March 10, 2006

WACO, Texas - Game 30 - Big 12 Championship Finals
#10/10 Baylor (24-5) vs. #8/8 Oklahoma (28-4)

March 11, 2006 • 6 p.m. (CST)
Reunion Arena (18,000) - Dallas, Texas

RADIO
Baylor/ISP Sports Network
KRZI/ESPN 1660 AM
WBAP - 820 AM - Dallas

Rick May - play-by-play
Lori Fogleman - color analyst

Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip.

INTERNET FEEDS
Audio - live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com

TELEVISION - FSN
Kevin Eschenfelder - play-by-play
Debbie Antonelli - color analyst

Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Championship
First Round - March 7 (Tuesday)
Game 1: No. 9 Iowa State def. No. 8 Texas - 72-68
Game 2: No. 5 Texas Tech def. No. 12 Oklahoma State - 61-42
Game 3: No. 7 Kansas State def. No. 10 Kansas - 72-52
Game 4: No. 6 Nebraska def. No. 11 Colorado - 67-59

Quarterfinals - March 8 (Wednesday)
Game 5: No. 1 Oklahoma def. No. 9 Iowa State - 78-74
Game 6: No. 4 Missouri def. No. 5 Texas Tech - 81-75
Game 7: No. 2 Baylor def. No. 7 Kansas State - 79-74 OT
Game 8: No. 3 Texas A&M def. No. 6 Nebraska - 73-64

Semifinals - March 9 (Thursday)
Game 9: No. 1 Oklahoma def. No. 4 Missouri - 75-54
Game 10: No. 2 Baylor def. No. 3 Texas A&M - 53-52

Championship - March 11 (Saturday)
Game 11: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Baylor, 6 p.m. • FSN

BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP...
Baylor is 4-3 in first round games, 4-3 in quarterfinal round games, 3-1 in semifinal games and 1-1 in the finals. The Lady Bears are 12-8 all-told in Big 12 Tournament games, including 11-4 under head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson. She owns the best winning percentage in tournament history (.733). This marks Baylor's third championship final appearance as the Lady Bears defeated Kansas State last season (68-55) for their first-ever Big 12championship title and lost to Oklahoma (84-69) in 2002.

BAYLOR VS. OKLAHOMA...
The reigning NCAA champion Baylor Lady Bears, currently ranked No. 10 in both the AP listing and the coaches poll, enter the finals of the 2006 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship with a 24-5 overall record and winners of 59 of their last 68 games, including seven straight. The Lady Bears will face No. 1 seeded and eighth-ranked (both polls) Oklahoma, a 75-54 semifinal winner over Missouri. The Sooners, sporting a 16-game win streak, are 28-4 on the season. The matchup with the Sooners marks Baylor's eighth game of the season versus a ranked opponent.

Baylor's Sophia Young, national player of the year candidate and Big 12 Player of the Year, leads Baylor in both scoring and rebounding at 22.4 points and 10.0 rebounds a game. The Kodak All-American is No. 1 in the Big 12 in scoring and No. 3 in rebounding. Sophomore point guard Angela Tisdale ranks second on the squad in scoring at 12.1 an outing. Senior guard Chameka Scott ranks third on the team in scoring (8.9) and No. 2 in rebounding at 6.4 a game while Abiola Wabara, a junior post, manages 8.7 points and 5.8 boards.

Oklahoma is led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year Courtney Paris' 21.3 points and 14.7 rebounds a game, junior forward Leah Rush averages 10.0 points a game. Ashley Paris, Courtney's twin sister, ranks second on the team in rebounding at 6.7 a contest.

Sophia Young BIG 12 POY, Abiola Wabara CO-DEFENSIVE POY...
Lady Bear basketball is well-represented in the 2005-06 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Awards released March 3 by the league office. Sophia Young was honored as Big 12 Player of the Year, Abiola Wabara was named co-Defensive Player of the Year and Angela Tisdale, Chameka Scott and Wabara were All-Big 12 selections. Young and Wabara were named to the league's All-Defensive Team as well.

Sophia Young CLAIMS BIG 12 CAREER MARKS...
Sophia Young needed just two rebounds to claim the Big 12's all-time rebounding record and she got them against Colorado to pass former Texas standout Stacy Stephens for the top spot, Young now has 1,277 career boards. Young became the Big 12's all-time scoring leader against quarterfinal opponent Kansas State, passing Kansas State's Kendra Wecker's (2002-05) all-time total of 2,333, Young now sits at 2,395 points. She recently broke the league's career double-double mark of 54 and now sits atop the chart with 60. In addition, Young ranks No. 4 all-time in steals (307) and No. 9 in blocked shots (128).

Sophia Young CLOSE TO JOINING ELITE GROUP...
Sophia Young needs just five assists to join an elite group, which currently consists of three players, who have tallied 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 300 assists in their NCAA Division I careers. The elite group includes Cheryl Miller (USC), Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamicha Catchings (Tennessee). Young currently has 2,395 points, 1,277 rebounds, 307 steals and 295 assists.

BAYLOR QUICK HITS...
• Sophia Young has averaged 31.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in last four games, while scoring 20 or more points in six straight games.
• Baylor's four Big 12 losses were by a combined total of 12 points (at Missouri-3, at Texas Tech-2, vs. Oklahoma-3, at Oklahoma-4).
• After a 2-2 start in Big 12 play, Baylor won 10 of its last 12 (Both losses to Oklahoma) and is currently riding a seven-game win streak.
• In 12 Big 12 Championship games, Sophia Young averages 20.3 points and 9.6 boards a contest. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of last year's championship.
• In non-conference games, Baylor maintained a .298 (.48-161) shooting percentage from 3-point range but in Big 12 action it shot 37.3 percent (76-204). At the free throw line, the squad shot .656 (187-285) in non-conference play but was 251-of-335 (.749) in league action.
• Sophia Young is on track to join an elite group who have tallied 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals in their NCAA Division I career, as she currently has 2,395 points, 1,277 rebounds, 295 assists and 307 steals.
• Young now owns the Big 12 career scoring (2,395), rebounding (1,277) and double-double (60) records.
• Young is now the No. 2 scorer in Baylor history with 2,395 points, the highest point total since the sport came under NCAA sponsorship in 1981-82.
• Jordan Davis has missed only six free throws throughout her career (79-85, .929). Prior to missing her first free throw of the season at Texas Tech, she had drained 23 consecutive free throws.
• Baylor ranks among the top five in 18 of 19 Big 12 statistical categories (No. 9 in 3-point field goals made).
• BU players hold down three of the top seven spots in steals among league players. Sophia Young is No. 2 (2.15), Angela Tisdale ranks fifth (1.83) and Chameka Scott checks in at No. 7 (1.81).
• Kim Mulkey-Robertson's teams are 82-11 (.882) in the Ferrell Center.
• Prior to BU's Jan. 21 loss to Oklahoma, the Lady Bears had won 25 straight home games.
• Baylor is 121-12 (.909) under Mulkey-Robertson when scoring 70 or more points, including 75-3 (.962) when putting 80 or more on the scoreboard.
• Since coming to BU, Mulkey-Robertson has posted the highest win total (155) and winning percentage (.783) among Big 12 Conference programs.
• Young has produced double-digit scoring in 126 of 135 career games and 75 consecutive.
• Young has a Big 12 record 60 career double-doubles to her credit.
• Sophia Young has produced 21 double-doubles in 40 career games against ranked (AP) teams.
• Baylor has shot 35.9 percent from 3-point range in its wins compared to 18.9 percent in its losses. Offensively, the Lady Bears average 77.4 points in wins versus 65.4 points in losses. At the defensive end of the floor, Baylor yields 57.4 percent in its 24 victories compared to 74.0 ppg in its setbacks.
• Baylor is 18-1 on the season and 43-4 over the past two years when at least three Lady Bears record double-digit scoring efforts. The Lady Bears, who placed a season-high six players in double figures en route to victories over Kansas and Nebraska earlier this season, are 25-1 over the past two years when four or more players reach double figures, including 12-1 this season.

CHALKED UP ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON...
After posting 20-win seasons in each of her first five seasons, Kim Mulkey-Robertson and the Lady Bears made it six straight as they pushed their season record to 20-5 with an 86-40 triumph over Colorado. Prior to Mulkey-Robertson's arrival, the program had posted six 20-plus win seasons in 26 years and five of those were during pre-NCAA competition when there were no game limits. Since the NCAA began sponsoring women's basketball in the 1981-82 season Baylor had posted only one 20-win season (1997-98, 20-11) prior to Mulkey-Robertson assuming the reins of the Lady Bear program. At 24-5, Baylor enjoys its third-best record after 29 games in Mulkey-Robertson's tenure behind a 26-3 mark a year ago and a 25-4 record in 2001-02.

THE COACHES...
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson is in her sixth season and owns a 155-43 head coaching record which equates to a .783 winning percentage. She has produced 20-win seasons in each of her six years as a head coach and has taken the Lady Bears to postseason competition every year, four times to the NCAA Tournament and to the 2003 WNIT finals. In 2005, the Lady Bears claimed Baylor's and the Big 12's first NCAA basketball championship. Mulkey-Robertson is 4-9 versus Oklahoma, as the Sooners are the only program with a winning record over the Baylor bench boss.

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 - 33-3 - NCAA Champions
2005-06 - 24-5 (Sixth straight 20-win season)

Mulkey-Robertson is the second winningest coach in school history and needs 14 victories to surpass No. 1 Pam Bowers, who achieved that record in 15 years (1980-1994).

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.

Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 193-112 in her 10th year as a head coach, all of which have come at Oklahoma. Coach Coale is 13-8 versus Baylor throughout her coaching career at Oklahoma.

THE SERIES...
Baylor and Oklahoma will meet for the 25th time when the two teams square off on Saturday evening. Oklahoma leads the series, 16-8. Baylor has won four of the last six contests between the two schools but OU has won both meetings this season (73-70, 81-77 OT).

The series seems to run in streaks: Oklahoma began the series by winning three straight, then Baylor prevailed in the next four, the Sooners reeled off 11 straight victories before BU claimed wins in four contests, but most recently OU has posted two straight victories.

BY THE NARROWEST OF MARGINS...
Baylor's four Big 12 losses this season have come by a combined total of 12 points. It dropped a three-point decision at Missouri (64-61), lost by two (64-62) at Texas Tech, lost to Oklahoma by three, 73-70, in Waco and by four (81-77 in OT) to the Sooners in Norman. Baylor, 2-4 in games decided by five or fewer points this season, has won its last two games by a combined total of six points, a 79-74 win over Kansas State and a 53-52 decision versus Texas A&M.

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS...
Baylor is 4-3 versus top 25 opponents this season and 1-2 against top 10 teams. Baylor opened the season with an 84-72 win over No. 9 Georgia in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in Lubbock, Texas. BU then followed that with a 61-48 triumph over No. 23 Texas, suffered a 73-70 loss at home to 17th-ranked Oklahoma, a road defeat at No. 4 LSU (88-57) and a road loss at No. 9 Oklahoma (81-77 OT). Baylor's win at 21st-ranked Texas A&M (84-59) was its largest margin of victory ever over a ranked opponent. BU posted its fourth win over a ranked team with a 53-52 triumph over the Aggies in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship. Baylor has won 14 of its last 17 games versus rated opponents.

Kim Mulkey-Robertson was 14-23 versus ranked (AP) teams in her first four seasons as head coach, but is 15-5 in the last two years versus rated foes to push her record in such games to 29-28 all-time.

BAYLOR, YOUNG, TISDALE AMONG NCAA LEADERS...
According to the most recent NCAA statistics (through games of March 6) Baylor ranks among the nation's top 30 teams in eight areas including scoring margin (No. 9), blocks (No. 16), scoring offense (No. 12), steals (No. 17), assists (No. 19), turnovers (No. 20), won-lost pct. (No. 20), and field goal pct. (No. 27).

Sophia Young ranks No. 3 in scoring, No. 19 in field goal percentage and No. 26 in rebunds while Angela Tisdale is No. 13 in assists.