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March 4, 2003
WACO, Texas -
UP NEXT...
Baylor (18-9, 7-8) vs. Oklahoma State (7-19, 3-12)
Wed., March 5 - 7 p.m. (CST)
Ferrell Center (10,284) - Waco, Texas
Radio - KLRK - FM 92.9 - Rick May (play-by-play) and Lori Scott Fogleman (color analysis). Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to game time. KAAM-AM 770 in Dallas will also carry this game.
Internet - www.BaylorBears.com
COMING UP...
Baylor is currently 18-9 overall and 7-8 in league play after posting a 97-54 road win over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon. They will close out the regular season portion of their schedule against Oklahoma State and then head in to the Big 12 Tournament (March 11-13, 15) in Dallas.
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls, currently 7-19 on the season and 3-12 in league play, brings a 1-6 league road record into the game. Their lone road Big 12 win came at Texas A&M a week ago, 68-48. The Cowgirls' three league victories have come against Kansas (60-56), Baylor (64-55) and Texas A&M. The Cowgirls are 2-2 over their last four Big 12 contests.
SENIOR NIGHT...
Baylor's lone senior, Stasha Richards, will be honored in pregame ceremonies. Richards is a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Bears.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE...
Freshman Sophia Young, a 6-1 forward, in just her fourth season of basketball, leads the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.4 a game. A freshman has never finished the season as the top rebounder in the Big 12 or former Big Eight and Southwest Conference. Among all Big 12 freshmen, Young ranks No. 1 in rebounding, scoring, steals and is No. 2 in blocked shots. She is No. 3 amongst all Big 12 players in field goal percentage (.557). Her 17 rebounds against Iowa State and Texas Tech are the most rebounds by a Big 12 player in league games this season. She has registered 13 games of double-digit rebounds and is second in the league in double-doubles with 12.
Young has twice been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week. Her most recent time came two weeks ago after she led Baylor to a victory over No. 7 Texas Tech with 26-point, 17-rebound performance.
Young's statistics in just Big 12 games are equally as impressive as her overall stats. In league games she averages 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a contest and is shooting 56.1 percent from the floor. In all games she averages 13.3 points and 9.4 rebounds and is shooting 55.7 percent.
THE LADY BEARS...
Despite having a young squad, the Lady Bears are posting some impressive numbers.
Sophomore Steffanie Blackmon (Dallas/Rowlett HS) leads the Lady Bears and ranks No. 6 in the Big 12 in scoring with 17.3 points a game. Freshman Sophia Young (St. Vincent, West Indies/Evangel Academy, Shreveport, La.) ranks second at 13.3.
Young, a 6-1 freshman forward , is the Lady Bears' and Big 12's leading rebounder grabbing 9.4 a game. Young ranks first in scoring, rebounding and steals and second in blocked shots among Big 12 Conference freshmen. Steffanie Blackmon is close behind Young with 8.0 an outing.
Freshman Ebony Jackson (Arlington/Sam Houston HS) leads the squad in assists with 4.21 a game. Chelsea Whitaker (Dallas/Skyline HS) ranks second with 4.11 a contest and junior Jessika Stratton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado HS) dished out 3.96 a game. Stratton dished out a career-high 13 assists against Mercer, Whitaker has had three games where she tallied nine assists and Jackson has produced two games with nine assists.
The Lady Bears have three players that combine for 118 blocks. Steffanie Blackmon leads the way with 44, Melanie Hamerly (Orange/Little Cypress-Mauriceville HS) follows closely with 39 and Sophia Young has 35 on the season.
THE OPPONENT...
Oklahoma State
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls, currently 7-19 overall and 3-12 in league play. The Cowgirls are 2-2 over their most recent league games. They started that span by beating Baylor in Stillwater (64-55). They have since lost to Texas Tech and Oklahoma and posted a 68-48 road victory over Texas A&M.
Trisha Skibbe, a 6-2 junior center, leads the Cowgirls in both scoring and rebounding at 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. These totals rank her No. 5 in the Big 12 in scoring and No. 8 in rebounding.
SERIES RECORDS...
Baylor vs. Oklahoma State - Baylor leads the series with Oklahoma State 9-7, all but one meeting has come since the inception of the Big 12. Baylor has won four of the last six games and Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson is 3-2 versus Cowgirl teams. Baylor holds a 7-1 series lead in games played in the Ferrell Center. Oklahoma State's lone victory in Waco came on Feb. 6, 1999 by a score of 58-56. Baylor has since won three straight in Waco. Gallagher-Iba Arena has proven to be a tough place for the Lady Bears to win. OSU is 6-1 in games played in Stillwater. The Cowgirls posted a 64-55 victory over Baylor on Feb. 19 in Stillwater.
