Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Dec. 29, 2002
WACO, Texas -
UP NEXT...
Baylor (10-1) vs. North Texas (4-4)
Mon., Dec. 30 - 6 p.m. (CST)
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas
COMING UP...
Only one game remains on the Lady Bears' non-conference schedule. Baylor will host North Texas (Dec. 30) prior to their Big 12 Conference opener against Missouri on Wed., Jan. 8 at 7 p.m.
Baylor brings a 10-1 record into the contest while the North Texas Lady Eagles are 4-4. The Lady Bears have won six straight contests while the Lady Eagles, idle since Dec. 16, are coming off a 68-64 loss at SMU.
TWO FOR ONE...
The game against North Texas will be a Baylor/North Texas men's and women's doubleheader. The Lady Bears take on the Lady Eagles at 6 p.m. followed by the Bears and the Eagles at 8 p.m.
Fans who attend the Lady Bear game will receive free admission to the Bears' game that immediately follows the women's game.
THE LADY BEARS...
Despite having a young squad, the Lady Bears are posting some impressive numbers.
As of Dec. 22, the Lady Bears ranked No. 2 nationally (behind top-ranked Duke) in scoring margin at 32.7 points a game. They are fourth in scoring offense (85.7) and 16th in scoring defense (53.0). In addition, they are 6th in average margin of victory at 37.3.
As a team Baylor is leading the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .526, out-distancing No. 2 Colorado at .487. The Lady Bears also lead the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at .463. Kansas State is Baylor's nearest competitor at .398.
Sophomore Steffanie Blackmon (Dallas/Rowlett HS) leads the Lady Bears and the Big 12 in scoring with 21.0 points a game. Three others are averaging in double-digits as well. Sophomore post Melanie Hamerly (Orange, Texas/Little Cypress/Mauriceville HS) averages 11.5 a game. Freshman Sophia Young (St. Vincent, West Indies/Evangel Academy, Shreveport, La.) follows closely with 10.9 an outing and junior guard Jessika Stratton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado HS) scores 10.5 a contest.
Young, a 6-1 freshman, is the Lady Bears' leading rebounder grabbing 9.9 a game. Steffanie Blackmon is close behind with 8.5 an outing. Both players have posted double-doubles in the last two games (UCLA, Mercer). Blackmon had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Young scored 12 points and pulled down 13 rebounds against UCLA and against Mercer , Blackmon had 25 points/10 boards and Young tallied 15 points/14 rebounds..
Chelsea Whitaker (Dallas/Skyline HS) leads the squad in assists with 6.50 a game. Stratton ranks in second with 4.50 a contest. Stratton dished out a career-high 13 assists against Mercer and Whitaker has had three games where she tallied nine assists.
Hamerly, a 6-5 sophomore, has blocked 31 shots so far this season, far outdistancing her 16 of last year. She averages 3.1 rejections a game. In fact, Steffanie Blackmon was Baylor's top shot blocker last season and she registered 38 for the season. Hamerly, with just 10 games under her belt, already has 31 blocks.
THE OPPONENT...
North Texas Lady Eagles The North Texas Lady Eagles enter the game with a 4-4 record. They started off the season at 3-0 by posting victories over UT-San Antonio (82-66), Alcorn State (82-54) and UMKC (65-41). After dropping two games (TAMU-CC, 57-46 and Illinois, 92-68) the Lady Eagles beat UC Riverside 82-66. Since that victory they have dropped two straight, losing to Indiana (51-43) and SMU (68-64).
The Lady Eagles, like the Lady Bears, are a young team. They have eight freshmen on the roster along with two seniors and four juniors.
Junior forward Kim Blanton leads the team in scoring with 13.1 points a game. Right behind Blanton is Angel Lewis, a 5-10 senior, who scores 9.9 a game. She leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 a game.
THE COACHES...
In just her third season as Baylor's head coach, Kim Mulkey-Robertson has led the Lady Bears to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, a final national ranking of No. 7 last season and a second place finish in the highly-competitive Big 12 Conference. The 2000 inductee to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame has a career record of 58-16 in her two-plus seasons at Baylor.
North Texas' Tina Slinker (Wayland Baptist, 1978) is in her 14th season has the Lady Eagles' head coach. She owns a career record of 166-196. Prior to taking over the reins of the North Texas program in 1989, she was an assistant coach at Texas Tech for one season (1988-89).Her squads have posted winning campaigns the past five seasons.
SERIES RECORDS...
Baylor vs. North Texas - Baylor leads the series 16-13 and leads 6-5 in games played in Waco. The two teams have alternated victories the last six matchups. The two teams last met last season in Reno, Nevada in the first game of the University of Nevada Bell Classic. Baylor posted an 85-78 victory. The game was the season opener for both squads. North Texas most recent victory over Baylor was on Nov. 24, 1999 in Denton by a score of 72-60. North Texas' last victory in Waco came on Dec. 5, 1990 by a score of 74-62.
LAST MEETING...
Baylor posted an 85-78 victory in the season opener for both teams last season in the Nevada Bell Classic. Jessika Stratton and Steffanie Blackmon each scored in double digits in that game. Stratton scored 18 and Blackmon tallied 14 as well as hauling down 12 rebounds. No North Texas returnees scored in double figures.
