Lady Bears Tip Off Big 12 Slate Thursday
12/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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| Baylor vs. Kansas State Dec. 29, 2016 | 7 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) TV: FS+ |
 Watch |  Listen | |  Notes | Tickets |
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| MEDIA INFORMATION | |
| Date | Thursday, Dec. 29 | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online |
| TV | FS+ (Watch Online) |
| Radio | Baylor Sports Network - IMG College (1660AM) |
| Radio Talent | Rick May (pxp), Lori Fogleman (color) |
| Live Stats | |
| Notes | Baylor Notes |
| @BaylorWBB | |
| 3/4 BAYLOR LADY BEARS | |
| Record | 11-1 |
| Ranking | 3/4 (AP/ESPN) |
| Head Coach | Kim Mulkey |
| Career: 484-93 (17th season) | |
| BU Record: 484-93 (17th season) | |
| RV/RV KANSAS STATE WILDCATS | |
| Record | 10-2 |
| Ranking | RV/RV (AP/ESPN) |
| Head Coach | Jeff Mittie |
| Career: 502-264 (25th season) | |
| KSU Record: 48-29 (3rd season) | |
BIG 12 TIPOFF...
After two weeks without a game, the No. 3/4 Baylor Lady Bears open Big 12 Conference action inside the Ferrell Center Thursday, Dec. 29, against Kansas State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
FOLLOW ALONG...
Fans can watch Thursday's game online on Fox Sports Plus with John Morris (play-by-play) and Jim Haller (analyst) calling the action. Live audio is also available on the Baylor Sports Network, IMG College and ESPN 1660 AM. Rick May (play-by-play) and Lori Fogelman (analyst) are on the call.
SERIES HISTORY...
- Baylor leads Kansas State, 27-8, in the all-time series, including a 12-1 mark inside the Ferrell Center.
- Under head coach Kim Mulkey, the Lady Bears possess the edge, 25-4.
- Baylor is on a 23-game win streak against Kansas State and have not lost to the Wildcats since Jan. 27, 2004, 85-65, in Manhattan, Kan.
BIG 12 OPENERS...
- Since the 1982-83 season, the Lady Bears are 18-16 in conference openers.
- Baylor is 11-9 in conference-opening games all-time since joining the Big 12 Conference.
- Under head coach Kim Mulkey, Baylor has compiled an 11-5 record in Big 12 openers.
ANOTHER BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARD SWEEP...
- For the second time this season, the Lady Bears swept Big 12 Conference weekly women's basketball awards on Dec. 19, 2016.
- Senior Khadijiah Cave was tabbed Big 12 Player of the Week for the first time in her career after leading Baylor with a career-high 25 points in its win against Winthrop.
- Cave netted 11-of-12 field goal attempts and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. She also added two rebounds and one block to her line in just 13 minutes of action.
- Freshman Lauren Cox picked up her second Big 12 Freshman of the Week honor of the season (Nov. 28, Dec. 19).
- In her first career start, Cox set career-highs in points (23), blocks (4), steals (2), field goals made (10), and field goals (16).
- The Lady Bears also swept weekly conference awards on Nov. 28, 2016, with senior Alexis Jones named Big 12 Player of the Week and Cox named Big 12 Freshman of the Week.
- The duo led Baylor to a 4-0 record and the 2016 Gulf Coast Showcase team title. The week included two wins against ranked opponents (No. 18/17 DePaul, No. 8/8 Ohio State).
- Sophomore Kalani Brown and freshman Natalie Chou have also been recognized by the conference this season, earning Big 12 Player of the Week (Nov. 14) and Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Dec. 12) honors, respectively.
RECORD-BREAKING DAY GAME...
- In its afternoon win against Winthrop, 140-32, on Dec. 15, 2016, Baylor saw six records fall.
- The Lady Bears set the NCAA record for margin of victory (108 points), breaking a 30 year old record of 102 set on Feb. 12, 1986, when Grambling defeated Jarvis Christian, 139-37.
- Five additional Baylor women's basketball school records fell, including points scored (140), rebounds (75), field goals made (58), assists (42) and blocks (17).
TOP OF THE HEAP...
- As of Dec. 27, the Lady Bears lead the nation in four major statistical categories.
- There are 347 NCAA Division I women's basketball teams, and Baylor paces them all in scoring offense (95.3), assists per game (24.7), rebounds per game (53.33) and blocks per game (8.6).
- The Lady Bears are second nationally in field goal percentage (51.3 percent), field goal percentage defense (29.2 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (42.9 percent).
- Four different players rank in the top 10 of individual categories. Freshman Calveion Landrum is fourth in assist to turnover ratio (3.89), followed by junior Kristy Wallace, who is fifth in the same category (3.75). Sophomore Kalani Brown is sixth in field goal percentage (66.7 percent) and redshirt senior Alexis Jones is sixth in three-point field goal percentage (52.5 percent).
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE...
- For the first time in program history, Baylor women's basketball has played five ranked opponents in its first 12 games of a season, three of which were included in the top 10 at game time.
- For a stretch of three seasons in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, head coach Kim Mulkey guided her team through four matchups against ranked opponents. Of the four ranked opponents, two were ranked in the top 10 in 2010-11, three in 2011-12 and four in 2012-13.
- The strength of schedule paid off for the Lady Bears, who went on to win their second NCAA Championship in 2012, compiling a historic 40-0 season.
- This season, the Lady Bears are 4-1 against ranked foes, including a 2-1 mark against those ranked in the top 10.
- After opening the regular season with a win against Houston Baptist, Baylor played consecutive games against top 10 opponents. The Lady Bears defeated No. 9/9 UCLA, 84-70, before recording their only loss at No. 2/3 Connecticut, 72-61. It was the Huskies first home game of the regular season and they dropped the NCAA Championship banner that night in Storrs, Conn.
- To earn the Gulf Coast Showcase team title, the Lady Bears registered wins over No. 18/17 DePaul, 104-72, and a third top 10 opponent in No. 8/8 Ohio State, 85-68.
- Baylor picked up its fourth win over a ranked foe on the road in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at No. 22/15 Tennessee, 88-66, handing the Lady Vols their worst home court loss ever.
HOME SWEET HOME WIN STREAK...
- Baylor has won 174 consecutive home games vs. non-ranked opponents, dating back to an April 4, 2003, homecourt loss to Auburn in the WNIT finals. BU is 162-4 (.976) in non-league home games under Kim Mulkey.
- Baylor owns a 48-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 is ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 and is No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll in week eight.
- Baylor has been included in the USA Today's Top 10 for 46-consecutive releases, including 36 Top 5 rankings, and in the AP's Top 5 for 17-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 290 AP polls, which ranks No. 21 on the all-time list.
- Baylor has been ranked in a school-record 250 straight AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24. The Lady Bears' AP poll streak is third nationally, behind Connecticut (440) and Stanford (295).
SHARING IS CARING...
- The Lady Bears, who lead the country nationally in points per game (95.3), have had four or more players score in double figures in 10 of 12 games this season.
- Six netted double figures against both Houston Baptist in the season opener and against Texas State, five reached double figures against Mississippi Valley State, No. 18/17 DePaul, No. 8/8 Ohio State and Winthrop, 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 (16.6), sophomore Kalani Brown (13.5), senior Nina Davis (11.8), senior Alexis Prince (11.5) and sophomore Beatrice Mompremier (10.1).
- Assists and offense go hand in hand and Baylor is the national leader in assists, dishing out 24.7 per contest.
- Jones and Wallace lead the Lady Bears, averaging 5.3 and 5.0 distributions per game, respectively.
OFFENSIVE FIRE POWER...
- The Lady Bears have the nation's highest scoring offense with an average of 95.3 points per game.
- 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 12 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 473 of their 1143 overall points (41.4 percent) coming from the reserves. At least eight players have logged minutes in all 12 games, with all 13 players seeing time in three games and 12 players seeing action in five games.
- Sophomore Kalani Brown has been a force off the bench, averaging 13.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She is also second on the team in blocks, posting 1.9 stuffs per game.
- Freshman Lauren Cox is averaging 8.4 points and 4.2 boards in 11.9 minutes per contest. She recently earned the first start of her career against Winthrop on Dec. 15, 2016.
- Freshman Natalie Chou is averaging 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals in 13.2 minutes per game.
HEIGHT ADVANTAGE...
- Seven of 13 Baylor women's basketball players are over 6-0 tall.
- The most common starting lineup is comprised of 5-9 redshirt senior point guard Alexis Jones, 5-11 junior guard Kristy Wallace, 6-2 redshirt 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 important to the Lady Bears' success and winning the battle in the paint keys their success.
- Through 12 games, 57.0 percent of Baylor's offense (652-1143) has been recorded in the paint.
- The Lady Bears also hold a +26.2 rebounding advantage over their opponents, which leads the nation, 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, No. 8/8 Ohio State, 52-29, Abilene Christian, 40-29, No. 22/25 Tennessee, 56-48, Texas State, 59-23, and Winthrop, 75-25, on the glass.
DISHING IT OUT...
- Baylor leads the nation in assists, averaging 24.7 per game, due primarily to its stellar guard play of redshirt senior Alexis Jones and junior Kristy Wallace.
- Wallace has distributed a team-high 60 assists (5.0 per game) and Jones has tallied 53 assists (5.3 per game).
- Both players have distributed 10 or more assists in a game so far, with Wallace tallying a career-high 15 assists against No. 18/17 DePaul and Jones notching 10 assists at No. 22/25 Tennessee.
- Freshman Calveion Landrum joined the club, distributing a career-high 11 assists to lead Baylor against Texas State.
- Wallace's 15 assists are 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.
ROLLING IN ROCKYTOP...
- The Lady Bears rolled the No. 22/25 Lady Vols in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup, 88-66. It matched the largest margin of defeat in Tennessee women's basketball history at home and its worst defeat in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Baylor, which led by as much as 35 points in the second half, never trailed in the contest to record its fourth win over a ranked opponent in 2016-17.
- Senior Alexis Jones recorded the third 30-point, 10-assist performance in program history, joining Sheila Lambert (37 points, 10 assists vs. Kansas on Jan. 6, 2001) and Odyssey Sims (39 points, 10 assists vs. West Virginia on March 2, 2014).
- Jones added nine rebounds, one shy of recording the first triple-double of her career. Had she accomplished the feat, she would be the only player in Baylor history to record a triple-double in points, rebounds and assists.
- Senior Nina Davis came on strong in her home state, recording her first 20-point game of the season and the 34th of her career. She pulled down nine rebounds, one shy of a double-double.
- Senior Khadijiah Cave netted double figures for the second consecutive game, tallying 10 points off the bench on a 5-for-5 performance from the floor in 15 minutes.
- Junior Kristy Wallace continued her solid play compiling nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the game. She also led the Lady Bears with a career-high three blocks.
BREAKING OUT...
- After averaging below double figures in the first six games, senior forward Nina Davis has hit her stride scoring in double figures in five of the last six games.
- Since Nov. 26, Davis is averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She is also shooting a 67.3 percent from the floor and is perfect from the free throw line (10-10).
- The two-time consensus All-American kicked off the stretch with 16 points, all in the second half, four boards and three steals against No. 18/17 DePaul, and added 10 points and three rebounds against No. 8/8 Ohio State to help the Lady Bears to a Gulf Coast Showcase championship.
- Davis led the Lady Bears to victory over Abilene Christian with a team-high 18 points. She completed her line with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in 26 minutes.
- Playing in her home state at No. 22/25, Davis recorded her first 20-point game of the season and the 34th of her career. She finished the game with 20 points, nine rebounds and one block in 25 minutes played.
- In 14 minutes against Texas State, Davis compiled 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
- Davis played limited minutes due to margin of victory, but tallied eight points, seven points and four assists against Winthrop.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BREAKDOWN...
- Three Lady Bears have notched double-doubles this season through 12 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.
- Jones added her second double-double of the season and eighth overall at No. 22/25 Tennessee, compiling a career-high 30 points and 10 assists. She is the third player in program history to score 30 points and dish out 10 assists in the same game (Sheila Lambert, Odyssey Sims). Jones finished one rebound short of a triple-double, finishing the game with nine.
- 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. She added her third with 15 points and a team-high 11 boards against Abilene Christian.
- Brown posted her fourth career double-double and the third of the season against Winthrop. She netted 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
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 12 games this season, Davis has scored 2,095 career points.
APPROACHING MILESTONES...
- Senior Nina Davis is fifth in career starts (119) and on Baylor's all-time scoring list with 2,095 points. She is 385 from tying Sophia Young (2002-06), who is fourth with 2,480 career points.
- Davis is also 76 rebounds from recording 1,000 in her career with 924. 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 924 career rebounds, Davis is eighth on Baylor's all-time list. She is 12 boards from moving in to seventh (Steffanie Blackmon - 936).
- Seventeenth-year head coach Kim Mulkey is 16 wins from tallying her 500th victory. She has guided the Lady Bears to 484 wins.
- Senior Khadijiah Cave is 124 points from reaching the 1,000-point club. She has scored 876 career points, averaging 261 points per previous season.
- Senior Alexis Prince is 202 points from scoring 1,000 points in her career with 798. She is averaging 11.5 points per game this season, the best average of her career.
- Redshirt senior Alexis Jones is 264 points from netting 1,000 points at Baylor with 736. 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 1,444 points and 482 rebounds in her career.
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.
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.
THE MULKEY FILE...
- In her 17th season, Kim Mulkey has posted an impressive 484-93 (.839) 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 564 of 577 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 220-17 (.928) 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 11-1 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.
- 190 of Baylor's 220 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 377 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 91 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.
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.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
After playing just one game in the last 22 days, the third-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (11-1) could be a little rusty for Thursday's Big 12 opener against Kansas State (10-2).
Head coach Kim Mulkey gave the players 12 days off after a 140-32 win over Winthrop that set a record for the most lopsided margin in NCAA history.
"I love giving them some time off (for Christmas)," Mulkey said. "But at the same time, I don't know that 12 days is an ideal amount. It's just kind of the way it happened this year. . . . You know you're going to look rusty and you're not going to be in sync. But, the schedule we played in non-conference, I think, has prepared us for conference. We wanted to go on the road, we wanted to play at neutral sites. I think we accomplished a lot in those games."
The Lady Bears beat four ranked opponents and have won nine in a row since a 72-61 loss at four-time defending national champion Connecticut.
When the players returned from the break, "some of them had lost weight, but I wasn't totally disappointed," Mulkey said.
"When you have as much depth as we do, it's kind of next man up," she said. "That's the way I'll approach these first couple weeks of conference. If you're doing OK while you're out there, just stay out there. If not, I'll give somebody an opportunity until you get your legs back under you and you get back in the shape you need to be. . . . The tell-tale sign will be in the next week when their legs start getting heavy on them. We'll just have to fight through it."
Baylor has five players averaging double figures, led by 5-9 senior guard Alexis Jones with 16.6 points, 5.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Sophomore post Kalani Brown, who's averaging 13.5 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds, made her first start of the season against Winthrop and posted her third double-double with 17 points and 12 boards.
Nina Davis (11.8 ppg), Alexis Prince (11.5 ppg) and Beatrice Mompremier (10.1 ppg, 8.1 rebounds) round out the double-figure scorers, while 6-4 freshman Lauren Cox has chipped in with 8.4 points, 4.2 and 1.3 blocks per game.
Jones will be back for the K-State game after sitting out the last two to rest her surgically repaired knees.
"That was the plan all along," Mulkey said. "It's certainly not an injury or anything. It was just getting her to buy into it. The more rest your knees get, the healthier they stay."
Eleven of the 13 players have averaged double-digit minutes in non-conference play, but the rotation could get shorter with the start of league play.
"The games will certainly dictate it - the feel for the game and seeing if there's a place for that many players to play," Mulkey said. "If the game dictates, it will happen. If it doesn't, you're playing to win, and I can't tell you how many will play."
K-State won its first nine games and cracked the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in almost five years at No. 24. But, the Wildcats have dropped two of their last three, falling at home to UConn (75-58) and on the road at Northern Iowa (67-59).
They have size inside with 6-5 senior center Breanna Lewis (14.1 ppg, 9.1 rebounds) and 6-3 freshman forward Peyton Williams, while 5-7 senior guard Kindred Wesemann averages 14.1 points and is 10 points shy of 1,000 career points.
"You're going to see a 3-2 zone and you're going to see a team that doesn't take bad shots," Mulkey said. "You'll see a team that uses up the shot clock. They've pressed a little in the past, like a 2-2-1; not that they're trying to steal it but shorten the game. We've seen everything in non-conference games that we'll see against them - zones and a disciplined team."
As the six-time defending conference champion and preseason favorites to win the league, Baylor has a big target on its back. The Lady Bears will play three games in the next day, hosting Kansas (6-5) at 2 p.m. Sunday and then facing No. 12 West Virginia (12-0) next Wednesday in Morgantown.
"The target won't be any bigger this year than it was last year and in the previous years," Mulkey said. "When you develop a level of tradition and consistency, that comes with it."
Thursday's game will tip at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast by FOX Sports-Plus.
