Dec. 9, 2004
WACO, Texas -
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Game 8:
Dec. 11 - 7:00 p.m.
#6/10 Baylor (6-1) vs. Penn State (3-3)
Ferrell Center (10,284) • Waco, Texas
RADIO
1660 AM - ESPN Radio
820 AM - WBAP (Dallas)
Rick May - play-by-play
Lori Fogleman - color analyst
Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip.
INTERNET FEEDS
Audio - live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com
Video (BearCast) - live video stream at BaylorBears.com
#6/11 BAYLOR VS. PENN STATE...
Baylor takes a break from finals to host the Penn State Lady Lions, back-to-back defending Big Ten champions. The Lady Lions will play at Pittsburgh on Thurs., Dec. 9 before traveling to Waco for a contest with the Lady Bears. It will be Penn State's second trip to Texas this season, they played Texas in Austin in the State Farm Tip Off Classic to begin the season.
Baylor comes into the game at 6-1 and riding a six-game win streak. After opening the season with a 71-70 loss to then-No. 3 and now top-ranked LSU, Baylor posted wins over Indiana (60-47), Mississippi State (66-49), Sam Houston State (84-53), Rice (77-65), Jackson State (73-56) and East Carolina (80-59). Penn State, prior to its Thursday game at Pittsburgh, is 3-3 after posting an upset victory over then-No. 2 North Carolina, 77-71.
PROMOTIONS...
• "Hoops Can Help" benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Waco. Children and volunteers from the Waco Boys and Girls Club will accept monetary donations on the main concourse of the Ferrell Center.
• Take a Kid to the Game - Youths ages 14 and under will receive a free ticket with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket.
• Schedule magnets to the first 2,000 fans
• Krispy Kreme giveaway to the first 1,000 fans
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. 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. 10 by the coaches.
BLACKMON'S BLOCK PARTY...
Senior post Steffanie Blackmon needs to block only one more shot to become the program's all-time shot blocker. She has rejected 140 shots and the Baylor record is 141, held by Kacy Moffitt who played 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 42.8 percent of the team's points, 221 of 510 points. Young has scored in double-digits in all seven games while Blackmon has registered double-digit scoring in six contests. The tandem is combining to pull down 18.3 rebounds a game, good for 47.1 percent of the team's boards. Young is averaging 8.9 a game while Blackmon accounts for 9.4.
DOUBLE FIGURE SCORING STREAK...
Sophia Young extended her double-figure scoring streak to 17 games with her 17 points against East Carolina. The streak began on Feb. 18, 2004 against Oklahoma. Young has scored in double-digits in 54 of her last 56 games. She ended her rookie season with a 14-game double digit scoring streak, posted double-figure scoring in 33 of 35 games last season and is a perfect 7-for-7 this season. For her career she is has posted double figures in 68 of 77 games which includes a 36-game double-figure scoring streak. Steffanie Blackmon scored only two points against Sam Houston State, breaking a 17-game streak which dated back to last season.
ONLY THE FIFTH...
When sophomore Emily Niemann did not score any 3-pointers against either Indiana and Mississippi State, it was just the fifth and sixth times in her career that she failed to bury a trey. She has scored at least one 3-pointer in 34 of 40 games. In addition, she has scored three or more 3-pointers in 19 games, 15 as a rookie and four times (LSU, Sam Houston State, Rice, East Carolina) so far this season. Baylor is 14-5 in those games.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT...
Penn State's game against Baylor in Waco marks the second of three trips to Texas for the team. The Lady Lions opened the season in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 14 when they took on the Texas Longhorns in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic. The Lady Lions will return to the Lone Star state when they play at Texas Tech on Dec. 21.
Penn state enters the week with a 3-3 mark and will play at Pittsburgh on Thurs., Dac. 9 before traveling on to Waco. The Lady Lions began the season with three losses but have since won three straight, including a 77-71 upset win over then-No. 2 North Carolina. Penn State suffered losses to Texas (84-69), Duke (66-58) and Villanova (73-65) and posted win over Duquesne (71-55) and George Mason (76-48). The Lady Lions are 0-3 on the road and 3-0 at home this season.
Senior guard Tanisha Wright leads the team in scoring at 20.3 points a game. Senior guard Jess Strom and sophomore guard Jennifer Harris also manage double-digits with 12.5 and 12.0 points, respectively. Senior Ashli Schwab, a 6-3 center, is the team's top rebounder, grabbing 7.2 a game.
Rene Portland, in her 25th season at the helm of the Penn State program, announced on Nov. 22 that she is taking a leave of absence from the team. Citing medical concerns related to her fainting episode on Nov. 14, Portland will take the leave for an undetermined period of time. Associate head coach Annie Troyan will serve as head coach in Portland's absence.
