Feb. 11, 2005

I think we left off at the beginning of a big week for Baylor basketball. Kansas State came in first and we took care of them pretty well. Jordan was coming off of a huge day, with her amazing article in the paper. She was a huge ball of enthusiasm for us at all times and that night was our time to be there for her. She played one of the best games I have ever seen and as a result we came out with win number one. It was a good game for us to get some momentum for our road trips. Kansas State is a great team and they gave us a good note to leave home on.

Off to Red Raider land we went, with good intentions in mind. We had the opportunity to do something no Baylor team had done before - win in Lubbock. We also had the opportunity to take control of our spot to be Big 12 Champions. It was a very important game for each team and that was no secret considering the 15,050 people who wanted to be witness to it.

We have played in front of big crowds before and Tech is famous for their crowd support but its always overwhelming when you find yourself on the bad side of that many people. The atmosphere was what you prepare yourself for on the road, it's what makes getting out of there with a win so much more fulfilling; it's what separates good teams from great teams.

The game was up and down as we anticipated; neither team just ran away with a huge lead at any point. The defensive side of the game was the most prevalent factor and you could see that in such a low scoring game. We threw out a lot of different defenses as well as Tech and each team adjusted well offensively but this game, like many others, came down to the last possessions. When the last minute sounded I remember everything getting a lot quieter in my head. We as a team pulled together after our last timeout and said we were determined to walk out of that gym with a victory. After we let Erin Grant hit her first three, we came down and answered (wink, wink) to push the lead back up, then with a defensive stop and a couple free throws we put the game away for good.

It was a great feeling to leave that arena with and an even better feeling to return to the hotel into the open arms of a bus load of fans! We really appreciated the fan support even though Tech stuck a good portion of you guys in the rafters. I guess they found out how good our fans are and tried to keep you guys from us. Either way it didn't work and we headed home Sunday morning to enjoy the rest of our day off.

Monday was time to get back to work and we focused on OU to finish our tough stretch of schedule. It was a very productive practice and we got a lot of half court execution done. It was a good thing I forgot to unpack from Tech because we loaded up the bus on Tuesday after class to make the trip to Norman. Now this trip is all too familiar and still kind of fresh from the last visit. But in an attempt to focus on the good things Norman had to offer, we never really just played bad there. It was going to be another hostile environment but after playing Tech, nothing really seems that bad!

The night we arrived we had practice and then went to dinner and it turned out that country music singer guy Toby Keith was dining out that night as well, right behind our table. Now this celebrity sighting meant more to some of the Lady Bears than others, considering Chanelle thought his name was Keith Toby, but it was fun nonetheless. OU was in a hole of some sort with their season. They were searching for a big win and they drooled at the thought of getting us at home. So once again we entered a match-up fueled by ulterior motives. We had to match their intensity and find a way to motivate ourselves to get past them.

It was a tough game from beginning to end, everyone did something to contribute but none more memorable than Sophia hitting an 18-footer to win the game. She amazes me. It was such a big-time play and so typical of her to be the one to make it. We were all excited and yet there was still a sense of `that's what we are supposed to do..." in the air. After the game we got a nice visit from WNBA star Lisa Leslie. She came to the locker room right after the game to give some inspiring words of encouragement and insight. We took pictures and talked for a few minutes before she had to go and we loaded the bus one last time.

So back to home sweet Waco, we finally unpack for a while and enjoy the three-game stretch of the home court advantage. We took a very light day today and we are looking forward to the game on Saturday. Hope to see you all there and I'm sure you will give us a nice warm welcome crowd. Until next time...

- Chameka