March 18, 2004
GAME: No. 13 Loyola Marymount (24-5) vs. No. 4 Baylor (24-8).
REGIONAL: Midwest, First Round.
TIME: Saturday, 11:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: The Pit; Albuquerque, N.M.
Baylor's first-round matchup against Loyola Marymount is not an easy one.
Playing without second-leading scorer Steffanie Blackmon could make it even more difficult.
Baylor hopes to end Loyola Marymount's win streak at 15 when the team meets in a first-round matchup at The Pit.
Blackmon, second on the team with 15.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, twisted her left knee in an 80-72 victory over Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament on March 10. She was unable to play in Baylor's 63-59 loss to Texas in the semifinals.
Blackmon, a 6-foot-2 junior forward, is not expected to start for the Bears, but coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson has not ruled out that she could play. While the rest of her teammates practiced the past two days, Blackmon had her left knee iced and elevated.
"If I say she's not playing, and she comes up tomorrow and says, 'I want to try it, Coach,' then I'll look like a fool," Mulkey-Robertson said. "I probably won't ever make it, because if you make a decision like that for her, who knows what tomorrow brings?"
Loyola Marymount coach Julie Wilhoit, who guided the Lions to their first NCAA tournament appearance, knows Baylor remains a difficult opponent even without Blackmon.
"When somebody goes down, it's amazing what can happen on a team," Wilhoit said. "Somebody's been practicing against Blackmon all year, so now the other players will get a chance to show their passion and what they have in their hearts."
If Blackmon is unable to play, sophomore forward Sophia Young will be asked to carry a greater offensive burden.
Young leads the Lady Bears in scoring (16.4), ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.6) and steals (2.6) and third in field-goal percentage (.570). She was the only sophomore named to the All-Big 12 first team.
Seven of Baylor's eight losses this season came against teams ranked No. 15 or higher, and four were by three points or fewer.
The inside tandem of Blackmon and Young helped the Lady Bears outscore opponents by 16.5 points per game. The Lady Bears led the Big 12 with 77.0 points per game.
Loyola Marymount secured its first NCAA tournament berth with a 61-58 victory over Gonzaga in the championship game of the West Coast Conference tournament on March 7.
The win was the 15th straight for the Lions, who haven't lost since dropping their conference opener at Gonzaga on Jan. 10.
"It's another game for us," Wilhoit said. "We'll go in respecting Baylor like we've respected every team we've played all season. We played the whole WCC season with a target on our back because of our record and our streak, so our team will be prepared."
The Lions are one of the more experienced teams in the tournament with three senior starters, including fifth-year senior Kate Murray - the WCC player of the year. Murray leads the team with 16.0 points per game.
Baylor has won two of three meetings with Loyola Marymount.
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to play either No. 5 Florida or No. 12 New Mexico in the second round Monday.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Loyola Marymount - F Murray (16.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg), F Mary Turner (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), C Adrianne Slaughter (10.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg), G Raelen Self (4.6 ppg, 2.4 apg), G Bianca Ziemann (6.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg). Baylor - F Young (16.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg), F Abiola Wabara (2.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg), C Dionne Brown (7.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg), G Chelsea Whitaker (5.2 ppg, 4.3 apg), G Jessika Stratton (9.4 ppg, 3.8 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Loyola Marymount - Automatic bid, WCC champion. Baylor - At-large berth.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Loyola Marymount - No appearances. Baylor - 1-2, 2 years.
