBCA All-Region honors.
- Prior to her arrival at Baylor, Jones earned All-ACC Second Team accolades in 2013 and 2014 and was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 2013.
- By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2017 Lieberman Award will be narrowed to just 10. Guards can play their way on or off the watch list throughout the year.
DAVIS EARNS SECOND PRESEASON AP ALL-AMERICAN RECOGNITION...
- Nina Davis earned Associated Press Preseason All-American recognition for the second consecutive season on Nov. 3.
- The 5-11 senior forward is one of four Lady Bears named to the AP's elite preseason squad, including Sophia Young (2005-06), three-time honoree Brittney Griner (2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13) and two-time honoree Odyssey Sims (2012-13, 2013-14).
- Davis, a two-time consensus All-American, led the program in scoring as a junior, averaging 16.3 points per game, and shared the rebounding award with post Beatrice Mompremier, averaging 6.1 boards per contest.
- The Memphis, Tenn., native was picked 2017 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 first team. In her career, Davis is a three-time All-Big 12 First Team selection.
FRESHMEN PHENOMS...
- The Lady Bears welcomed in the nation's top recruiting class this fall.
- Cox collected 2016 WBCA High School Player of the Year recognition and was back-to-back Gatorade State Player of the Year (2015, `16). The Flower Mound, Texas, native was also a finalist for Naismith High School Player of the Year and McDonald's All-American Morgan Wootten Player of the Year. Cox was named USA Today Texas Player of the Year and to the USA Today All-Texas first team in 2015 and 2016. With USA Basketball, Cox won four gold medals, most recently earning Most Valuable Player honors at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
- Chou was a 2016 McDonald's and WBCA High School All-American. She joined Cox as a finalist for the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year award. Chou, a Jordan Brand Classic selection, also has experience playing for USA Basketball. The Plano, Texas, native won a gold medal in the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship (with Baylor teammate Lauren Cox) and a silver medal at the 2015 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship.
- Landrum was a two-time Waco Tribune-Herald Super Centex Player of the Year honoree (2014, `16). The Waco, Texas, native was a four-time all-state selection and all-star game pick at nearby La Vega High School.
