Baylor
Oklahoma State
No. 7/7 WBB Hosts Oklahoma State Wednesday on ESPN+
2/23/2021 12:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Bears inch closer to 11th-straight Big 12 regular season title
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#7/7 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (17-2, 12-1) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
#7/7 BAYLOR (17-2, 12-1) vs OKLAHOMA STATE (17-6, 13-4) February 24, 2021 | 7 PM Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284)  WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+Talent: John Morris (PBP), Jim Haller (Analyst) RADIO: 1660 AM/92.3 FM DIGITAL RADIO LINK: ESPN Central Texas Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Analyst) LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast Baylor Social Media:    ** Due to COVID-19, there will be no physical copies of stats, media almanacs, rosters, please use the following link for MEDIA RESOURCES ** |
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OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS (17-6, 13-4) Location: Stillwater, Okla. Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Jim Littell (William Penn, 1979) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
With March just around the corner, the No. 7 Baylor Lady Bears (17-2, 12-1) seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, winning nine in a row going into Wednesday's 7 p.m. game against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
"Every little piece has to be playing its best basketball," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said, "and I really do believe we are."
Certainly, there's the key pieces like NaLyssa Smith (17.8 ppg, 9.8 rebounds), Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year finalist DiDi Richards, breakout senior guard Moon Ursin (11.9 ppg, 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists) and guard DiJonai Carrington, a grad transfer from Stanford who averages 13.0 points and ranks second in the Big 12 with 2.3 steals per game.
"If people don't know how much I respect and love Moon Ursin, then they haven't been following her career," Mulkey said of the fellow Louisiana native. "She has done everything by the book. She has waited her turn, I won't say patiently, but respectfully. She hasn't bailed out, she understands priorities, and she's being rewarded."
Smith has had to take on a much larger role with the graduations of Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox, but she was the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and has lived up to the hype. Carrington was named the newcomer of the year in the preseason ballot and is also making a case for being the league's Sixth Person of the Year.
The reigning National Defensive Player of the Year, Richards has had a smooth transition to the point guard role this season. Averaging 7.6 points and 1.6 steals per game, she ranks fifth nationally with 6.8 assists per game and leads the Big 12 with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
"If I get beat or something, it's safe to know that DiDi is on the court out there with me," Ursin said. "Her ability to strip people and draw charges and offensive fouls is just amazing. You look at her, and you're like, 'Dang, how do I do that DiDi?' Going up against hjer in practice, it gets real competitive. She just has that competitive nature about her, but she's a great player and I'm just excited that I have been here with her for four years."
Those four are the obvious headliners on a team that appears headed for its 11th-consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship. But, what makes this team so dangerous and capable of making a deep NCAA tournament run is its depth.
Junior center Queen Egbo won the Sixth Person honor last season and is averaging 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in her first full season as a starter. She had a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards in the Lady Bears' 60-35 rout of Texas 10 days ago.
While Carrington is Baylor's second-leading scorer and has hit double digits in each of the last six games since coming back from a COVID quarantine, what's allowed Mulkey to keep bringing her off the bench as a sparkplug is the consistent play of fourth-year junior guard Trinity Oliver (5.6 ppg, 3.6 rebounds).
In Sunday's 77-66 win at Oklahoma, Oliver was 3-for-3 in the second half when she had eight points and five rebounds and also helped hold Madi Williams to just 2-of-10 shooting from the field in the last two quarters.
"She was on Madi here some as well," Mulkey said of Oliver's defense. "That's what Queen didn't come back in the game, because I was so pleased with what Trinity was doing. Trinity Oliver is another young lady who's done it right. She's been patient, she's worked her way into the lineup and she's contributing. You have to put young people on that floor in positions to be successful, and it's not always about their offense."
Baylor also brings high school All-Americans Hannah Gusters and Sarah Andrews off the bench and has gotten double-digit scoring nights from Caitlin Bickle, Jordyn Oliver and UCLA transfer Jaden Owens.
"The key to making runs in the NCAA tournament is that every player must give you something really, really good," Mulkey said. "I thought Sarah Andrews gave us her best basketball game at OU. We were down eight prior to the half, and I put her in when DiDi picked up her second found. And she pushed the ball up the floor, she found open players, she scored the ball herself."
After surviving the road scare at Oklahoma, the Lady Bears return home to face an Oklahoma State team (17-6, 13-4) that has won eight of its last nine and now sits in third place in the Big 12 standings behind only Baylor and No. 18/22 West Virginia (17-3, 11-3).
"They were picked eighth in the league and have an opportunity to finish second or third," Mulkey said. "I just respect the heck out of what (OSU coach Jim Littell) has done with his team, considering the transfer he lost to Texas Tech (Vivian Gray). I don't want to say (he's done it) quietly, because those of us in the league realize what he's done with his team this year."
Littell has his own Defensive Player of the Year finalist in 6-4 senior forward Natasha Mack, who's averaging 19.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and a national-best 4.2 blocks per game. OSU's other scoring threat is junior guard Ja'Mee Asberry (17.2 ppg, 4.0 assists), who hit just 5-of-16 from the field in Baylor's 77-58 road win in Stillwater last month.
"She blocks shots, for one," Mulkey said of Mack, who had 21 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the first meeting. "When you go around her, you know she's going to go up and try to block your shot. She's a rebounding machine for them . . . and you can't let her just kill us on the boards. Just make her and Asberry work for everything they get."
Wednesday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor men's basketball coach Jim Haller calling the action.
BAYLOR'S SECOND-HALF EFFORT DEFENSIVELY HELPS LADY BEARS DOWN OKLAHOMA ON THE ROAD
For just the 16th time in Kim Mulkey's era at Baylor, a game was tied at half Sunday when Oklahoma and Baylor were knotted at 42 in Norman after both programs shot 58 percent from the floor. The Lady Bears, known for their defense, limited the Sooners to just a 28-percent effort in the second half, and Baylor was able to pull away for a 77-66 road win. DiJonai Carrington scored 19 points off the bench and Moon Ursin and NaLyssa Smith added 17 and 16 points, respectively. Baylor kept up its shooting performance, finishing the game at 57.4 percent. The Lady Bears' two highest shooting efforts in the Big 12 this season both came against the Sooners after shooting a league season-best 59 percent vs. OU at home, Jan. 23. Baylor needs to get to 15 wins to clinch a share of its 11th-straight Big 12 regular season title unless West Virginia loses a fourth game this week. The Lady Bears' win over Oklahoma Sunday improved the team to 12-1 in league play.
LADY BEARS VS. THE COWGIRLS
Baylor is 24-2 against Oklahoma State in Waco, 45-11 all-time, and 30-5 in the Kim Mulkey era. Oklahoma State last beat Baylor Dec. 30, 2015 to open conference play in Stillwater. The Cowgirls' last win in Waco came March, 2008 (72-8). The Lady Bears will look for 11-straight wins over the Cowgirls, Wednesday. Earlier this season, Baylor played OSU in Stillwater, Jan. 20, and took a 77-58 win. Moon Ursin led Baylor with 20 points and had eight rebounds while NaLyssa Smith had 18 points and 12 boards for the Lady Bears. In the losing effort, Natasha Mack had 21 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Cowgirls.
LADY BEARS IN NATION'S LEAD FOR FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE … AGAIN
For four-straight years and five since the 2010-11 season, the Baylor Lady Bears have been the NCAA Statistical Champion in Defensive Field Goal Percentage. It took until Feb. 14, but Baylor leads the category again through 19 games at a .318 clip. The Lady Bears also lead the nation in rebound margin (19.5) and Assists Per Game (22.1).
AP POLL RESEARCH SHOWS MULKEY AS ACTIVE LEADER IN TOTAL TOP 25 APPEARANCES AS PLAYER, ASSISTANT AND HEAD COACH
Longtime women's hoops guru Mel Greenberg put together a list of coaches and players' appearances in the AP Top 25 poll over the years and found that Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey is the NCAA's active leader in appearances at 665 from her time as a player and assistant at Louisiana Tech and her 21-year tenure as head coach at Baylor. She trails only Holly Warlick for most all-time appearances; Warlick played, assisted Pat Summitt and was head coach at Tennessee from 2012-2019.
RICHARDS, KNOWN FOR HER DEFENSE, QUIETLY MOVING UP BAYLOR'S ALL-TIME ASSISTS LIST
When most think of DiDi Richards, they think defense. After all, she was the National Defensive Player of the Year by both the WBCA and Naismith last season without having high steals or blocks numbers. Her reputation for on-ball defense and pestering the Big 12 and the nation's top perimeter players earned her the awards. But, many might not know that Richards is one of Baylor's all-time best passers. This season, she ranks first in the Big 12 in assists per game, which ranks 5th nationally. She ranks second in the league in total assists, and last season she was the Big 12 statistical champion, ranking 7th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 502 assists coming into Wednesday's game ranks 4th all-time on the Baylor career assists list. With COVID-19 looming, Richards may not get to put up the numbers she normally would have, but she has a shot to leave Baylor at 3rd all-time in that category. Kristy Wallace collected 525 assists in her four years and ranks third. Richards has 5 Big 12 games left to play, a Big 12 Tournament and an NCAA Tournament. Her pace is 6.8 assists per game, and if she continues at that rate, she would pass Wallace in the next 4 games. Niya Johnson is Baylor's all-time leader with 988 and Odyssey Sims ranked second at 641.
COVID-19'S EFFECT ON THE LADY BEARS
All are having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Lady Bears are no exception. Baylor lost four games scheduled for the Preseason WNIT in Waco in November, along with a Thanksgiving week game vs. Oregon in Las Vegas. Originally scheduled for Nov. 27, Baylor and Northwestern State's game was postponed due to COVID issues within the NWST program and was rescheduled for Dec. 18. Baylor lost its top-10 matchup with UConn Jan. 7 and postponed originally-scheduled Big 12 contests with K-State at home (Jan. 10) and at Kansas (Jan. 13).
Moon Ursin, lost her grandmother, Ruby Alexander, to the virus in April after a swift and brief battle with COVID. Kamaria McDaniel, a transfer from Penn State that is having to sit this season, lost her grandfather, Johnny Webster, Sr., in April as well. Kim Mulkey, Jordyn Oliver, DiJonai Carrington and Caitlin Bickle have all had to miss time due to COVID-19 protocols this season.
The Big 12 announced Thursday the re-scheduling of several league games affected by COVID-19, including Baylor hosting K-State Feb. 27 and finishing the regular season in Lawrence, March 6.
RICHARDS RETURNS TO FLOOR AFTER SPINAL INJURY, FEATURED ON ESPN'S SPORTSCENTER
Oct. 24, Moon Ursin and DiDi Richards collided in mid-air during a practice scrimmage, leaving Ursin with a concussion and Richards with a Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality (SCIOWRA). Ursin returned to practice after clearing concussion protocol in mid-November while Richards' rehab began immediately after she briefly lost feeling below her knees. Richards was first confined to a walker to assist her in walking, but by mid-November she was completing individual drills and workouts with medical and strength & conditioning staff. Richards shocked doctors, team medical staff and coaches with the rate of her rehab. Thirty-eight days after the injury, she played 30 minutes off the bench at South Florida Dec. 1. She scored a bucket 13 seconds into her entry, and picked up where she left off last season by leading Baylor with seven assists. Dec. 6 in Fayetteville, Ark., she resumed her starting role, getting her first start at point guard and finished the contest with a game-high eight assists. She led the Big 12 in assists per game in 2019-20, ranked 13th in the nation and had the NCAA's sixth-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9:1.
Her return to the floor sparked interest from ESPN with Mechelle Voepel writing a feature on her recovery, and Scott Van Pelt led off his Tuesday edition of SportsCenter, covering Richards' return with the "Best Thing I Saw Today" segment.
BAYLOR WINS 1,000TH WIN AS A PROGRAM; LADY BEARS BECOME 15TH PROGRAM IN D1 HISTORY TO REACH 1,000 VICTORIES
Baylor's win at South Florida Dec. 1 marked the program's 1,000th victory. Baylor became the 15th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 1,000 victories joining Tennessee, UConn, James Madison, Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Texas, SFA, Old Dominion, Ohio State, Maryland, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin-Green Bay, South Dakota State, and Notre Dame. Kim Mulkey has 606 of those wins as head coach for Baylor. At Louisiana Tech, she was either a player, assistant or associate head coach for 560 victories, which makes her a direct contributor to 1,106 wins between the two programs on the prestigious list.
