Nov. 15, 2006
WACO, Texas -
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Preseason WNIT Semifinal
#16/#16 Baylor (2-0) vs. #22/#18 BYU (2-0)
Thursday, Nov. 16 - 7 p.m.
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas
OVER THE AIRWAVES
TV: None
Webcast: FREE for all WNIT games.
Radio: KRZI/ESPN - 1660 AM
Radio Talent:
Rick May (Play-by-play)
Lori Fogleman (Color analyst)
BAYLOR Lady Bears
IN THE POLLS
16 - Associated Press
16 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
Angela Tisdale - Jr., G, 5-5 - 12.5 ppg, 3.0 apg
Jhasmin Player - So., G, 5-10 - 5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Jessica Morrow - So., G, 6-0 - 5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Rachel Allison - So., P, 6-0 - 11.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Bernice Mosby - Sr., P, 6-1 - 17.5 ppg, 15.5 rpg
BYU Cougars
IN THE POLLS
22 - Associated Press
18 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
Mallary Gillespie - Jr., G, 5-10 - 11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Jennie Keele - Sr., G, 5-10 - 6.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Shawnee Slade - So., F, 5-11 - 8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Melinda Johnsen - Sr., F, 5-10 - 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Dani Wright - Sr., C, 6-3 - 6.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
PRESEASON WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT (WNIT)
The Preseason WNIT field began with 16 high-caliber teams. The field has now been trimmed to four teams: Baylor/BYU and Purdue/N.C. State. Semifinal games will be played on Nov. 15 & 16 and the championship is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 19. All games are played on home campuses, which are determined after each round.
Semifinal games
Wednesday, Nov. 15
N.C. State at Purdue (7 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Nov. 16
BYU at Baylor (7 p.m. CT)
FREE WEBCAST FOR ALL WNIT GAMES
For Lady Bear fans that can't be at the Ferrell Center, all WNIT games that Baylor is involved in will be available via FREE video streaming at: www.baylorbears.com.
HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey
When Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey accepted the position of women's head basketball coach at Baylor University, few could have predicted the dramatic and prestigious turn the program was about to take.
In just six years at Baylor, the former All-American and Olympic Gold medalist has guided the Lady Bear basketball program to the pinnacle of women's basketball, the 2005 NCAA national championship, five NCAA Tournament appearances and six 20-win seasons.
The 2005 national title was Baylor's first for a women's team sport and the only basketball national title, men's or women's, in the Big 12 Conference's 10-year history.
In winning the 2005 title, Mulkey became the first person, man or woman, to win a basketball national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
En route to the NCAA championship, the Lady Bears won their first Big 12 Conference championship and were the league's tournament champion as well.
Mulkey has produced amazing results since taking over the reins of the program on April 4, 2000, averaging 26.1 wins a season. In her seven years at the program's helm, she has posted an impressive 159-45 (.779) record which ranks her No. 7 nationally in winning percentage.
Since taking over a squad that was just 7-20 the season prior to her arrival, Mulkey has guided the Lady Bears to six postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 2003 WNIT finals. In 2004, the Lady Bears made their first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 and have now played in three straight Sweet 16s.
SECOND APPEARANCE IN PRESEASON WNIT
Baylor is making its second appearance in the Preseason WNIT. The Lady Bears hosted first and second round games in 1998, winning their first round contest against Louisiana-Monroe (84-65) before losing in the second round to 22nd-ranked Florida, 70-58. Baylor is now 3-1 in Preseason WNIT contests.
HOW THEY GOT TO THE SEMIFINALS
Baylor advanced to the Preseason WNIT semifinals with victories over North Texas (84-47) and Hofstra (81-71).
BYU hosted Idaho State in first-round action and posted a 73-50 victory. The Cougars then went on the road and upset the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal on Monday night. Haley Hall banked in a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds left and the shot clock expiring and Stanford then missed three chances to score from close range, lifting BYU to a 55-52 win. The Cougars used an 18-2 run over the final 7:23 to advance to play at Baylor on Thursday night in the semifinals.
ON NOVEMBER 16TH
Baylor has played two games on November 16 and owns a 1-1 record on that date. The Lady Bears won a road game against San Jose State (75-61) in 1997 and lost to Florida (70-58) in second round Preseason WNIT action at Waco in 1998.
SCOUTING BYU
Sixth year BYU head coach Jeff Judkins (105-52) returns four starters and eight letterwinners off last season's program-best 26-6 team. The Cougars made their seventh postseason NCAA Tournament appearance and were Mountain West Conference regular season champions.
Freshman Haley Hall comes off the bench to lead the Cougars in scoring at 11.5 a game and has drained six treys in nine attempts. Junior guard Mallary Gillespie follows closely with 11.0 an outing and also has tossed up six 3-pointers. In fact, the duo combine to account for 12 of the team's 20 treys made. Senior center Dani Wright is the team's top rebounder at 7.5 a game while sophomore forward Shawnee Slade manages 6.0 a contest.
TEXAS TIES
The Cougars' trip to Waco will bring one BYU player back to her home state. Sophomore forward Brittany Faddis hails from Houston and graduated from Kingwood High School. She saw six minutes of action against Idaho State and hauled down four rebounds and dished out an assist.
SERIES RECORD VS. BYU
Thursday's contest marks the third meeting between the Lady Bears and the Cougars. The series is tied at 1-1. The two teams have not faced each other since 1978. Baylor posted an 81-77 win in Provo on Jan. 14 and then the Cougars defeated Baylor 75-69 on Nov. 25 as part of the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.
BAYLOR VS. MOUNTAIN WEST
Baylor holds a 33-15 series lead versus Mountain West Conference teams. Most of the games (28) were against TCU when it, along with Baylor, were Southwest Conference members.
BAYLOR IN THE RANKINGS
The Lady Bears are ranked in both major polls. They are listed at No. 16 in the most recent AP Poll which extends their school-record streak to 50 straight weeks. BU is ranked No. 16 in the current USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.
NO. 22 IN THE FERRELL CENTER
The BYU Cougars, ranked No. 22 nationally, are the highest ranked non-conference opponent to visit the Ferrell Center since 14th-ranked Arkansas played here in 1998.
ON THE SEASON
Two games into the season, four players are averaging double-digit scoring and one more is just one-half point below that mark.
Senior All-America candidate Bernice Mosby leads the way with 17.5 a game while freshman Danielle Wilson tallies 14.0, junior point guard Angela Tisdale manages 12.5 and sophomore Rachel Allison averages 11.0. Freshman guard Latara Darrett manages 9.5.
Mosby is averaging a double-double with 15.5 rebounds a game to go with her 17.5 points. Wilson and Allison each pull down eight boards a game. Wilson has used her expansive wing span (82 1/4") to block a team- and league-leading nine shots.
SEASON TICKET SALES
Last season the Lady Bears set a season ticket sales record and also set a single-season attendance record, topping the 100,000 mark for the first time in school history. Baylor has already broken last season's season ticket mark with over 5,000 sold so far this year.
In 2005-06, Baylor finished sixth nationally among NCAA Division I schools in home attendance with 7,717 fans a game.
