March 2, 2005
WACO, Texas -
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Game 27
March 3 - 7:30 p.m. (CST)
#7/8 Baylor (23-3, 13-2) vs. #13/13 Texas Tech (21-5, 12-3)
Ferrell Center (10,284) • Waco, Texas
RADIO
1660 AM - ESPN - Waco
Rick May - play-by-play
Lori Fogleman - color analyst
Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip.
TELEVISION
FSS (national broadcast)
Kevin Eschenfelder - play-by-play
Brenda Van Lengen - color analyst
INTERNET FEEDS
Audio - live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com
#7/8 BAYLOR AT #13/13 TEXAS TECH...
The 7th-ranked Baylor Lady Bears, 23-3 on the season and 13-2 in league action, host the Texas Tech Lady Raiders on Thursday, March 3 in the season's final regular season game. Texas Tech comes into the contest with a 21-5 overall record and is 12-3 in Big 12 Conference action.
• Baylor's four seniors, Steffanie and Tiffanie Blackmon, Melanie Hamerly and Chelsea Whitaker, will be honored in pregame ceremonies. The Lady Bears' Class of 2005 has helped the program post a 100-29 overall record since arriving on campus while advancing to the postseason every year and earning at least a share of its first-ever regular-season conference title this season.
• Baylor has won 16 straight at home since the Texas Tech loss a year ago (Feb. 8), the Big 12's longest active homecourt win streak and tied for the ninth-best nationally. The Lady Bears are 13-0 in the Ferrell Center this season.
• Baylor needs 8,772 fans in attendance at Thursday night's Texas Tech game to break the program's all-time attendance record of 93,909 which was established in 2001-02. That figure was achieved in 17 home games which included two postseason (NCAA) contests. If achieved, Baylor will have accomplished it in 14 games this season.
• Baylor claimed its first-ever Big 12 Conference women's basketball championship on Saturday when it defeated Colorado in Boulder. A win over Texas Tech on Thursday would give it the title outright, otherwise they Lady Bears will share it with the Lady Raiders and possibly Texas.
• The Lady Bears have won 10 straight league games for the first time in school history. BU posted six straight league wins to close out its 2001-02 conference slate.
• Baylor's current 10-game win streak ranks 10th nationally. The streak is the second double-digit win streak of the year.
• BU claimed the program's fifth straight 20-win season, sixth 20-win season since the NCAA began sponsoring women's basketball in 1981-82 and 11th in school history with its victory over Missouri on Feb. 16.
• With 13 Big 12 wins this season, Baylor broke its all-time conference wins mark. The Lady Bears finished the 2002 portion of their Big 12 slate at 12-4.
• BU's 23-3 overall record is the school's best mark after 26 games since the NCAA began sponsoring the sport and second only to a 24-2 start to the 1975-76 season. That team opened at 28-2 and finished at 31-6. Previously, BU was 22-4 in 2001-02 on its way to a 27-6 finish. BU's 23 wins is the ninth-most in school history.
The Lady Bears enter the contest atop the Big 12 standings at 13-2 with a one-game lead over Texas Tech and Texas, both of whom sit at 12-3. A win over Texas Tech would assure Baylor sole possession of Big 12 crown. A loss to the Lady Raiders would mean the two teams share the conference crown and if Texas wins its game at Texas A&M on Wednesday, it could claim a share of the title as well.
Baylor comes into the game having won 23 of its last 25 games and 10 straight. After opening the season with a 71-70 loss to then-No. 3 and currently No. 1 LSU, Baylor posted consecutive 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), Washington (74-58), Florida (89-62), Montana State (92-47), Texas A&M (64-50) and No. 7 Texas (63-60) before falling at Nebraska 103-99 in triple overtime. The Lady Bears got back on the winning track by defeating the University of Oklahoma (78-68) in Waco on Sunday, Jan. 16 but fell to Texas (69-55) in Austin on Jan. 22. Most recently, Baylor posted a 74-52 victory in Waco over Texas A&M, eeked out a 67-65 win at Oklahoma State, downed No. 15 Kansas State, 72-62, posted its first win in Lubbock since 1982 with a 52-49 victory over the Lady Raiders, narrowly defeated Oklahoma (73-72) in Norman, drubbed Oklahoma State 87-51 in Waco, beat Missouri 74-57, posted a five-point win (82-77) over 19th-ranked Iowa State, and claimed road wins last week over Kansas and Colorado.
National Player of the Year candidates Sophia Young and Steffanie Blackmon lead the team in both scoring and rebounding with Young averaging 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds and Blackmon right behind with 16.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. Young is No. 3 in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding and No. 4 in scoring, while Blackmon is sixth in scoring and No. 7 in reboundng. In league games only, Young ranks No. 2 in rebounding (9.6) and No. 4 in scoring (18.6).
Texas Tech, 21-5 on the season and 12-3 in the Big 12, enters the contest on a four-game win streak. Texas Tech sits one game back of Baylor in the conference standings and would earn a share of the conference crown with a victory over the Lady Bears. The Lady Raiders' three conference losses have come at the hands of Kansas State (55-53), Baylor (52-49) and Texas (64-43). Texas Tech owns a 6-2 record on the road this season and is 6-1 in Big 12 road games.
Four Lady Raiders score in double-digits on the season. Senior center Cisti Greenwalt, a 6-5 center, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds an outing. Sophomore forward Alesha Robertson follows with 12.9 points a game. Junior guard Chesley Dabbs scores 12.8 a game and junior forward/center LaToya Davis averages 11.9 points a game and ranks second on the squad in rebounding with 7.2 a contest.
BAYLOR HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey-Robertson...
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson owns a 121-38 head coaching record which equates to a .761 winning percentage in her fifth season along the Lady Bear sideline. She has produced 20-win seasons in each of her five years as a head coach and has taken the Lady Bears to postseason competition every season, 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 - 23-3 - Highest preseason ranking in school history (No. 8); highest ranking in program history (No. 2); first Big 12 Conference championship.
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.
Since taking over the Lady Bear program five years ago, Mulkey-Robertson has posted the best win total among Big 12 programs:
Baylor - 121-38
Texas Tech - 119-38
Texas - 119-41
Oklahoma - 118-43
Kansas State - 111-41
Colorado - 100-52
Iowa State - 99-50
Missouri - 80-47
Nebraska - 68-76
Oklahoma State - 55-88
Texas A&M - 57-81
Kansas - 50-81
*Baylor and Texas Tech are the only Big 12 teams to win 20 or more games in each of the past five seasons (since 2000-01).
BAYLOR IN BIG 12 ACTION...
The 2004-05 season marks the ninth year of competition for women's basketball in the Big 12 Conference. Baylor has an all-time record of 79-64 in Big 12 games. However, in Kim Mulkey-Robertson's five years, Baylor is 52-27 in Big 12 play and has never posted a losing conference record. The Lady Bears have won 25 of their last 33 regular season league games, including 10 straight.
2000-01 - 9-7
2001-02 - 12-4
2002-03 - 8-8
2003-04 - 10-6
2004-05 - 13-2
MULKEY'S TEAMS PROTECTING THE HOME COURT...
In Kim Mulkey-Robertson's five years as Baylor's head coach, her teams are 67-10 in the Ferrell Center and eight of those 10 losses have come against ranked teams. Baylor has won 16 straight at home since the Texas Tech loss a year ago, the Big 12's longest active homecourt win streak and tied for the ninth-best nationally. BU's only home losses under Mulkey-Robertson have come against:
Jan. 13, 2001 - lost to #17 Oklahoma (90-87)
Feb. 7, 2001 - lost to #11 Texas Tech (67-56)
Jan. 12, 2002 - lost to #3 Oklahoma (82-73)
March 17, 2002 - lost to Drake (76-72, 2nd Round NCAA)
Jan. 26, 2003 - lost to #22 Oklahoma (65-64)
Feb. 8, 2003 - lost to #5 Kansas State (65-53)
Feb. 26, 2003 - lost to #10 Texas (79-57)
April 4, 2003 - lost to Auburn (64-63, WNIT Finals)
Jan. 7, 2004 - lost to #14 Colorado (69-59)
Feb. 8, 2004 - lost to #9 Texas Tech (62-59)
