#2/1 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (17-1, 6-0) Location: Waco, Texas   Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster | Stats | Game Notes	#2/1 BAYLOR (17-1, 6-0) vs IOWA STATE (12-6, 4-3) January, 28, 2020 | 7:30 PM Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com RADIO: 1660 AM/92.3 FM WATCH: Fox Sports App Talent: Ron Thulin (PBP), Brenda VanLengen (Color) LISTEN: Tune In Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Color) Baylor Social Media:
	IOWA STATE CYCLONES (12-6, 4-3) Location: Ames, Iowa Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Bill Fennelly Roster | Stats | Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider 
            Texas Tech gave No. 2/1 Baylor a refresher course in defending 3-pointers, launching 39 from outside the arc in the Lady Bears' 87-79 win over the Lady Raiders on Saturday. 
            And the timing could not have been better. 
            In conference-only games, Iowa State (12-6, 4-3) is shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range and has knocked down 11 more treys than anyone else in the league. The Cyclones bring their long-distance attack into the Ferrell Center Tuesday night for a 7:30 p.m. matchup, trying to snap Baylor's 50-game home winning streak. 
            "You're going to have to guard the 3 at all positions," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, whose team has also won 47-straight regular-season conference games and 15 in a row versus the Cyclones. 
"Not just 1, 2, 3, all positions will shoot 3's. You're going to have to get back in transition defense. And it's not going to stop. Doesn't matter what the score is, they're not going to change anything they do."
            Against Tech, Baylor's defense particularly struggled in getting out to contest post players Brittany Brewer and Lexi Gordon, who were 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the first half. In last week's 66-57 win at TCU, sophomore post Queen Egbo (12.1 ppg 7.5 rebounds) gave up back-to-back 3-pointers in the Horned Frogs' 11-0 second-quarter run. 
            "I just have to continue to stress to her that if your feet aren't on the 3-point line, you're not close enough," Mulkey said of Egbo, who has filled in as a starter with 6-2 sophomore NaLyssa Smith (16.3 ppg, 8.1 rebounds) missing the last two games with a high ankle sprain. "We've just got to get better and understand that it's a respect thing. They're not going to come in there and let (Lauren) Cox block shots all night."
            The 6-4 Cox, who is averaging 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, is a good reason why teams stay away from the paint. But, it's not like they're faring any better out there. Baylor leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally in 3-point percentage defense at 24.1. 
            Cox said it was good for her to defend the 6-5 Brewer outside, "because I hadn't had to guard anybody like that so far in the Big 12."
            "It was good, especially having Iowa State coming up, having Texas coming up," she said, "because the post players are going to stretch the floor and make us come outside."
            Iowa State's top two scorers are forwards Kristin Scott (14.3 ppg, 6.9 rebounds) and Ashley Joens (22.4 ppg, 10.6 rebounds), who have hit 27 and 22 3-pointers, respectively. Joens is the league's leading scorer as well and is fourth in rebounding. 
            "Sometimes, you can be very good (on defense) and they still shoot it well," Mulkey said.
            Junior guard Moon Ursin said it helps seeing Tech just three days ago, knowing that the Lady Bears have to "get over screens, help the helper, contest shots, (grab) long rebounds. It's a benefit to us going into every game we play."
            "Like Coach said, sometimes you just don't miss," Ursin said. "Sometimes, we would try to go under the screen and they would step back and shoot it. But, a lot of their 3's came from them being confident in their shot and shooting the ball and seeing it go in."
            While Baylor has won 10 in a row since losing to South Carolina at the Paradise Jam nearly two months ago, Iowa State comes in on a more modest three-game winning streak. The Cyclones knocked down 14 3-pointers and shot 57.9 percent overall in Saturday's 89-67 rout of Kansas. 
            Tuesday's game will be televised nationally by FS1, with Ron Thulin and Brenda VanLengen calling the action. 
            Baylor goes back on the road to face Texas (13-6, 5-2) at 6 p.m. Friday in Austin in another FS1 broadcast. The Longhorns have won four in a row to climb back to second place in the standings and play at Oklahoma Tuesday night. 
 

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BIG 12 TITLE GAME REMATCH COMES TO WACO
   The last time Baylor and Iowa State met came March 11, 2019 in Oklahoma City when the Lady Bears took their eighth Big 12 Championship title game in the last nine seasons. A 67-49 win over the Cyclones solidified a 3-0 season sweep for Baylor and nine-straight overall. The Cyclones, under head coach Bill Fennelly, won the first ever matchup vs. the Lady Bears in Waco, Feb. 5, 1997, 88-43. Since then, Baylor has won 15-straight matchups in Waco. Head Coach Kim Mulkey is 28-4 all-time vs. the Cyclones and Fennelly remains as head coach, at the helm for all 36 games in the series history.
 
HOME WIN STREAK REACHES HALF-CENTURY MARK, BIG 12 REGULAR SEASON STREAK CONTINUES FOR BAYLOR
   Baylor is approaching three years without a loss at the Ferrell Center, and the Lady Bears his a milestone Saturday when the 87-79 win over Texas Tech gave BU a 50-game home win streak. That streak is the nation's longest active home-court advantage and is tied for the 16^th-best home-cour win streak in NCAA history.
   In addition, the win over the Lady Raiders Saturday was the 47^th-straight regular season win for Baylor vs. Big 12 opponents, which ranks tied for the 10^th best conference-win streak in NCAA history while also extending school and Big 12 records.
 
LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
   Through 18 games the Lady Bears have 28 double-digit runs this season, including a season-high 37-0 run to begin the game vs. New Hampshire Nov. 5 and a Big-12 best 29-0 run at Oklahoma Jan. 4. In addition to the transition game on offense, Baylor's defense has allowed just 88 fast-break points on the season. Baylor is outscoring teams on the break by an average of 17.9-4.9.
 
50/50 – BAYLOR'S MAGIC NUMBER OFFENSIVELY & DEFENSIVELY
   Kim Mulkey coached teams at Baylor 231-1 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, while just 16 times in 19-plus seasons has an opponent shot 50 percent or better against the Lady Bears defense. Baylor's only loss when shooting 50 percent or better came vs. Mississippi State in the 2017 Elite 8.
 
COX & RICHARDS NAMED AS 15 FINALISTS FOR NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
   Lauren Cox is the 2-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and DiDi Richards' reputation for her on-ball defense earned her First-Team All-Big 12 honors last year. This year, those performances have carried over to national recognition as the pair made the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Midseason Team, which includes just 15 players.
   Cox has missed time due to injury, but is still averaging 3.0 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while opponent's offensive scouting reports are scrambled when they face the Cox-led Lady Bears. Richards' steal numbers are up to 2.1 per game, she's added 15 blocks this season and still draws assignments for each opponent's top perimeter player thoughout the season.
 
LADY BEARS PIQUING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL THROUGH FIRST 18 GAMES       
   The 17-1 Lady Bears rank in the top 10 nationally in 15 categories through games played through Jan 25. Baylor ranks No. 1 in the nation in six categories: Assists (42), Assists Per Game (23.3), Field Goal Percentage (.515), Field Goal Percentage Defense (.307), Scoring Margin (35.6) and Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (.401).
   In addition, Baylor ranks in the top five in six categories: Assists-to-Turnover Ratio (2^nd, 1.70:1), Blocked Shots Per Game (5^th, 6.2), Rebound Margin (2^nd, 15.1), Scoring Defense (4^th, 50.9), Scoring Offense (2^nd, 86.6), and Three-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense (3^rd, .241)
   DiDi Richards ranks 4th nationally in assists-to-turnover ratio (3.36:1) while Jordyn Oliver checks in at 19th (2.53:1). Queen Egbo and NaLyssa Smith rank 11^th and 15^th, respectively in national field goal percentage while ranking 1^st and 2^nd, respectively in the Big 12. Egbo is shooting .606 from the floor while Smith is turning in a .596 clip. Juicy Landrum's .458 3-point field goal percentage ranks 8^th in the nation and first in the Big 12.
 
WRAPPING UP A NINE-YEAR RUN OF DOMINANCE FOR BAYLOR'S LADY BEARS
     Baylor closed 2019 with a 335-23 record between Jan. 2, 2010 and Dec. 30, 2019 for a .936 winning percentage. Last decade produced two national championships (2012, 2019), three Final Fours (2010, 2012, 2019), 10 Sweet 16s, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, nine Big 12 regular season championships, and eight Big 12 Tournament titles. It also saw 11 players receive WBCA First-Team All-America honors, seven earned Associated Press All-Americans, eight were named USBWA First-Team All-Americans, Kim Mulkey earned seven different National Coach of the Year honors and six Big 12 Coach of the Year awards. Six players were named Big 12 Player of the Year and 22 players earned First-Team All-Big 12.
 
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.
 
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). But perhaps the most consistent category the Lady Bears led the nation in, was field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a .318 clip. That marked the third-straight year to lead the nation in that category while also ranking in the top five in eight of the last nine years.