Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Jan. 3, 2002
SELLOUT 2002...
The Sellout 2002 campaign is an effort to fill the Ferrell Center for the men's Big 12 opener against Iowa State Jan. 5, and the women's Jan. 12 contest vs. Oklahoma. Oklahoma's women have won back-to-back Big 12 championships as have Iowa State's men's team. Both games will be televised live on FOX Sports Net Southwest.
COMING UP...
For the first time since the beginning of the Big 12, the Lady Bears will open Big 12 play away from home. In Big 12 opening games Baylor is 0-0 on the road and 2-3 at home.
Kansas State, 13-1 and 1-0,on the season, opened Big 12 play on Wednesday with a 69-63 victory at No. 4 Iowa State. The Lady Bears were idle on Wednesday, the first day of Big 12 play and are a perfect 12-0, rank No.7 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.
THE LADY BEARS...
Baylor, 12-0, moved up to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll after defeating Air Force 78-47 on Saturday, Dec. 29. The Lady Bears started the season ranked No. 14. In addition, they moved up to No. 8 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.
These are the highest rankings ever for the Lady Bear basketball program.
Twelve games into the season the Lady Bears are led by seniors Sheila Lambert (Seattle, Wash./Chief Sealth HS), Danielle Crockrom (Houston/North Shore HS) and freshman Steffanie Blackmon (Dallas/Rowlett HS). Lambert leads the way with 17.4 points per game, while Crockrom is hot on her heels at 17.3 and Blackmon manages 9.3 a contest. Crockrom leads the team in rebounding at 9.9 an outing. Sophomore Chanelle Fox (Houston/Westfield HS) follows at 5.8 boards a contest, Blackmon checks in at 5.5 and senior post Brooke McCormack (Melbourne, Australia) averages 5.3.
MORE BALANCE AND DEPTH...
After relying mainly on Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom last season (they accounted for 56 percent of last season's points), the Lady Bears now have more balance and depth on their roster. Several returnees gained valuable experience last season and have shown marked improvement, resulting in more playing time and production this season. Also, the freshmen, especially Steffanie Blackmon, Kelly Sords (Austin/Westlake HS) and Jordan Davis (Celina/Celina HS), have seen considerable floor time with favorable results. In fact, those three freshmen combine to average over 14 minutes a game.
BENCH CONTRIBUTING...
The Lady Bears are getting more help from off the bench this season. The reserves are contributing 33.2 percent of the Lady Bear's points. Five of the team's seven freshmen are averaging over 9.6 minutes a game. Between them, three freshmen, Steffanie Blackmon, Kelly Sords and Jordan Davis average over 14 minutes a game.
STILL THE HEART AND SOUL...
Even though the Lady Bear squad has more depth and balance this season, seniors Sheila Lambert (17.4 ppg, 5.25 apg, 4.5 rpg) and Danielle Crockrom (17.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.25 bpg) are still forces to be reckoned with. The pair are both on the watch list for the Naismith Award, which honors the best player in the nation. They are both preseason all-Americans and were picked by both the Big 12 coaches and media to the preseason first-team All-Big 12.
FRESHMAN STEFFANIE BLACKMON IMPRESSIVE...
Freshman post Steffanie Blackmon is impressive coming off the bench for the Lady Bears. Through 12 games the rookie averages 9.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.08 blocks and 16.9 minutes a game. Her 13 blocked shots ranks second on the team.
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE...
In unofficial women's basketball Division I home attendance statistics compiled weekly by the University of Wisconsin, the Lady Bears rank #14 with 4,119 a game. Four other Big 12 teams rank above Baylor:
No. 2 - Texas Tech - 13,216
No. 4 - Iowa State - 9,700
No. 12 - Texas - 4,576
No. 13 - Oklahoma - 4,307
No. 14 - Baylor - 4,119
THE OPPOSITION...
Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State is a very young team with 10 freshmen and sophomores, two seniors and one junior. They start three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior. They enter the game with a 13-1 record and a perfect 5-0 mark in Bramlage Coliseum. Their lone loss came at the hands of Arizona State (76-58). The Wildcats received 24 votes in the latest AP Poll.
Four of their starters are averaging in double figures in scoring. Freshman guard Laurie Koehn leads the way with 18.9 points a game. She is followed by sophomore Nicole Ohlde's 16.6, freshman Kendra Wecker's 16.1 and freshman Megan Mahoney's 11.4. Three players account for 56.3 percent of the team's rebounds. Wecker hauls down a team-leading 8.3 a game, while Ohlde averages 7.5 and Mahoney 5.6.
THE COACHES...
Baylor's Kim Mulkey-Robertson is in her second year as a head coach after guiding the Lady Bears to a 21-9 record and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament in her inaugural season. The Lady Bears enjoyed tremendous improvement last season over Baylor's 7-20 record of 1999-2000. Her career record is 33-9.
Kansas State is coached by Deb Patterson. She is in her sixth season as the Wildcats' head coach. Patterson is 84-77 in her six years at Kansas State.
SERIES RECORD...
This will be the ninth meeting between the two schools and the series is tied 4-4. Baylor won twice last season, once in Waco (74-57) and in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City (60-44). However, the Lady Bears are winless in Bramlage Coliseum. They've lost twice in Manhattan.
LAST MEETING...
On March 6, 2001 in a first round game of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, the Lady Bears outscored Kansas State 32-12 in the paint and added 14 fast-break points to defeat the Wildcats 60-44. Danielle Crockrom led the Baylor squad with a 19-point,11- rebound performance. Guard Sheila Lambert added 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals in the victory. Kristin Rethman was Kansas State's top scorer with 12 points. Nicole Ohlde followed with a 9-point, 10-rebound performance.
PROBABLE STARTERS...
#7/8 Baylor (12-0, 0-0)
G - #31 Sheila Lambert - (5-7, Sr., Seattle, Wash./Grayson CC) 17.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.25 apg
G - #10 Jessika Stratton - (5-9, So., Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado HS) 7.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.83 apg
G - #5 Chanelle Fox - (5-11, So., Houston/Westfield HS) 5.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg
F - #34 Danielle Crockrom - (6-2, Sr., Houston/North Shore HS) 17.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg
P - #55 Brooke McCormack - (6-2, Sr., Melbourne, Australia/Grayson CC) 5.6 ppg, 5.3
rpg
Off the bench:
P - #45 Steffanie Blackmon - (6-2, Fr., Dallas/Rowlett HS) 9.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg
G - #3 Nicole Collins - (5-3, Sr., Houston/Dobie HS) 2.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.50 apg
P - #42 Kelly Sords - (6-3, Fr., Austin/Westlake HS) 4.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg
G - #22 Jordan Davis - (5-9, Fr., Celina/Celina HS) 3.4 pg, 2.2 rpg
Kansas State (13-1, 1-0)
G - #10 Laurie Koehn - (5-8, Fr., Hesston, Kan.) 18.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.86 apg
G - #12 Kristin Rethman - (5-9, Sr., Corning, Kan.) 7.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg
F - #53 - Kendra Wecker (5-11, Fr., Marysville, Kan.) 16.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg
F - #34 Megan Mahoney - (6-0, Fr., Black Hawk, S.D.) 11.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg
C - #3Nicole Ohlde - (6-4, So., Clay Center, Kan.) 16.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Off the bench:
G- #21 Kari Hanson (5-8, Fr., Bismark, N.D.) 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
G - #11 Shalonda Booker - (5-4, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) 1.3 ppg, 0.5 apg
F/C - #42 Brie Madden - (6-3, Fr., Arlington, Texas) 3.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
BIG 12 OPENERS...
For the first time in Big 12 history, the Lady Bears will open conference play on the road. After five straight home openers, Baylor travels to Kansas State for its first Big 12 game of the season. Baylor is 2-3 in Big 12 openers.
1996-97 - lost to #10 Texas Tech (75-58)
1997-98 - defeated Kansas (65-59)
1998-99 - lost to #8 Texas Tech (51-49)
1999-2000 - lost to Texas A&M (62-59)
2000-01 - defeated Oklahoma State (80-69)
