March 21, 2004
By Associated Press
GAME: No. 5 Florida (19-10) vs. No. 4 Baylor (25-8).
REGIONAL: Midwest, Second Round.
TIME: Monday, 9 p.m. EST.
SITE: The Pit; Albuquerque, N.M.
In all her NCAA tournament appearances, Carolyn Peck has never failed to get her team past the second round.
Boasting a 10-1 record in NCAA tournament play, the Florida coach will look to lead the Gators into their first regional semifinal in six years when they face Baylor.
This is Peck's third trip to the tournament in four seasons. She previously guided Purdue to a regional final in 1998, then led the Boilermakers to their only national title the following year.
The Gators missed the tournament last season, when they finished 9-19 in Peck's first season at Florida. Their 10 additional victories this season mark the biggest turnaround in school history.
Florida hasn't reached the regional semifinals since 1998, when it lost 71-58 to Duke.
The Gators were knocked out in the first round in three of their past four NCAA tournament appearances, but advanced Saturday with a 68-56 victory over New Mexico on the Lobos' home floor.
Peck won her seventh straight tournament game in front of a crowd of 16,029 - the third-largest ever for a first-round game in the Midwest Regional.
"On the outside you can say we were not intimidated, but the screaming crowd could be very intimidating," Florida senior Vanessa Hayden said.
The Gators held the Lobos to the fifth-lowest scoring output in NCAA tournament history. New Mexico entered with the nation's top defense, holding opponents to 50.5 points and 33 percent shooting.
Hayden, the SEC's top rebounder and defensive player of the year, had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks as Florida held a 45-36 rebounding advantage en route to snapping the Lobos' 11-game win streak.
"We will try to carry the torch from this game," Peck said. "I am proud and very happy our team will continue to play and I really hope the Lobo fans will come and yell for us on Monday."
Baylor has not gotten out of the second round in two previous tries.
The Lady Bears advanced with a a 71-60 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday. The top scoring team in the Big 12 this season, Baylor shot 50 percent in the first half on the way to snapping the Lions' 15-game winning streak.
Baylor was without Steffanie Blackmon, its second-leading scorer at 15.6 points per game. The junior was on crutches after twisting her left knee in the Big 12 tournament. Her status for Monday is uncertain.
Sophomore forward Sophia Young led Baylor with 24 points, six coming on back-to-back 3-point plays late in the game.
"There is no question that she needs to step up now and be our go to player," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson said of Young, the team's top scorer. "We are not going to make any secrets about her. We are going to go to Sophia."
Florida is 7-4 all-time against the Big 12, including 0-2 under Peck.
The Lady Bears and Gators have split two previous meetings, with Baylor winning 71-54 on the road in the last meeting Dec. 30.
"They are a different team than when we played them there and we also have gotten a lot better," Baylor senior Jessika Stratton said. "We just have to look at film and prepare. We know they are a very good basketball team and we have to make sure we bring our best game possible."
Monday's winner faces Tennessee or DePaul next Sunday in the regional semifinals at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Florida - F Brittany Davis (3.2 ppg, 3.8 apg), F Morehead (11.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), C Hayden (19.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg), G Tishona Gregory (5.8 ppg, 2.3 apg), G Danielle Santos (9.1 ppg, 3.3 apg). 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 Stratton (9.4 ppg, 3.8 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Florida - At-large berth; beat No. 12 New Mexico 68-56, first round. Baylor - At-large berth; beat No. 13 Loyola Marymount 71-60, first round.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Florida - 9-9, 10 years. Baylor - 2-2, 3 years.
