Recap | Box Score | Notes | USATSI Gallery | Photo Gallery

BAYLOR POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Kim Mulkey

On Niya Johnson's near triple doubleà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"I think rest can only help us when you play again Monday. So, it was good. I didn't know Niya [Johnson] was close to a triple double. Had I been told that before I took her out, I might have given her another minute or two because that's quite a feat, but I certainly wasn't going to put her back in after I took her out. From the assistant coach's mouth, she told me 'Coach, Niya is two assists away from a triple double, but she doesn't want to go back in. She wants to rest.' That just tells you that individual statistics don't mean much to Niya. She understands the bigger picture. But I would have kept her in if I was told in enough time."

On the team's defenseà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"If there's one thing that's consistent about our game for this team all year, it has been rebounding. I think our smaller guards have battled in there for rebounds, especially [Alexis] Jones, Kristy [Wallace] and Niya [Johnson]. That's been pretty consistent for us. I just think our defense the last three games especially ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" when you hold people to that few points, everybody's buying in. It's hard to defend the three ball the way a lot of the teams in our league run it because you've got to stop dribble penetration and you get told to stop the ball, but then they kick it out. You're having to do a lot, and I just think our team is really buying in on the defensive end."

On freshman Kalani Brownà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"Kalani can shoot the basketball. She's the one that subbed in for Nina and shot Nina's two free throws. She came off the bench cold to do that. So, Kalani and Beatrice [Mompremier] are special players and their game is totally different. They're both shot blockers but with totally different type bodies. They're both scorers but they do it in different ways. So, they're getting better and better."

Freshman Kalani Brown

On outrebounding Iowa State by 39à ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"I thought that we did have a size advantage. Something we didn't do very well the last time we played them was rebounding and staying aggressive, so we made that a priority in practices. Obviously it showed in the game."

On extra motivation after the lossà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"I'm not trying to be one dimensional. I want to be versatile and do different things. I want my opponents to not expect one thing from coming from me. I want them to think about it. We're gelling as a team, and a freshman I'm more comfortable now that we're gelling as a team."

Senior Niya Johnson

On closing the gameà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"We try to be aggressive as much as we can depending on the play calling and how the refs call the game. Not only that, Coach Mulkey puts an emphasis on rebounding. That's what we were focusing on. In every way, we just wanted to help the posts rebound and run."

On a near triple doubleà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"I just try to do whatever it takes to get my team to come out with a win, whether on the offensive or defensive end no matter what. I'm just here to sacrifice my body and help the team win."

IOWA STATE POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Bill Fennelly

Opening statementà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"If you can't make shots and you can't rebound, you can't beat anyone. Baylor came at us in waves today. They play so hard at both ends of the court, another typical Baylor team. A team that will go a long way in the tournament and a team that can certainly challenge for another national championship."

On defending Niya Johnsonà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"Her offensive presence makes it borderline impossible for us to defend. She's such a great player and you've got to give her credit. She maximizes her opportunities. She is great at rebounding and ball defending. Baylor has great balance offensively and defensively and they bring those elements in waves. She's the kind of point guard that you want. She's a kid that runs a team exactly the way you want it run, the way Kim wants it done. The numbers she puts up are tremendous, but more importantly she does exactly what her team needs her to do when they need her to do it. That's the sign of a great player and a great floor leader."

On Baylor's size playing into its rebound successà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦
"They really are just that massive compared to us. Some of them out rebounding us was just us not sticking our nose in there when we needed to. It's incredible the rebounds they are able to get, even when you're in the right spot. Even times when we were in the right spot they just reach over you and their guards even rebound too. It's a combination of their size, athletic ability and aggressiveness to go get the ball."