#2/2 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (3-0) Location: Waco, Texas   Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster | Stats | Game Notes	#2/2 BAYLOR (3-0) VS. #22/RV SOUTH FLORIDA (4-0) November 19, 2019 • 7 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast/1660 AM/92.3 FM WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (PBP), Jim Haller (Analyst) LISTEN: Tune In Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Color) Baylor Social Media:
	#22/RV SOUTH FLORIDA (4-0) Location: Tampa, Fla. Conference: American Head Coach: Jose Fernandez (FIU, 1994, 20th Year) Roster | Stats | Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Leading the nation with a mind-blowing 70.7-point scoring margin, the second-ranked Baylor women (3-0) will get their first real test since last year's national championship game when the Lady Bears host 22^nd-ranked South Florida (4-0) at 7 p.m. Tuesday. 
            The fact that they have to do it without 6-4 senior All-American Lauren Cox makes it even more of a test. Cox sat out last Thursdays 112-42 win over Houston Baptist with a stress reaction in her right foot and might not return until January. 
            "We're going to find out about our team without our leader for these next few games," said coach Kim Mulkey, whose team has won 32 in a row overall and 42 straight at the Ferrell Center. "We're going to give them great experience and opportunity, and hopefully when LC comes back that will make them better individually and us better collectively.
            "I know we have talent, I know we have enough returning players that will lead us. But defensively, I'm always concerned, because Lauren just made us better defensively."
            Baylor's defense did just fine without Cox against Houston Baptist, holding the Huskies to 26 percent shooting overall and just 2-of-21 from outside the arc. 
            Sophomore Queen Egbo, who got the start in place of Cox, had a career-high 21 points in 23 minutes and added six rebounds, three steals and one block. The 6-3 center said her bigger challenge is replacing Cox on the defensive end, "staying out of foul trouble and moving my feet and getting in the passing lanes."
            "Lauren, I feel like sometimes is underappreciated defensively by the media. People don't understand how good she is," Egbo said. "I'm working on going straight up and keeping my hands straight up without coming down. It's a challenge, because once you get in a habit, you always want to block shots consistently. It's definitely something I need to work on."
            Mulkey said there is no specific timetable on Cox's return, but she is waiting on a "green light" from trainer Alex Olson. 
            "I try to stay away from asking, because you don't want to feel like you're putting pressure on a kid to come back and play," Mulkey said. "But, it's normal to want to ask, 'What are we thinking here? What are we looking at?' Alex has been around me for 20 years. He'll come and tell me, 'Hey, I want LC to do this. Give her a few mimutes in a game, or she's ready to go.' And I will wait until he tells me something."
            After blowout wins over New Hampshire, Grambling and Houston Baptist, Baylor will get pushed by a South Florida team that beat then-No. 15 Texas, 64-57. 
            The Bulls are led by 5-9 junior guard Enna Pehadzic (15.5 ppg), who played for the Denmark U18 National Team at the European Championships; 6-0 junior forward Bethy Mununga (12.8 ppg, 10.8 rebounds), a junior college All-American last year at Northeastern Oklahoma; and 5-7 freshman guard Maria Alvarez (12.5 ppg, 3.5 assists), who represented Colombia in the 2018 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup. 
            Ten of South Florida's 14 players are foreign players, including sophomore point guard Elisa Pinzan from Italy, 6-3 sophomore center Jordao Beatriz from Portugal and 6-0 freshman wing Kristyna Brabencova from the Czech Republic. 
            "It will be about us this whole non-conference, but you've got to know how good they are," Mulkey said. "They have a lot of international kids, they're picked second in (the American Athletic Conference) behind UConn. They have a couple kids who will shoot the 3-ball. They have a tremendous junior college (power forward) that will give us all we want. They're very well-coached, they're very good. It's going to be one heck of a basketball game."
            Leading the way for Baylor are 6-2 sophomore forward NaLyssa Smith (19.3 ppg, 11.3 rebounds), who was named to the "Starting Five" by NCAA.com; 5-8 senior point guard Te'a Cooper (13.0 ppg, 6.0 assists), the Big 12 Player of the Week; and the veteran backcourt tandem of Juicy Landrum and DiDi Richards. 
            Since they came in together last year and both came off the bench, Egbo and Smith have a chemistry that extends beyond the court. 
            "NaLyssa is my best friend, so we talk a lot about basketball and stuff like that and, of course, our personal lives," Egbo said. "Me and Lys fit because Lys likes to play outside in, and I like to play inside out. She's more of a shooter and I'm more of an on-the-block post player, face-up, although Lys can do it all. I think we fit well together because what I may lack in, Lys has; and what Lys may lack in, I have."
            Richards, who is averaging 8.7 points and a team-high 6.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game, got the chance to shadow ESPN sideline reporter Maria Taylor during Saturday's Baylor-Oklahoma football game at McLane Stadium. 
            "Hands-down, one of the most memorable experiences of my life," Richards, a junior communications studies major. "Maria Taylor is someone I would definitely try to model a sports broadcasting career. She is so poised and confident when it comes to being in front of the camera, and I got to experience that first-hand Saturday night."
            Tuesday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of Bears" John Morris and former Baylor men's basketball head coach Jim Haller calling the action. 
 

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RANKED MATCHUP: NO. 2 BAYLOR HOSTS NO. 25 SOUTH FLORIDA
   South Florida's 4-0 start has the Bulls ranked in the AP Top 25 at No. 25 entering into the contest with No. 2 Baylor, which includes a signature win over No. 15/15 Texas in Tampa, 64-57 (Nov. 8). Baylor has had success vs. the AP Top 25 at home; the Lady Bears are 74-47 all-time vs. ranked opponents at home, 69-17 in the Kim Mulkey era, and 39-3 since the 2010-11 season.
   Baylor's last loss to a Top 25 team at home came vs. No. 11/13 Texas (85-79) on Feb. 20, 2017. The Lady Bears' last loss to a non-conference opponent at home ranked in the Top 25 was to No. 1/1 UConn (66-55), Jan. 13, 2013, and since then, Baylor has seven-straight wins vs. non-conference, top 25 opponents.
 
SMITH PICKS UP WEEKLY NCAA.COM HONOR; COOPER NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK, SEVERAL WITH CAREER HIGHS IN ROUT OF HOUSTON BAPTIST
   NCAA.com selects a weekly "Starting Five" highlighting the top NCAA Division I women's basketball performances from the previous week, and Baylor's NaLyssa Smith landed a spot on the first week's five. Smith averaged 21.0 points and 13.5 rebounds and shot 75 percent from the floor in wins over New Hampshire and Grambling State. Smith also earned Big 12 co-Player of the Week for her performance.
   Te'a Cooper became the first Big 12 Player of the Week for Baylor Monday since Smith was named co-Player of the Week Nov. 12, 2018.
   Cooper's previous career high in assists coming to Baylor was six. Thursday vs. Houston Baptist, she nearly doubled that total with 10, and she did so without committing a turnover. Couple that with her 23 first-half points, and she became the first Lady Bear with a 20-point, 10-assist performance since Alexis Jones had 24 points and 10 assists vs. No. 20 Oklahoma, Jan. 29, 2017.
   Queen Egbo notched a career-high 21 points in her first career start in place of the injured Lauren Cox. Caitlin Bickle had career highs in rebounds (6) and assists (4) while Trinity Oliver collected a career high in steals with three.
 
RICHARDS GETS CHANCE TO SHADOW ESPN'S MARIA TAYLOR FOR COLLEGE GAME DAY MATCHUP
   ESPN's College Gameday came to Waco this past weekend to feature the Baylor football vs. Oklahoma matchup. ESPN sideline reporter Maria Taylor graciously allowed the Lady Bears' DiDi Richards to shadow her for the game coverage portion of the game. Richards observed while Taylor gathered intel pre-game and talked with Richards about game preparation.
   "It was hands down one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Maria Taylor is someone I would definitely try to model a sports broadcasting career after," said Richards. "She's so poised and confident when it comes to being in front of the camera, and I got to experience that first hand Saturday night. This unique opportunity meant the world to me, I enjoyed every second of it. I am forever grateful for having someone like Maria Taylor as a mentor. Thank you to everyone who contributed to me getting this once in a lifetime opportunity."
 
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
     52-42-32. Baylor won its 52nd straight non-conference game at the Ferrell Center vs. Houston Baptist Thursday, its 42nd consecutive win at the Ferrell Center overall and its 32nd win overall, which is the longest active streak in the NCAA. The 32-game streak is tied for the 15th longest win streak in NCAA history and is tied for the second-best Baylor win streak of all-time (2005-06).
 
SENIOR FORWARD LAUREN COX TO MISS TIME WITH RIGHT-FOOT INJURY
     Baylor All-American senior forward Lauren Cox sustained a stress
reaction to the second metatarsal on her right foot and is expected to miss time beginning with Thursday night's contest with Houston Baptist.
     Cox will rest and rehab with the Baylor Athletics medicine staff, and will treat the injury aggressively to ensure further progression. Her return will be determined based on her symptoms.
 
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT: LADY BEARS INK TWO TOP-10
RECRUITS FOR 2020
     Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey announced the signing of two of the top 10 players in the country Wednesday, with Irving MacArthur standouts Sarah Andrews and Hannah Gusters signing national letters of intent to join the Lady Bears in 2020.
     Gusters was the first to verbally commit to Baylor in May. The 6-4 post player is the No. 9 overall ranked player in the 2020 class and the No. 2 center by espnW's Hoopgurlz. The Dan Olson Collegiate Basketball Report ranks her ninth and second, respectively as well. After helping Duncanville High School win a state championship as a freshman, Gusters averaged 14.5 points per game as a sophomore in leading the Pantherettes to a 39-2 record and the Class 6A region finals. Gusters played AAU ball for Nike ProSkills, and her maternal grandfather, Dewey Turner, played football for the University of Texas.
     Andrews verbally committed to Baylor on social media Nov. 2 during an official visit. The 5-7 point guard is ranked No. 7 overall and the No. 2 point guard by espnW's  HoopGurlz recruiting rankings and carries the same ranking from the Dan Olson Collegiate Basketball Report. Among Andrews' honors as a point guard for Irving MacArthur High School, she was a two-time TGCA 6A All-State selection in 2018 and 2019. USA Today named Andrews to the second-team All-Texas team in 2019 as well. The Dallas Morning-News named Andrews the top recruit in Texas. As a junior, she was the District 6-6A MVP after averaging 15.1 points, 7.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals for a MacArthur team that went 29-9. Andrews played AAU ball for Nike ProSkills.
 
BROCK GETS SURPRISED AT GRAYSON COLLEGE ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION
Friday, associate head coach Bill Brock had to miss Baylor's contest with Grambling State because he was among the first two inductees to the Grayson College Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted in a ceremony over the weekend, and during halftime of a basketball game Saturday night, the school surprised Brock in a ceremony by naming the school's basketball floor "Bill Brock Court."
 
I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE, SOMEBODY'S WATCHIN' ME
     Winning a national title puts a lot of extra eyes on a program, and the Baylor Lady Bears have been honored entering the 2019-20 season with several acknowledgments from national entities for individual awards. The WBCA/Naismith Hall of Fame has an annual Starting Five, which honors the best player at each position. Te'a Cooper (Nancy Liberman Award), Juicy Landrum (Ann Meyers Drysdale Award), DiDi Richards (Cheryl Miller Award), Lauren Cox (Katrina McLain Award) and Queen Egbo (Lisa Leslie Award) were all honored as a part of the preseason watch lists.
     Cox earned a trifecta when she was named to the John Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy watch lists for collegiate player of the year. Landrum and Richards were each named to the Wooden Award watch list as well and Cooper earned a look from the Naismith Trophy.
 
MULKEY PASSES HER COLLEGE HEAD COACH, FORMER BOSS AND FORMER BU ASSISTANT COACH IN ALL-TIME WINS
     Leon Barmore coached Kim Mulkey in college at Louisiana Tech, hired her to be an assistant coach when she was done playing, and later rejoined his pupil as an assistant coach at Baylor. In 19 seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech, Barmore won 576 games and the 1988 NCAA national title with Mulkey as an assistant. Baylor's 97-29 win over New Hampshire Tuesday at the Ferrell Center gave Mulkey 577 career wins.
 
SCORING IS TOUGH VS. THE LADY BEARS
Baylor ranked tops in the nation in 2018-19 in the following categories: Assists (850), Assists Per Game (22.4), Blocked Shots (274), Blocked Shots Per Game (7.2), Defensive Rebounds Per Game (32.0), Rebound Margin (+17.0), Rebounds (1,790), and won-lost percentage (97.4). However, the Lady Bears ranked first in field goal percentage defense (.318) marking the third-straight year to lead the nation. Baylor has also ranked in the top five in eight of the last nine years.