Baylor
19-1,8-0Big 12
Texas
14-7,6-3Big 12
No. 2/1 WBB Routs Texas for 20-Point Win
1/31/2020 8:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DiDi Richards posted her fourth career double-double in the win
AUSTIN, Texas – Kim Mulkey hopes this never gets old.
Holding Texas to just five third-quarter points and 24.6 percent shooting for the game, the No. 2/1 Baylor Lady Bears rolled over the Longhorns, 64-44, Friday night at the Erwin Center for their 49th-consecutive Big 12 win, 40th in a row on the road and 21st win in the last 22 meetings in this series.
"That's like asking me if gets old winning," said Mulkey, when asked about dominating the series with Texas, running her all-time record to 33-11 versus the Longhorns. "What coach would tell you it gets old winning? . . . Good lord, we coach to win, they play to win. And if it gets old – winning or coaching or being intense – go get in that rocking chair, go hold your grandson."
Leading by just five at the break, Baylor (19-1, 8-0) got eight points apiece from Queen Egbo and DiDi Richards in the third quarter and outscored the Longhorns (14-7, 6-3), 23-5, in the period to take a commanding 52-29 lead.
Egbo scored four of her game-high 17 points in the first 4:05 of the third quarter, helping the Lady Bears stretch the lead to 42-26.
"My guards put me in good position to score the ball," said Egbo, who came off the bench to hit 7-of-14 from the floor, adding seven rebounds, a block and an assist. "DiDi always knows how to get me in the groove and knows what I want to do. She's kind of my go-to passer. If anybody could pass me the ball, I would want it to be DiDi."
Richards recorded her second-straight double-double and fourth of her career with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. In the third quarter, she was 3-for-3 from the floor, 2-of-2 from the line and also fed Egbo for three of her four buckets.
"She was coming off of those on-ball screens, and she was open. DiDi can make those mid-range shots right there in the middle of the paint," Mulkey said. "You're looking at a kid that's been in a lot of basketball games for us, more so than probably Juicy (Landrum) and even (Te'a Cooper). She knows how to score the ball. She's seen people not guard her She knows how to cut and get shots. She's playing really well right now."
The Longhorns made just two of 16 from the floor in the third quarter and shot their way out of a game that was tied at 11-11 after the first quarter. Despite shooting just 27.3 percent in the first half, they trailed by just five, 29-24.
"I don't know if it was our defense, sometimes, or if it was just missed shots," Mulkey said. "I'd like to take credit for that, but I do know they shot 24.6 percent from the field for the game. Our goal every game is to keep them under 40 percent. You're going to win a lot of games if your field goal percentage defense is under 40. That's the first stat I always look at."
Baylor's defense particularly stifled Texas' inside duo of 6-5 sophomore Charlie Collier and 6-3 senior Joyner Holmes. Coming into the game averaging right at 28 points per game, they scored a combined seven points on 3-of-24 shooting.
"I don't know that I said, 'OK, you've got to stop Joyner and you've got to stop Charli,''' Mulkey said. "There are too many talented players on that team that do a lot of things well. I think you cover each of their strengths and weaknesses and kind of talk in general about what they do well as a team. . . . Collier had a lot of rebounds (16), but I think maybe the only bucket she made was a 3. I'll take a 6-5 shooting a 3 out there instead of posting me up all night."
Senior All-American Lauren Cox narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, and Cooper added 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Lashann Higgs came off the bench to lead the Longhorns with 10 points.
Sophomore forward NaLyssa Smith, still recovering from a high ankle sprain, finished with just two points and two rebounds and turned it over twice in 11 minutes.
"We're grinding out wins until we can get NaLyssa (back fully healthy)," Mulkey said. "(Egbo) and Moon Ursin coming off the bench are warriors, and they could start in any program in America. I started NaLyssa tonight, because we've got to get her in a groove, but she's dying to get out there to play. She's that kind of kid. But, just keep grinding. We've got enough talent, we've got enough experience, to just keep going until we get everybody on the floor healthy."
Riding a 12-game winning streak, the Lady Bears return home to host Kansas at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center. The Jayhawks (12-7, 1-7) are last in the league and host Oklahoma at noon Sunday before traveling to Waco.
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