Baylor
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Kansas
No. 14 WBB Heads to Kansas
1/15/2022 10:04:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Bears are 34-8 vs. the Jayhawks
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14/13 BAYLOR BEARS (10-4, 0-2) Location: Waco,Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Nicki Collen (Marquette, 1998) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (10-4, 0-2) at KANSAS (11-2, 2-1) January 16, 2022 • 2 p.m. CT Lawrence, Kan. • Phog Allen Fieldhouse LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: Steven Davis (PBP), Jill Dorsey-Haall (Analyst) LISTEN: ESPN 1660AM, 92.3FM, BaylorBears.com Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Sophia Young-Malcolm (Analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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KANSAS JAYHAWKS (11-2, 2-1) Location: Lawrence, Kan. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Brandon Schneider (Wayland Baptist, 1995) Roster | Stats (PDF) | Game Notes (PDF) |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Nicki Collen's not worried in the least about ninth-ranked Iowa State (16-1, 5-0) being "in the driver's seat" to break 14th-ranked Baylor's 11-year stranglehold on the Big 12.
With their first 0-2 start in conference in 22 years, the Bears (10-4, 0-2) have to "take care of one game at a time," said Collen, whose team will play its third-straight road game with a matchup at Kansas (11-2, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Lawrence.
"As much as our goals are always going to be conference championships," Collen said, "right now it has to be, beat Kansas, period. Why do we care what happens if we don't win that game? I think that has to be our focus: we've got to beat Kansas, and then we've got to beat Oklahoma State. That's how we have to look at it."
Coming back from a 10-day pause for COVID protocols, Baylor seemed to run out of gas in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 83-77 loss at No. 23 Oklahoma, hitting 3-of-13 overall, 0-for-5 from 3-point range and getting outscored, 23-12.
The Bears have struggled to close out games in their four losses to ranked teams – Oklahoma, No. 8 Maryland, 11th-ranked Michigan and No. 25 Kansas State.
"I think we're pretty confident, we just need to knock down shots," said Ja'Mee Asberry, a junior transfer from Oklahoma State who is averaging 9.2 points per game. "All you've really got to do is encourage your teammates, and she'll knock it down every time. I don't think we need anyone in our face yelling at us. It all comes from just shooting the ball well and encouraging each other, really."
One of the keys to "getting over the hump," Collen said, is understanding the value of every possession.
"Make every possession matter," she said. "If we do get a stop, we're celebrating. Just really getting them to understand and not take possessions for granted, whether that's offensively or defensively. We have to value the basketball on offense, get good shots on goal, and then defensively we can't take plays off. We can't run back 80% of the time, but not 20% of the time. That's how you win."
Kansas, which has finished last in the Big 12 five times in the last six seasons, has been one of the league's biggest surprises with consecutive road wins at TCU and No. 13 Texas. Riding a 19-point performance by junior guard Holly Kersgieter, the Jayhawks pulled off a 70-66 overtime win over the Longhorns Wednesday night in Austin.
"That's just the nature of basketball. I think it's good for our league," Collen said. "Not suggesting it's good for Baylor, but it's certainly good for our league. Kansas has had seasons where they've been really good in non-conference and then gotten to conference play and been overmatched. When you are road warriors, you get confidence."
The Jayhawks feature a balanced attack with three double-figure scorers in the backcourt – Kersgieter (13.7 ppg), Aniya Thomas (10.6 ppg) and Zakiyah Franklin (10.4 ppg, 3.9 assists). They also have size inside with 6-6 junior center Taiyanna Jackson (9.3 ppg, 7.4 rebounds) and 6-3 sophomore forward Ionna Chatzilenoti (8.1 ppg, 5.2 rebounds).
"You don't get wowed by them," Collen said, "because they don't necessarily have anyone that you're just like, 'We can't guard her,' or 'she's got this, she's got that.' They're just really balanced. And they've been playing great defense all season. They've consistently defended, regardless of the opponent, regardless of win or loss."
The win over Texas was Kansas' first road win against a ranked opponent in 10 years, since beating the Longhorns, 72-67, on Jan. 4, 2012.
"I'm just really happy for our players," KU coach Brandon Schneider said. "Their focus over the past few days has been the best I have ever seen. It just says a lot about the growth of our team and the leadership of our team."
Schneider said the Jayhawks have a "tremendous amount of respect" for the tradition and success that Baylor's had for over a decade.
"But any time you're competing against an historically dominant program, you've got to get over what's on the front of the jersey," he said, "and just go play it like any other game."
Sunday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Steven Davis and Jill Dorsey-Hall calling the action.
BACK AT IT
• No. 14 Baylor Women's Basketball returns to the court with its third-straight Big 12 road game, after a pair of games were postponed due to health and safety protocols.
• The Bears are 34-8 all-time against Kansas with a 13-5 mark at Allen Fieldhouse.
• NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo are coming off big performances. Smith logged 30 points in Norman, while Egbo finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
• Ja'Mee Asberry hit the 1,000-career point mark.
WALKING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• NaLyssa Smith is second in the country with 11 double-doubles on the season.
• During the streak, Smith has five games with a minimum of 15 rebounds. She leads the Big 12 in rebounds per game (12.6).
• Smith is tied for seventh in Baylor history with 34 career double-doubles alongside Lauren Cox (2016-20) and LaNita Luckey (1988-92).
LET IT FLY
• The calendar hadn't even flipped to December yet before the Bears tied for second in program history with 13 3-pointers made in their blowout win over Morehead State (11/30).
• Baylor's program record for triples made came on Dec. 18, 2019 against Arkansas State when Juicy Landrum caught fire and set an NCAA record with 14 triples. Besides that record-setting performance, BU hadn't drained more than a dozen shots from deep since 2011.
• BU's record for 3-point attempts in a season came in 2013-14 when the Bears attempted 596 3s.
• From that season to 2020-21, Baylor made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game only five times across a total of 281 games (1.78 percent).
• This season alone - in Nicki Collen's new offensive system - the Bears are letting it fly from the perimeter.
• Prior to this season, ony 14 Bears had made six or more 3s in a game. Two of them had done it multiple times (Makenzie Robertson, 2012, 2014) and Jennifer King (1990, 1991, 1993).
• Sarah Andrews and Ja'Mee Asberry have already joined the club this season. Andrews went 6-for-8 against Morehead State from deep and Asberry fired off 6-of-8 against Alcorn State.
CLUB 17K
• Jordan Lewis surpassed the 1,700 career-points mark in Baylor's win over Alcorn State. The sixth-year graduate transfer left Alabama as the Crimson Tide's fifth all-time leader in assists (510) and ninth all-time leader with 1,581 points.
• Lewis is No. 15 among active players for most points scored in her career with 1,750. She's third among active players with 579 career assists.
