#4/5 WBB Takes on South Dakota State to Begin South Point Shootout



	^#4/5 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (4-0) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	^#4/5 BAYLOR (4-0) VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (3-1) November 23, 2018 • 9:30 p.m. CT Las Vegas, Nev. • South Point Arena (4,600) LIVE STATS: Sports Tours Stats WATCH: VIMEO LIVE FEED LISTEN: BaylorBears.com/92.9 FM Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Color) Baylor Social Media: Channel Lineup (SD/HD): N/A

	^#RV/RV S. DAKOTA ST. JACKRABBITS (3-1) Location: Brookings, S.D. Conference: Summitt League Head Coach: Aaron Johnston (Gustavus Adolphus, 1996) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

Since over half of her team had never been to Las Vegas, Kim Mulkey gave her fourth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears a crash course in the "City of Lights" before their trip to this weekend's South Point Shootout.
            "I told them what we do in Vegas stays in Vegas," said Mulkey, whose Lady Bears (4-0) will play South Dakota State (3-1) on Friday and Georgetown (4-1) Saturday in the 9:30 p.m. CDT finals both nights at the South Point Hotel and Casino. "We laughed about all that. But really, at the end of the day, we're there to win two basketball games. After we play those games, you can have all the fun you want."
            The prestigious two-day tournament also features a top-25 matchup between No. 4/5 Louisville and No. 19/25 Arizona State on Friday and includes Southern Illinois, Hartford and Buffalo, which plays Georgetown on Friday and South Dakota State on Saturday.
            Since a 71-69 loss to Stanford on Nov. 12, 2012, at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, the Lady Bears have strung together 25 straight wins in regular-season tournament games. Over the Thanksgiving Day holidays, they've captured titles in the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas (2015, 2017), Gulf Coast Showdown in Estero, Fla. (2016) and the Basketball Travelers Classic in Waco (2014).
            "I don't want to say it bothers you as a coach, but we really don't have Thanksgiving and Christmas like a normal student-athlete," Mulkey said. "We're blessed that we get to travel all over the country, but our Thanksgiving is spent together for the most part. And then we take time off at Christmas, because I'm very much a stickler for that. I think everybody needs to be at home with their families at Christmas."
            This is just the second trip of the year for the Lady Bears, who beat Arizona State, 65-59, on Nov. 11 on a Navajo Reservation in Defiance, Ariz.
            "That trip, specifically, I think was great for all of us," said 6-0 freshman forward Caitlin Bickle, who has come off the bench to average 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. "I just feel like if we didn't have that trip we wouldn't be as close right now as a team as we are. You come in the summer, and we didn't even have one of our freshmen, there were only four of us. And we have a completely different schedule than the girls that were already here. So, it definitely helped us to get to know them and see how they act and see how we fit in."
            One of six newcomers, grad transfer Chloe Jackson from LSU made the switch from shooting guard to point guard, averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 58.1 percent from the floor.
            "We knew from film and watching her play, (she is) a tremendous mid-range shooter, pretty much automatic," Mulkey said. "When she misses, you're going, 'Dang, Chloe, you couldn't go 6-for-6 from the field?' That's how good of a shooter she is."
            An All-SEC pick at LSU, averaging 18.1 points last season, Jackson said she has adjusted to her new role with the Lady Bears, "but that comes from practice every day. (Mulkey) stays on me to do what I need to do so that it prepared me for game situations."
            "What's the one thing I stay on you about, Chloe?" Mulkey said during the media session earlier this week.
            "Talking," Jackson said quietly.
            "What?" Mulkey said again.
            "Talking," Jackson said a little louder.
            "What?" Mulkey said, repeating the question a third time.
            "TALKING!" Jackson said, finally getting her coach's approval.
            It's been a process to pull that out of her, Mulkey said, because "she's quiet by nature."
            "When you play off-guard, you don't have to be loud," she said. "You just receive the ball and shoot it. When you play point guard, you've got to know every position the floor, you have to direct traffic, you've got to be an encourager, you have to get on them. You have to be the coach on the floor. That's the main thing with Chloe. Her play is fine, I just want her to be more vocal."
            On a balanced team that features eight players scoring at least 7.0 points per game, senior All-American post Kalani Brown leads the way with 16.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. Freshman forward NaLyssa Smith is next at 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, while 6-4 junior forward Lauren Cox is contributing 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.
            Brown sat out last Thursday's 94-49 win over Southern, but she is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend.
            "She wasn't out but a day or two. It was just a mild, I guess you would call it a Level 1 sprain," Mulkey said. "Just being conservative in the Southern game and letting her do her rehab. But, she's good to go."
            In Friday's game, Baylor gets a South Dakota State team that has reeled off three straight wins since opening with a 91-52 loss at No. 19 Marquette. The Jackrabbits won the Summit League regular-season and tournament titles last year and made their eighth NCAA tournament appearance, losing to ninth-seeded Villanova, 81-74, in a first-round matchup.
            Senior guard Macy Miller leads the Jackrabbits, averaging 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Baylor leads the all-time series, 2-0, including a 60-58 win in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2009.
            "Their style of play, as most teams we play, presents a problem," Mulkey said. "They're going to bring the bigs outside and make them defend. And when they run in transition, they're not running to the paint, they're running and fanning out. So, we've got to be able to guard them on the perimeter at all positions. And with both teams, you may see a 2-3 zone where they pack it in there and challenge us to hit some perimeter shots."

I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE, SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME: BROWN & COX EARN ANOTHER SPOT ON PROMINENT WATCH LIST
   Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox garnered recognition from several voting entities for the upcoming season. The latest came Tuesday when the WBCA put both players on the Wade Tophy Watch List – Brown's second time to be a selection. The John Wooden Award selected both players to the Top 30 Watch List for its annual All-American team and Most Outstanding Player award.
   The senior, Brown, and junior Cox have been tabbed by many as the best post combo in the nation, and the pair has combined for six preseason All-America honors with Brown taking home four and Cox a pair. Brown was a first-team selection by the Associated Press, Athlon, Street & Smith's and Lindy's Sports while Cox earned second-team nods from Athlon and Street & Smith's.
   Both players were selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and Brown was selected to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year. Brown is also on the WBCA's Lisa Leslie Award Watch List for the nation's top center while Cox is on the Katrina McCalin Award Watch List for top power forward.

ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END: BROWN'S CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED, GAMES STARTED STREAK SNAPPED
   After a mild sprained ankle in practice last week, Kalani Brown's streak of 113-straight games played and 64-straight games started came to an end as she missed BU's 94-49 win over Southern Thursday. Brown has resumed practice and is expected to play in this weekend's South Point Shootout vs. South Dakota State and Georgetown in Las Vegas, Nev. Brown has scored in double figures in the last 22 games that she's played.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE IN SHORT
   The Jackrabbits began the season with a loss at No. 19 Marquette (91-52, Nov. 6) but have rattled off three-straight victories with wins over Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 9), Central Michigan (Nov. 12) and Creighton (Nov. 15). South Dakota State received one vote in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll Monday. 6'0" senior guard Macy Miller leads the charge with an impressive 19.5 points per game on 30-of-56 shooting, and she's averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest out of the backcourt. The Jackrabbits among Division I women's basketball teams since the 2010-11 season have the 13^th-best winning percentage at .727 (197-74).

GEORGETOWN IN SHORT
   The Hoyas played five games in 13 days to start the year picking up wins over Richmond, Maryland Eastern Shore, Loyola and Pitt. Georgetown's lone loss on the season came Friday to James Madison (69-57). Dionna White and Mikayla Venson are tied for the team lead averaging 14 points a game through five games while White leads the team with eight rebounds per game and Venson is the team's top long-range threat hitting 14-of-32 shots from beyond the arc thus far.

BAYLOR SIGNS TOP-10 PROSPECT OLIVER AS LONE ADDITION TO 2019 SIGNING CLASS
   A year after signing five players and accepting a graduate transfer, Jordyn Oliver gets all the Lady Bears' attention this season as the No. 10-ranked national prospect (Collegiate Girls Basketball Report) signed with Baylor. Oliver, a Prosper, Texas native is a 3-time TABC All-State selection, and was also ranked No. 11 by ESPN Hoopgurlz.

LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
   Thursday vs. Southern, Baylor strung together a 13-0 run in the first half, it was the sixth run this season of 10 points or more, and the Lady Bears also have three runs of 20 or more unanswered points. Baylor has outscored its opponents 88-13 on the fast break thus far this season.

MULKEY'S MIDAS TOUCH: 1,100 WINS
   Everything head coach Kim Mulkey touches doesn't necessarily turn to gold, but if it has to do with college basketball, nearly everything she touches results in a win. Baylor's win vs. Nicholls (Nov. 6) gave Mulkey 1,100 wins combined as a collegiate player (130, La. Tech), assistant coach (430, La. Tech) & head coach (540, Baylor). In those capacities, Mulkey's teams are a combined 1,100-192 for an astounding .851 winning percentage. MORE ON PAGE 2...

JACKSON, LANDRUM THRIVING AT POINT GUARD OUT OF POSITION
   Head Coach Kim Mulkey said at the Big 12 Women's Basketball Tipoff Oct. 16 that she had never entered a season without knowing who her point guard would be. Through three games with Chloe Jackson and Juicy Landrum both starting in the backcourt, the pair has done well despite both being true shooting guards.
   In fact, both players rank in the top 25 (as of 11/19) in total assists with Jackson leading at 24 and Landrum with 22. With those two at the helm, Baylor ranks No. 9 in the nation and first in the Big 12 (as of 11/19) in assists-to-turnover ratio at 1.75:1.

FIERCE FIVE: FISH EAGER TO MAKE MARK AFTER SELECTION AS NO. 1 RECRUITING CLASS
   For the second time in program history, the Baylor women's basketball team signed the nation's top recruiting class and the "Fierce Five" freshmen are three games deep into 2018-19. Caitlin Bickle, Aquira DeCosta, Queen Egbo, Honesty Scott-Grayson and NaLyssa Smith all signed with the Lady Bears and all were ranked in the Top 30 overall by ESPN Hoopgurlz and boasted a five-star rating. Acosta is the only player who hasn't seen action after suffering a minor toe injury in an exhibition game with Langston Oct. 26. Smith is shining brightest through the first three games averaging 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest while picking up the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Week award Nov 12.

LADY BEARS' NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE HAS FOUR FROM TOP 25
   Baylor defeated No. 23 Arizona State 65-59 Nov. 11 in the first of four non-conference opponents ranked in the AP Top 25. Next, Baylor plays at No. 13 South Carolina Dec. 2, at No. 8 Stanford Dec. 15, and plays host to No. 2/2 UConn Jan. 3 in Waco.

#4/5 WBB Takes on South Dakota State to Begin South Point Shootout

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Players Mentioned

Caitlin Bickle

Kalani Brown

Lauren Cox

Aquira DeCosta

Queen Egbo

Chloe Jackson

Juicy Landrum

Honesty Scott-Grayson

NaLyssa Smith

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#4/5 WBB Takes on South Dakota State to Begin South Point Shootout

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caitlin Bickle

Kalani Brown

Lauren Cox

Aquira DeCosta

Queen Egbo

Chloe Jackson

Juicy Landrum

Honesty Scott-Grayson

NaLyssa Smith

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