Baylor
6-0
Washington State
4-1
WBB Cruises Past Washington State in Paradise Jam Opener
11/28/2019 6:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NaLyssa Smith scores a game-high 18 points in the win
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – Without All-American forward Lauren Cox, second-ranked Baylor is still trying to figure things out on the offensive end, but coach Kim Mulkey says the Lady Bears are "pretty special" defensively.
A stifling defense limited Washington State to 24 first-half points and 25 percent shooting as the Lady Bears (6-0) won their 35th-consecutive game in beating Washington State, 89-66, Thursday on the opening day of the Paradise Jam.
"I just look at how we're surviving on the floor without Lauren Cox," Mulkey said. "We're getting better on the offensive end, but defensively we're pretty special. We're quick and active and have great hands. We're just not comfortable yet on the offensive end. With time, that will come."
Sophomores NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo led the way offensively with 18 and 16 points, respectively, while junior wing DiDi Richards had 14 points and held Borislava Hristova to zero points in the first half on 0-for-2 shooting.
"They call (Hristova) Bobby Buckets. Did she even have a bucket in the first half?" Mulkey said. "DiDi was frustrating that kid such that they took her and put her at the post. I guess they just figured that I'm going to score on NaLyssa, I'm going to score on Queen, and that's where she got her points (15) in the second half. . . . That's got to get better. It can't just be DiDi guarding people all night."
Chanelle Molina hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points for the Cougars (4-1), who lost for the first time this year. After scoring just 24 points in the first half, Washington State nearly matched that in the third quarter (23) and scored 42 second-half points on 55 percent shooting.
"Their defensive pressure really took us out of everything we wanted to do," Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge said. "It was great to see the bounce back in the second half and see us really get committed to running our stuff, getting the ball moving a little bit instead of just dribbling. If we don't turn the ball over, we have a chance to score some points."
Richards, who scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, said her strategy on the defensive end is "really to eat up people's space."
"No one, including me, likes it when people are pressuring you and all up in your face," she said. "I'm going to be the one that people hate to see. I kind of hate people that guard me tight. I remember them, and I don't like them. So, if people don't like me, it's because they've probably had me guard them before."
Baylor jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first 3 ½ minutes of the game, going up 10-0 on a tip-in by Egbo off a missed layup by Juicy Landrum.
"I was extremely pleased how we came out of the gates. Man, we were active," Mulkey said. "Speed kills, quick hands. We were just really active, and I thought we frustrated them a lot, disrupted what they wanted to do offensively.
"I've got some tremendous athletes on that floor. They're like racehorses. They came out of that gate. What we've got to get them to understand is that it's not a short race, it's four quarters. If we can get that effort for four quarters, I think we can do some things and bide some time until we get Cox back."
Point guard Te'a Cooper had 10 points and five assists for the Lady Bears, while sophomore forward Caitlin Bickle added eight points and seven rebounds and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
Mulkey said she wasn't surprised by Bickle's production in 15 minutes off the bench.
"I tell them all the time, a lot of your minutes come from what I observe in practice," Mulkey said. "Particularly with Cox out, she's just shown that she can help our basketball team. . . . I thought she was solid, but I've been seeing that in practice, and that's why she's in the flow right now."
Baylor will face 17th-ranked Indiana (5-0) at 4:45 p.m. CST Friday. The Hoosiers remained unbeaten with a 71-57 upset of fifth-ranked South Carolina, outscoring the Gamecocks 24-6 in the fourth quarter and 11-1 in the last four minutes.
On the other half of the tournament bracket, top-ranked Oregon jumped out to a 21-point first-quarter lead and defeated Oklahoma State, 89-72; and sixth-ranked Louisville held off a challenge from UT-Arlington, 76-67.
