Dec. 18, 2004
WACO, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game 10:
Dec. 19 - 4:00 p.m. (CST)
#6/9 Baylor (8-1) vs. Florida (6-2)
Big 12/SEC Challenge - ESPN2
Ferrell Center (10,284) • Waco, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN2
Pam Ward - play-by-play
Nancy Lieberman - color analyst
RADIO 1660 AM - ESPN Radio
Rick May - play-by-play
Lori Fogleman - color analyst
Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip.
VIDEO (BearCast) - live video stream at BaylorBears.com
INTERNET FEEDS
Audio - live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com
#6/9 BAYLOR VS. FLORIDA...
The Baylor Lady Bears, currently ranked No. 6 nationally, and the University of Florida Gators square off in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Sunday, Dec. 19. For the second consecutive game, Baylor appears on a national television broadcast as it hosts Florida in an ESPN2 contest.
Baylor comes into the game at 8-1 and riding an eight-game win streak, its longest since an eight-game string in 2002-03. After opening the season with a 71-70 loss to then-No. 3 and now top-ranked LSU, Baylor has posted wins over Indiana (60-47), Mississippi State (66-49), Sam Houston State (84-53), Rice (77-65), Jackson State (73-56), East Carolina (80-59), back-to-back Big Ten champion Penn State (91-70) and Washington (74-58).
Florida enters the game with a 6-2 record and a six-game win streak. Florida opened the season with back-to-back losses to Florida State and Iowa but has since posted victories over Akron, Central Florida, Temple, Delaware State, Stetson and Oregon State.
BAYLOR IN THE POLLS...
On Nov. 8 the Baylor Lady Bears achieved their highest preseason ranking in the Associated Press poll when they broke out of the gate at No. 8. Prior to that, Baylor's highest preseason ranking came in 1976-77 when it debuted at No. 13. On Dec. 6, Baylor jumped up to No. 6, the highest ranking ever achieved by the program, they maintained that ranking this week as well. In addition, the Lady Bears were ranked No. 8 in the season's first USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, their highest-ever ranking by the coaches. Baylor is currently ranked No. 9 by the coaches.
BAYLOR HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey-Robertson...
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson owns a 106-36 head coaching record which equates to a .747 winning percentage in her fifth season along the Lady Bear sideline. She has produced 20-win seasons in each of her four years as a head coach and has taken the Lady Bears to postseason competition all four seasons, three times to the NCAA Tournament and to the 2003 WNIT finals. In 2004, the Lady Bears advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Mulkey-Robertson gained her 100th victory with a 66-49 win at Mississippi State on Nov. 23. She achieved the milestone in four seasons and three games (136 games).
Baylor year-by-year under Mulkey-Robertson:
2000-01 - 21-9 - NCAA , lost in first round (Arkansas)
2001-02 - 27-6 - NCAA, lost in second round (Drake)
2002-03 - 24-11 - WNIT, lost in finals (Auburn)
2003-04 - 26-9 - NCAA, lost in Sweet 16 (Tennessee)
2004-05 - 8-1 - Highest preseason ranking in school history (No. 8); highest ranking in program history (No. 6).
Mulkey-Robertson was named Baylor's fourth head coach on April 4, 2000. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame that same year. She was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in June of 2003.
BLACKMON BAYLOR'S ALL-TIME SHOT BLOCKER...
After going three games without a blocked shot, senior post Steffanie Blackmon blocked two against the Washington Huskies to become the program's all-time shot blocker. She has now rejected 142 shots, surpassing Kacy Moffitt's 141 blocks, from 1995-99.
DOUBLE TROUBLE...
The tandem of Steffanie Blackmon and Sophia Young in the paint has proven to be one of the most formidable inside duos in NCAA Division I. Last season the pair combined to average 32.3 points and 15.5 rebounds a game, which accounted for 39.7 percent of Baylor's scoring and rebounding. Over the past two seasons Blackmon has averaged 16.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while Young has scored 15.5 a game and hauled down 9.3 boards over that same span. So far this season, the duo has scored 43.7 percent of the team's points, 295 of 675 points. Young has scored in double-digits in all nine games while Blackmon has registered double-digit scoring in eight contests. The tandem is combining to pull down 17.8 rebounds a game, good for 42.6 percent of the team's boards. Young is averaging 8.8 a game while Blackmon accounts for 9.0.
The tandem sits among the Big 12 Conference's leaders in both scoring and rebounding. Blackmon is No. 3 in both scoring and rebounding, while Young is No. 4 in rebounding and No. 8 in scoring.
HOT FROM 3-POINT LAND...
Three BU players, sophomore Emily Niemann, junior Chameka Scott and freshman Angela Tisdale, are hot from 3-point range. The trio combines to shoot 50.6 percent from beyond the arc. Niemann leads the way at 58.3 percent (21-36), Scott hits 45.8 percent (11-24) and Tisdale follows with .450 (9-20). Against the University of Washington, Niemann and Scott were a combined 8-of-14 (.571) from 3-point range, Niemann was 5-of-8 and Scott hit 3-of-6. Over the past two contests, Niemann is 7-of-10 and Scott is 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, for a combined 14-21 for 66.7 percent.
As a team the Lady Bears' 3-point shooting percentage is almost as good as their overall shooting percentage. Baylor is hitting 44.2 percent from the floor and nails 43.4 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. Against the Washington Huskies the Lady Bears shot 57.1 percent (8-14) from 3-point range while hitting 53.4 percent from the floor.
Baylor has shot 50 percent or higher from beyond the arc in three games this season. The Lady Bears were a season-high .588 (10-17) against Sam Houston State, .583 (7-12) versus Penn State and .571 (8-14) against Washington. Bu is 15-26 (.577) behind the arc the past two games.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT...
The University of Florida Gators enter Sunday afternoon's nationally televised game with a 6-2 record, riding a six-game win streak. Florida opened the season with back-to-back losses to Florida State (72-62) and Iowa (65-62) but has since posted victories over Akron (77-38), Central Florida (67-42), Temple (77-58), Delaware State (71-47), Stetson (75-62) and Oregon State (82-70).
The Gators start four juniors and a senior with two players averaging double-figure scoring. Junior forward Bernice Mosby leads the way with 14.9 a game, she also leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 an outing. Junior guard Danielle Santos scores 10.4 points a game for Florida.
Carolyn Peck is in her third season as Florida's head coach and has guided the Gators to a 34-32 mark under her watch. She also spent two seasons as Purdue's head coach where she led the Boilermakers to the 1999 NCAA National Championship and a 57-11 record. Peck owns a 91-43 record in five years as a head coach.
THE SERIES RECORDS...
This is the fourth meeting between the two schools, one in 1998 and two last season, Baylor owns a 2-1 series lead. Florida leads the series in Waco 1-0, Baylor won in Gainesville last season and the Lady Bears posted a win in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M. The contest will be Baylor's 43rd meeting versus SEC opponents against whom they have a 12-30 record. Florida will be the Lady Bears' third SEC opponent of the season, Baylor lost to LSU (71-70) and won at Mississippi State (66-49).
