Saturday, March 2
Waco, Texas
1 p.m.
Baylor
vs
Oklahoma State
Photo by: Baylor Photography
No. 1/1 WBB's Senior Day Brings Oklahoma State to Town for FSSW Tilt
3/1/2019 5:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Bears looking to move to 17-0 in Big 12 play
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#1/1 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (26-1, 16-0) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
#1/1 BAYLOR (26-1, 16-0) vs OKLAHOMA STATE (14-13, 5-11) March 2, 2019 • 1 p.m. Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10,284)  LIVE STATS: Stat BroadcastWATCH: Fox Sports Go Talent: Kris Radcliffe (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 |
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OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS (14-13, 5-11) Location: Stillwater, Okla. Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Jim Littell (Southwestern College, 1977) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
If you didn't know any better, you'd guess that Kalani Brown and Chloe Jackson have been on this ride together for the last four years.
"She gets triple-teamed every night, and she still finds a way to make a basket and get open," Jackson said of the 6-foot-7 Brown, a senior All-American who's averaging 15.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. "Honestly, she's a great player, and I can't wait to see her in the WNBA. Off the court, she's a good listener and I think we have a great friendship. That's what you get from college is lifelong friendships, and I definitely have that with Lani."
After a long, drawn-out, "Awwww," Brown said, "I just wish we had more time."
The lone seniors for the top-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (26-1, 16-0), Brown and Jackson will be honored on Senior Day in Saturday's 1 p.m. matchup at the Ferrell Center against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (14-13, 5-11).
"We wouldn't be where we are today without those two having great years," coach Kim Mulkey said. "Kalani has left her mark on this program in ways that only the greats to play here have done. You want to finish on a high note for them."
While Brown is one of just six players in program history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds, helping the Lady Bears win four Big 12 regular-season titles, Jackson is a grad transfer from LSU who has spent just one year with the program.
"For Chloe to come in and do what she's done in a short period of time is as remarkable a story as there is, particularly at point guard," Mulkey said. "Sometimes, you can slide in for one year and be the recipient of a lot of passes and just shoot the ball at off-guard. But, when you have to learn new offenses, learn defenses, continue to be in communication with the coach on the sidelines, I'm not sure I could have told you that she or anybody else could do that in a short period of time, at this level."
Jackson, transitioning from shooting guard to point guard when she transferred to Baylor, is averaging 11.4 points, 6.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Struggling with the idea that this is her team, since she's been here for less than a full year, Jackson said there is a certain leadership role that comes naturally with the point guard position. "And I guess when I fully learned the plays and felt like I could say, 'You should be here,' because now I know where I should be and I know where you should be."
Interjecting when Jackson was queried about it being her team, Brown said "the point guard is the quarterback of the team, and Chloe came in with such little time to learn everything. For her to do that in such a little time, this has gradually become her team, because that's what a point guard is supposed to do. It's supposed to be their team."
"(Chloe) won't say it, so Kalani will say it for her," Mulkey said.
With their careers winding down, the seniors have a sense of urgency that the rest of the players don't unless "you make them understand your day's coming and you'll be a senior one day, and you'll appreciate what a sense of urgency means," Mulkey said.
"What we do is we tell them about how hard you've got to play, because you don't get do-overs, you don't get mulligans," Mulkey said. "It's that one split-second that you don't play hard, you give up a basket, and we lose by two. Or that one turnover when you didn't really grind and protect the ball. Those are the things we talk about a lot, and I don't know that that has anything to do with being a senior. I think it's just the reality of what we do in this program. We demand it out of them every day."
Both of the seniors admitted that their time had passed by too quickly.
"It feels like it was just yesterday that I was moving into the dorms," Brown said. "It's definitely gone by fast for me. When you first get here, it feels so long. But now, I'm playing my last home games. It does go by so fast. It's kind of surreal."
Mulkey said their time as college student-athletes should be the "greatest years of their lives."
"They'll go on and do wonderful things in pro ball," she said, "but for student-athletes, these are the great years of their life. Most of them don't have bills to pay, they don't have diapers to change. All they have to do is go to class for free, play basketball and get pampered. When they go out to the real world, the only people that really give a flip about them are their families. But here, you've got a lot of people that love you."
On Saturday, Baylor faces an Oklahoma State team that gave the Lady Bears fits in a Jan. 30 matchup in Stillwater. The Cowgirls led by six late in the third quarter, but Baylor hit 24-of-29 from the free throw line, took the lead for good on a Lauren Cox 3-pointer just 42 seconds into the fourth quarter and held on for a 66-58 victory at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
"On the defensive end of the floor, I think coach (Jim) LIttell does as good a job as any coach we face on trying to take away our strengths," Mulkey said. "We didn't play very well there, but we might not have played that well because of them. Give them credit. Hopefully, we're better and it will be a good basketball game. But, I hope it's really good for the two seniors."
The Cowgirls feature two of the top-10 scorers in the league in sophomores Vivian Gray (19.9 ppg, 5.8 rebounds) and Braxtin Miller (15.2 ppg, 3.6 assists). With Cox (12.3 ppg, 8.1 rebounds) and junior guard Juicy Landrum (11.2 ppg) both chipping in with double-digit points, the Lady Bears have a better-balanced offensive attack.
"It's been a great year," Jackson said. "I just wish I could have been here all four."
BAYLOR LADY BEARS HANDS NO. 18/19 TEXAS HEFTY DEFEAT
Baylor had already clinched the outright Big 12 regular season championship with its win at Iowa State Feb. 23, marking the 10th overall regular-season title and ninth straight for the Lady Bears. After a quick turnaround, Baylor turned its attention to achieving its fourth undefeated season in Big 12 play (2012, 2013, 2018) with three games to spare. The No. 18/19 Texas Longhorns visited the Ferrell Center and Baylor handed the visitors from Austin their worst defeat in series history with a 29-point, 64-35 win. It was the second-fewest points ever scored in a game by the Longhorns, and the Lady Bears held Texas to just a .203 shooting percentage. In the second quarter Baylor led just 18-16 before closing the game by outscoring the Longhorns 46-19.
BROWN ACHIEVES 2,000 CAREER POINTS & 1,000 CAREER REBOUNDS MILESTONES IN SAME GAME
Senior Kalani Brown entered Feb. 20's game with Kansas at 11 points shy of 2,000 career points and two rebounds short of 1,000. Brown grabbed No. 1,000 on a missed KU free throw in the first quarter and scored seven points in the fourth quarter to reach exactly 11 for the game and 2,000 for her career – she added 14 at ISU to bring her total to 2,014. Her rebound total is up to 1,019 after grabbing seven at ISU.
Brown became the seventh player to reach 2,000 points, and the seventh player to reach 1,000 rebounds in BU history, but is just the sixth to reach both milestones joining a distinguished class that includes Suzie Snider-Eppers, Brittney Griner, Sophia Young, Nina Davis and Maggie Davis-Stinnett. Against Texas Brown moved to sixth all-time on the career points list (2,033) and fifth all-time on the rebounds list (1,031).
BAYLOR LOOKS TO IMPROVE ON THREE IMPRESSIVE WIN STREAKS SATURDAY
A Baylor win vs. Oklahoma State Friday would mark the 40th-straight win over a Big 12 opponent in the regular season for the Lady Bears. The only streak longer in Big 12 history was when the Lady Bears won 44-straight from 2011-14. Baylor will also gun for its 37th-straight win at the Ferrell Center and will also look to extend the nation's longest active overall win streak at 19 games.
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 89 consecutive weeks with high-rankings of two with the lowest being 13 since the 2013-14 season prior to regaining the top spot. Those 89-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 296 weeks.
COX & BROWN EACH NAMED FINALISTS FOR NATIONAL POSITION AWARDS; SEMIFINALIST FOR NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Feb. 14 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 Feb. 15.
In addition, both players were named semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, and the post duo is still up for consideration for the Wade Trophy and the John Wooden Award.
MULKEY NAMED TO NAISMITH WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR LATE-SEASON WATCH LIST
Wednesday the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the late-season candidates for the 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Award, and Baylor's Kim Mulkey was named as one of the 15 coaches for consideration.
Entering into Saturday's home regular-season finale with Oklahoma State, Mulkey has a career record of 565-99, good for an .851 winning percentage.
This season, the Lady Bears are 7-1 vs. the AP Top 25, including a win over No. 1 UConn Jan. 3 in Waco. She's guided Baylor to a 26-1 overall record, and at 16-0 in the Big 12, the Lady Bears are threatening to run the table in the regular season for the fourth time in history. Baylor's win at Iowa State Feb. 23 clinched the Lady Bears' 10th overall regular-season Big 12 title and ninth straight.
OKLAHOMA STATE IN SHORT
The Cowgirls are just 2-9 in their last 11 games and enter Saturday with a league record of 5-11. Vivian Gray is having an outstanding offensive season averaging 19.9 points per game while shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc and is among the Big 12 leaders in free throws made (116) and free-throw percentage (.835). Jim Littell is in his eighth season as head coach at OSU.
INTERIOR DEFENSE DOMINANT
While some may look at the fact that Baylor has surrendered 206 3-point field goals this season (most by a Big 12 school) as a negative, take into account that only 580 of 1,474 points given up by Baylor this season have come on two-point field goals. That' s just 290 two-pointers in 27 games, which averages 10.7 2-point field goals per game or 21.4 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 (15.8 ppg) and Lauren Cox's (12.3 ppg). The duo's numbers are down from a season ago, mostly due to the fact that freshmen posts Smith (8.6 ppg) and Queen Egbo (5.5 ppg) are able to spell the starters off the bench with offensive production. And, also
guards Chloe Jackson and Juicy Landrum are each sharing the scoring load at 11.4 and 11.2 points per contest, respectively.
POUND THE PAINT, CLEAN THE GLASS, D-UP: LADY BEARS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN REBOUNDING, SCORING EFFICIENCY, DEFENSE
In 14 statistical categories, the Lady Bears rank in the top 10 nationally. But, the Lady Bears (thru games Feb. 28) rank tops in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (32.9), rebound margin (+16.3) and field goal percentage defense (.309) while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (.507). Kalani Brown ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at a .635 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 (7.1), led by Lauren Cox's 2.52 per contest. Baylor's rebounding is a staple of the program, and the Lady Bears have out-rebounded its opponents in 26 of 27 games this season, Baylor won the rebounding battle in 34 of 35 contests last year, and in 95 of the last 99 contests, BU has had the upper hand on the boards.
LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
Baylor has 26 runs this season of at least 10 unanswered points including at least one in 11 of the first 16 Big 12 contests. In 18 of 27 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 298-71 on the fast break this season.
SHARING IS CARING: BAYLOR LEADS NATION IN ASSISTS PER GAME
Baylor's 23.1 assists per contest ranks best in the nation while the Lady Bears rank third in assists-to-turnover ratio at 1.75:1. Chloe Jackson's 6.0 assists per contest (ranks 14th nationally) and 2.56:1 assists-to-turnover ratio (ranks 21st nationally) lead Baylor. DiDi Richards is averaging 4.0 assists per contest while ranking 17th nationally in assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.79:1 and post Lauren Cox ranks 18th in that category at 2.69:1. 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 870 made field goals this season, the Lady Bears have assisted on 625 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.
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