Feb. 13, 2002

Box Score

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Baylor teased Texas A&M for the entire first half before Sheila Lambert sealed the game early in the second half.

Lambert scored 19 of her 29 points in the second period, leading No. 11 Baylor to an 81-68 victory over the Aggies Wednesday night.

"Coach always says the first five minutes of a second half will dictate the rest of the game," Lambert said. "I just took my time and when the shot was open, I took it."

Baylor (20-4, 8-4 Big 12) received a wake-up call late in the first half when the Aggies tied the game at 22. The Bears did not give A&M the opportunity to do it again in the second half.

Lambert led Baylor on a pair of scoring runs early in the second to distance itself from A&M. Danielle Crockrom added 21 points with 14 rebounds.

Lambert and Crockrom opened up the game, sparking an 8-2 run followed by a 14-2 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half to take a 62-42 lead. Baylor shot 75 percent during the stretch.

A&M (12-12, 4-8) followed it up with a 14-3 run down to the five-minute mark to cut a 25-point gap to 13. Meg Banahan scored 13 points before fouling out with 1:28 remaining. Celeria Washington also scored 13 points.

"We made a run for a while, but played too inconsistent," A&M coach Peggie Gillom said. "In the second half they made a lot of easy buckets while we had a lack of focus. Nobody was executing plays for us. I thought we still had a shot as we were down by 10 with only two minutes to go."

The Bears regrouped after coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson called a timeout and put both Lambert and Crockrom back in the game, making it easier to beat the Aggie press.

Texas A&M's run stopped in its tracks with the changes and Baylor hung on for the 13-point victory.

"I may have started subbing too early in the second half," Mulkey-Robertson said. "They were pressing us and all we had to do was beat it, and we did."

Despite A&M's full-court press, Baylor scored 23 points on fast break opportunities. Baylor dominated coming out of the gate, taking an 8-2 lead before Banahan scored seven quick points to tie the game.

The Bears closed that period on a 7-2 run to take a 38-32 lead.

"I thought the end of the first half was big for us. It gave us some momentum," Mulkey-Robertson said. The win is Baylor's seventh in the last eight games, with the only loss coming to Oklahoma (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) last Wednesday. Nine of A&M's last 10 games have been against ranked opponents in which they went 3-7.