Nov. 23, 2002

Box Score

WACO, Texas - Sophomore Steffanie Blackmon scored 25 points and freshman Sophia Young recorded her first career double-double as Baylor defeated Alcorn State 78-62 Saturday night at the Ferrell Center in the championship of the Women's Sports Foundation.

Baylor (2-0) overcame a 32-31 halftime deficit to claim the tournament championshop. Alcorn State (1-1) dropped to 1-1 with the loss. The Lady Bears have won all four of the in-season tournaments they have participated in under head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson.

Blackmon's 25 points were a career-best single-game total, topping the 21 she scored against Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. After scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds Friday night in the Lady Bears' season opener, Blackmon was named Tournament MVP.

Young, meanwhile, scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds in just her second collegiate game. Young and sophomore Chelsea Whitaker were named to the all-tournament team, along with Princeton's Maureen Lane and Alcorn State's Keairra Levy and Danielle Tipton. The all-tournament honors were a first for Blackmon, Young and Whitaker.

Whitaker finished the night with nine points and a team-high eight assists, while junior Jessika Stratton added 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. Levy led Alcorn State with 20 points, while Tnonealyer Powers had 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Braves.

Baylor took the lead at 33-32 with the first score of the second half, a jumper by Young, and did not trail again. Alcorn State got within one at 50-49 with 10:20 remaining, but a 22-4 Baylor run over the next seven-plus minutes iced the game for the Lady Bears.

Saturday's win improved the Lady Bears to 25-0 under Mulkey-Robertson in regular season non-conference games, including a 15-0 mark at home in such contests.

Baylor returns to action at home Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Texas Southern.