Dec. 5, 2003
Box Score
HOUSTON - Four players scored in double figures as the Lady Bears kept their perfect record intact by posting a 96-75 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the opening game of the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational in Houston on Friday night.
The win raises Baylor's record to 5-0 on the season while Eastern Kentucky falls to 2-4. The Lady Bears will play in the championship game against host Rice, a 94-50 winner over Stephen F. Autsin, at 7 pm on Saturday.
Sophomore post Sophia Young led Baylor with a 22-point, 11 rebound performance. It was her third double-double of the season and the 20th of her career. With her 21 points, junior post Steffanie Blackmon now has 1,002 career points. She is the 21st Lady Bear to join the 1,000 point club. Blackmon added eight rebounds and five assists for Baylor. Senior Dionne Brown came off the bench to score 16 points and freshman Emily Niemann tallied 14 points.
The two teams exchanged leads seven times in the first half before the Lady Bears went ahead for good (21-20) at the 12:56 mark on a bucket by Steffanie Blackmon. Baylor's defense went on to hold Eastern Kentucky scoreless for 7:30, going on a 12-0 run during that span. Baylor went into the lockerroom at the half with a 45-34 lead.
At the beginning of the second half Eastern Kentucky closed the lead to eight points with 17:42 to go but could get no closer. The Lady Bears led by as much as 23 late in the second half before posting the 21-point victory.
For the first time this season the Lady Bears failed to shoot over 50 percent as they were 36-of-73 from the floor for 49.3 percent. They held the Lady Colonels to 37.5 percent on the night (24-of-64). The two teams turned the ball over a combined 46 times. Baylor committed 19 turnovers while Eastern Kentucky had 27. The Lady Bears scored 21 points off turnovers and Eastern Kentucky managed only seven.
Eastern Kentucky's Katie Kelly led all players in scoring with 33 points. She was 11-of-16 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Laura Shelton was the only other Lady Colonel to reach double figures with 14 points.
