No. 1/1 WBB Looks to Clinch Share of 9th-Straight Big 12 Title Wednesday vs. KU

Wednesday, February 20

Waco, Texas

6 p.m.

Baylor

Kansas

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No. 1/1 WBB Looks to Clinch Share of 9th-Straight Big 12 Title Wednesday vs. KU

2/19/2019 3:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lady Bears can clinch share of 10th Big 12 regular season-title



	^#1/1 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (23-1, 13-0) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	^#1/1 BAYLOR (23-1, 13-0) vs Kansas (12-12, 2-11) Feb. 20, 2019 • 6 p.m. Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: Fox Sports Go Talent: John Morris (PBP), Jim Haller (Color) LISTEN: BaylorBears.com/1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Color) Baylor Social Media: Channel Lineup: DISH: 416 DIRECTV: 676 UVERSE: 753/1753 GRANDE: 27

	KANSAS JAYHAWKS (12-12, 2-11) Location: Lawrence, Kan. Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Brandon Schneider (Wayland Baptist, 1995) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Between November and April, Kim Mulkey doesn't have time to stop and smell the roses, much less reflect on what her Baylor Lady Bear program has done over the last 19 years.
            Dominating the Big 12 like no one other than maybe Kansas men's coach Bill Self has done, Mulkey has led the Lady Bears to 17 NCAA Tournament berths, two national championships, nine Big 12 regular-season titles and nine more in the Big 12 Tournament.
            She can clinch at least a share of the program's ninth consecutive conference championship when the top-ranked Lady Bears (23-1, 13-0) host Kansas (12-12, 2-11) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
            "That doesn't happen because of my coaching, that happens because of the players I get to coach that believe in Baylor and believe in our program," Mulkey said. "That's something to be proud of, but it's not something that you just stop and reflect on very much, because we've got to move on to the next game, we've got to get ready for the next day.
            "I'm happy for the players, should we win, particularly the freshmen. They get to get them a ring, and that's what they came here for."
            With Kansas State's 69-60 upset of then-No. 15 Texas on Sunday, the Lady Bears go into Wednesday's game holding a 3 ½-game lead on the Longhorns (20-6, 10-4) and four games up on 20^th-ranked Iowa State (19-6, 9-4) and West Virginia (18-6, 9-4).
            If Baylor wins, it would be the second-fastest to clinch the league title, surpassed only by the 2012-13 squad that clinched it at 13-0 and ended up winning by six games. In 2012, when the Lady Bears were 40-0 national champions, they finished seven games ahead of runner-up Oklahoma.
            "We want to win a championship every year," Mulkey said. "You can't ever gauge whether it's going to go down to the wire, if you're going to be way ahead of everybody. I can't worry about any other teams, all I can do is focus on ourselves. This team has been able to really do a tremendous job of focusing in the moment. They don't look here, they don't look to the future, they're focused in the moment. Focus in the moment, take care of your business, flush it and move on to the next job."
            By the time the confetti drops and the nets are cut, if the Lady Bears win Wednesday, Mulkey will already be thinking about Saturday's game on the road at Iowa State.
            "(Wednesday) is a big night for us," she said. "Certainly, it's not one that we're going to put all our marbles in that game. We've got to go to Iowa State, (play) Texas, Oklahoma State (here) and go to West Virginia. So, we'll get after it (Wednesday) and see what happens, and then flush it after the game."
            On top of the string of conference championships, Baylor is looking to extend its streaks of Big 12 regular-season wins and home-court victories that have reached 36 and 34, respectively. The only longer streak in the history of the Big 12 is when the Lady Bears strung together 44 straight in 2011-14.
            Junior guard Juicy Landrum, who's already been a part of two regular-season and one tournament championship, said the Big 12 titles still matter. "I get to win three in a row playing for one of the best coaches in the country."
            Kansas has lost five games in a row and sits at the bottom of the league standings with Oklahoma at 2-11. Four players are averaging double-digit points, but senior guard Jessica Washington (13.9 ppg) sat out the last game and has missed eight games this season after suffering a torn ACL last year.
            In Baylor's 94-68 win in Lawrence last month, Washington hit six 3-pointers and scored 18 points, with Kylee Kopatich adding 17 points and knocking down five treys. The Jayhawks were 14-of-28 from outside the arc as a team.
            "This time of the year, you make them understand that the favorite teams don't always win. Nothing is given," Mulkey said. "I'm excited to see if we can't down some nets if we win. That would be fun. But if we don't, we're still playing for a Big 12 championship."
            Baylor's post duo of senior Kalani Brown (15.9 ppg, 7.5 rebounds) and junior Lauren Cox (12.4 ppg, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks) were among the 10 players named to the watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award on Tuesday. Mississippi State senior Teaira McCown was the inaugural winner last season.
            Brown needs just 11 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's game to become just the sixth Baylor player in program history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. She would join an elite list that includes former All-Americans Suzie Snider Eppers, Sophia Young, Brittney Griner and Nina Davis and current radio analyst Maggie Davis-Stinnett.
            "That's crazy. I didn't even hit 2,000 in high school," said freshman forward NaLyssa Smith, who is averaging 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. "That's crazy to do that in college. It's such a blessing."
            Mulkey said Brown "will go down as one of the great players to ever play here. Let's hope she gets it (Wednesday) night."
            "Kalani will be quick to tell you, those two things are not more important than cutting down nets," Mulkey said. "It's about the team. In recruiting, I tell all these kids, your individual awards and accolades will come because of the success of the team."

BAYLOR CAN CLINCH SHARE OF 10^TH OVERALL, 9^TH-STRAIGHT BIG 12 REGULAR SEASON TITLE WEDNESDAY
   The Baylor Lady Bears' dominance since the 2010-11 season is nearly unparalleled, and Wednesday in front of a home crowd vs. Kansas at 6 p.m., a win vs. the Jayhawks can add to that decorated resume. A BU win can clinch a share of the regular-season Big 12 championship as Baylor would hold a four-game lead over Texas with four to spare. The clinch of at least a share would be the second-fastest in school history next to the 2012-13 squad that clinched a share at 13-0. After its first regular-season title in 2005, Baylor went six years without one, but the 2011 regular-season title sparked eight in a row, and the Lady Bears will try for nine consecutive Wednesday night.
   If Baylor pulls of the win over the Jayhawks, nine-straight titles would be tied for the 10^th-longest streak in NCAA women's basketball history with Liberty. In addition, since 1999-2000, Baylor would tie Duke, Louisiana Tech, Tennessee and UC-Santa Barbara for ninth-most regular season championships with 10.

LADY BEARS ARE NO. 1 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013, BUT BAYLOR HASN'T GONE ANYWHERE
     Much was made when Baylor returned as No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 Jan. 28. However, Baylor has ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll for 88 consecutive weeks with high-rankings of two with the lowest being 13 since the 2013-14 season prior to regaining the top spot. Those 88-straight weeks mark the third-longest active streak in the nation next to UConn and Notre Dame. In fact, Baylor holds the second-longest active streak of ranking in the AP Top 25 at 295 weeks.

BROWN APPROACHES TWO MAJOR MILESTONES: 2,000 POINTS & 1,000 REBOUNDS
   Kalani Brown is just 11 points shy of 2,000 career points and two rebounds shy of 1,000. It's possible the senior from Slidell, La. could achieve both feats Wednesday vs. Kansas in front of a home crowd. Brown is set to become the seventh player in school history to reach 2,000 points and the seventh to reach 1,000 rebounds. However, she would be just the sixth player in school history to reach both, joining a distinguished class that includes Suzie Sinder Eppers, Brittney Griner, Sophia Young, Nina Davis and Maggie Davis-Stinnett.

COX & BROWN EACH NAMED FINALIST FOR NATIONAL POSITION AWARDS
   Thursday Lauren Cox was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame's Katrina McClain Award, honoring the nation's top power forward for the second-straight year, while Brown was named a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, honoring the nation's top center for the second-consecutive season Friday.

KU IN SHORT
   Kansas enters Wednesday's game with Baylor at the Ferrell Center with a five-game losing streak, and Baylor has 34-straight wins at home. The Jayhawks' last win came Jan. 30 over Oklahoma at home, and Kansas is 12-12 on the season with a 2-11 mark in Big 12 play, which is tied for ninth place in the standings with the Sooners. The Jayhawks' Jessica Washington leads the team at 13.9 points per game, but she sat out Saturday vs. Oklahoma and has missed eight total games this season. Brandon Schneider is the 4^th-year head coach for the Jayhawks and carries a 38-77 record with the school coming into the contest.

BAYLOR LOOKS TO IMPROVE ON TWO WIN STREAKS SATURDAY
   A Baylor win vs. Kansas Wednesday would mark the 37th-straight win over a Big 12 opponent in the regular season. The only streak longer in Big 12 history was when the Lady Bears won 44-straight from 2011-14. In addition, the Lady Bears will be gunning for their 35th consecutive win at the Ferrell Center. Baylor's last loss at home came Feb. 2017 to Texas.

INTERIOR DEFENSE DOMINANT
   While some may look at the fact that Baylor has surrendered 196 3-point field goals this season (most by a Big 12 school) as a negative, take into account that only 506 of 1,339 points given up by Baylor this season have come on two-point field goals. That' s just 253 two-pointers in 22 games, which averages 10.5 2-point field goals per game or 21.1 points per game given up inside the 3-point arc this season.

DEFENSE BEGINS WITH DIDI
   DiDi Richards, a sophomore guard/forward is consistently asked to guard the top perimeter player on Baylor's opposing team. For example, she held Katie Lou Samuelson of UConn to 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting Jan. 3, and she held OSU's Vivian Gray to a dozen on 5-of-16 from the floor Jan. 30. Both those players rank in the top 50 nationally in points per game. Richards' numbers aren't flashy, but respectable, she's averaging 1.3 steals per game for the year and 1.5 in Big 12 play, but she's anchoring the defensive unit that is leading the nation for the third-straight year in field goal percentage defense.

BALANCED EFFORT LEADING BAYLOR IN 2018-19
   Despite having the No. 1 team in the country and in the Big 12, Baylor has taken home just one weekly Big 12 Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week award. Juicy Landrum and NaLyssa Smith earned those honors, respectively, sharing with another Big 12 player in each case. This result is partly due to the offensive balance that the Lady Bears have shown all season. Four players average in double figures for Baylor led by All-Americans Kalani Brown (15.9 ppg) and Lauren Cox's (12.4 ppg). The duo's numbers are down from a season ago, mostly due to the fact that freshmen posts Smith (9.3 ppg) and Queen Egbo (6.1 ppg) are able to spell the starters off the bench with offensive production. And, also guards Juicy Landrum and Chloe Jackson are each sharing the scoring load at 11.1 and 10.7 points per contest, respectively.

POUND THE PAINT, CLEAN THE GLASS, D-UP: LADY BEARS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN REBOUNDING, SCORING EFFICIENCY, DEFENSE
   In 12 statistical categories, the Lady Bears rank in the top 10 nationally. But, the Lady Bears (thru games Feb. 17) rank tops in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (33.0), rebound margin (+17.2) and field goal percentage defense (.314) while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (.514). Kalani Brown ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at a .639 clip. In addition to the nation's best defensive field goal percentage, the Lady Bears rank tops in the nation in blocked shots per game (7.0), led by Lauren Cox's 2.42 per contest. Baylor's rebounding is a staple of the program, and the Lady Bears have out-rebounded its opponents in all 24 games this season, Baylor won the rebounding battle in 34 of 35 contests last year, and in 93 of the last 96 contests, BU has had the upper hand on the boards.

LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
   Baylor has 23 runs this season of at least 10 unanswered points including at least one in eight of the first 13 Big 12 contests. In 15 of 24 games this season, the Lady Bears have had at least one such run, and Baylor has also put together five runs of 20 or more points. In addition, Baylor is dominating opponents in transition, out-scoring opponents 288-69 on the fast break this season.

SHARING IS CARING: BAYLOR LEADS NATION IN ASSISTS PER GAME
   Baylor's 23.5 assists per contest ranks best in the nation while the Lady Bears rank second in assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.63:1. Chloe Jackson's 6.3 assists per contest (ranks 8th nationally) and 2.63:1 assists-to-turnover ratio (ranks 18th nationally) lead Baylor. DiDi Richards is averaging 4.0 assists per contest while ranking 19th nationally in assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.62:1 and post Lauren Cox ranks 25th in that category at 2.44:1. Juicy Landrum also ranks fifth in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnover ratio while third on the team at 4.0 assists per contest. As a team Baylor's ball distribution has been the hallmark of the offense in 2018-19. In fact out of Baylor's 787 made field goals this season, the Lady Bears have assisted on 565 marking 71.8 percent of the team's buckets coming on an assist from a teammate.

50 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: BAYLOR NEARLY UNBEATABLE WHEN HITTING HALF ITS SHOTS
   In just one occurrence since Kim Mulkey's arrival at Baylor in the 2000-01 season have the Lady Bears lost a game when shooting 50 percent or better. Baylor's record under Mulkey when shooting 50 percent or better is 214-1, and the Lady Bears are 36-0 when shooting 60 percent or better. The lone loss came in the 2017 NCAA Tournament when Baylor fell to Mississippi State in the Elite 8, 94-85 on March 26 despite shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.

ABOUT BAYLOR'S HISTORIC WIN OVER NO. 1 UCONN
   Two elite programs met in Waco Jan. 3, and for the first time in school history (previously 0-14) the Baylor Lady Bears knocked off a No. 1-ranked team with UConn falling 68-57 at a sold-out Ferrell Center on ESPN. Not only did Baylor win the game, the Lady Bears put an end to a long line of streaks set by the Huskies, who are the standard for women's basketball with 11 NCAA Championships. Baylor's victory ended a streak of 126 consecutive regular season games for the Huskies and a streak of 55 consecutive regular season road wins. UConn had won 209 straight games in regulation; it's last loss in regulation also came to No. 1 Baylor Dec. 18, 2011.
   The Lady Bears' 11-point win was the largest margin of victory for a team vs. UConn since Feb. 27, 2012 when UConn fell to Notre Dame 72-59. In addition, Baylor's defense held UConn to just a 29.4 shooting percentage, its lowest in any game the past 20 seasons.
   Baylor became the third Big 12 school to ever defeat a No. 1 team joining Texas Tech who accomplished the feat twice and Texas, and just the second time that a Big 12 team has beaten a No. 1 in a non-conference matchup.
   BU's big win kept an overall home win streak at the Ferrell Center alive at 28 games while extending its non-conference home win streak to 47 games.

BROWN PICKS UP ESPNW NATIONAL HONOR AFTER LEADING BAYLOR TO WIN OVER NO. 1 UCONN
   Kalani Brown didn't shy away from the spotlight when the lights came on Jan. 3 vs. No. 1 UConn. In front of a sold-out crowd at the Ferrell Center and nationally televised on ESPN, the senior post put up 22 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. She was 11-for-17 from the floor in 36 minutes of play. Her games that week also included performances vs. UTRGV and at Texas Tech, but ESPNW.com singled out her performance against the No. 1 Huskies and tabbed her National Player of the Week on Jan. 7.

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.
   Jan. 24, Oliver was named a McDonald's All-American and will participate in the McDonald's All-American Games in March.

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.