Nov. 25, 2008
#6/9 Baylor (4-0) at Paradise Jam, Island Division
Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 27 - 29 - 2:30 p.m. (CST)
Univ. of Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Thursday, Nov. 27 - BU vs. Central Florida (1-2)
Friday, Nov. 28 - BU vs. Villanova (2-1)
Saturday, Nov. 29 - BU vs. Wisconsin (2-1)
BAYLOR TO PLAY IN VIRGIN ISLANDS PARADISE JAM TOURNAMENT
The sixth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (4-0) will be one of eight Division I women's basketball teams competing in the ninth annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Tournament at the University of the Virgin Islands over the Thanksgiving holidays, Nov. 27-29.
The Paradise Jam consists of two separate tournaments - the Island Division and the Reef Division, each is a four-team, three-game round robin format. Joining Baylor in the Island Division are Central Florida, Villanova and Wisconsin while California, Iowa, South Florida and Texas Tech comprise the Reef Division.
This will be Baylor's first appearance in the Paradise Jam. The Lady Bears have previously played in the 2003 San Juan Shootout at San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 2005 Caribbean Classic at Riviera Maya, Mexico and the 2006 Junkanoo Jam at Freeport, Bahamas. Baylor is undefeated in these tournaments at 6-0.
OVER THE AIRWAVES
TV: None
Webcast: BaylorBears.com
live audio (free)
Radio: ISP Sports Network
1660 AM-KRZI/ESPN (Thur. & Fri.)
92.9 FM - (Saturday)
www.baylorbears.com
Radio Talent:
Rick May (Play-by-play)
Lori Fogleman (Color analyst)
Live Stats: www.baylorbears.com
BAYLOR LADY BEARS
IN THE POLLS
6 - Associated Press
9 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
15-Jhasmin Player-Sr., G, 5-10 -11.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
5-Melissa Jones-So., G, 5-10 - 10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg
3-Jessica Morrow-Sr., G, 6-0 - 8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
14-Rachel Allison-Sr., F, 6-0 - 17.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg
11-Danielle Wilson-Jr., P, 6-3 11.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg
TOP RESERVES
55-Morghan Medlock-Jr., F, 6-2 - 5.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg
21-Kelli Griffin-So., G, 5-8 - 6.3 ppg, 2.3 ppg, 3.5 apg
25-Lindsay Palmer-Fr., G, 5-10, 5.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
24-Ashley Field-Fr., G, 6-2, 4.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
BIG 12 TOGETHERNESS
Baylor and Texas Tech are both participating in the Paradise Jam although playing in different divisions.
The two teams and their fans are sharing a charter plane for the trip to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The plane will go to Lubbock first and pick up the Red Raiders then travel to Waco for the Baylor contingent to board.
There are a couple of ties among the two schools; Baylor coaches Kim Mulkey and Leon Barmore and Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry were all on staff together at Louisiana Tech. Former Baylor associate head coach Bill Brock now holds the same position at Texas Tech.
BAYLOR QUICK HITS
- The then-19th-ranked Lady Bears downed No. 2 Stanford, 81-65, on Sunday, Nov. 16. - Baylor moved up to No. 6 in the most recent AP poll, jumping four spots, the Lady Bears began the season No. 19 in the preseason poll. Baylor is now No. 9 in the USA Today ESPN Coaches' Poll.
- BU's victory over No. 2 Stanford marked the program's highest-ranked regular season win.
- Senior post Rachel Allison, 6-1, scored 25 points and hauled down eight rebounds against Stanford's tall posts.
- Baylor tallied a school record 70 rebounds versus an NCAA opponent in its win over Florida Atlantic.
- Junior post Danielle Wilson blocked six shots against Stanford. Four games into the season she has rejected 10 shots and totals 176 for her career to extend her school record.
- For the seventh time in her nine seasons, the Kim Mulkey-coached Lady Bears begin a season at 4-0.
- In three of Baylor's four games, five players have scored in double digits.
- Allison has two double-doubles to her credit this season, both have been recorded by halftime (Florida Atlantic, Rice).
GAME TIME CHANGE
Baylor's game time at Oregon, Dec. 20 had been changed to 10 p.m. Central time. The contest will be part of a men's and women's doubleheader as Oregon's men will play Portland at 7 p.m. Central time. Both contests will be televised on the Oregon Sports Network (Comcast Sports Network Northwest).
ALL-AMERICAN NUMBERS
Baylor's Rachel Allison has begun the season with considerable success. After hanging 18 points and 13 rebounds against Florida Atlantic, the 6-1 forward/post scored 25 points, 20 of which came in the first half. She was 9-for-16 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. In addition, she hauled down eight rebounds and had a block and a steal. She continues to excel, notching another double-double (11p/10r) in the first half against Rice.
On the season, Allison is averaging 17.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Baylor's 2000-01 team, to this date, is head coach Kim Mulkey's best rebounding team, finishing the season at 46.5 a game. So far this season, the Lady Bears are neck-and-neck with where that team was four games into the season. At this point in 2000, the Lady Bears were averaging 53.5 rebounds a game. Currently, Baylor is hauling down an impressive 53.2 boards a game.
BEVY OF NEWCOMERS
An abundance of newcomers, two staff and six players, grace this season's Lady Bear program.
Baylor's two new staffers are no strangers to Kim Mulkey who. She is reunited with her former boss and coach at Louisiana Tech, the legendary Leon Barmore, who signed on as an assistant coach, and a former Lady Bear graduate assistant Rekha Patterson, who was hired as coordinator of basketball operations. With the addition of Barmore, Baylor becomes one of just three women's programs, joining Tennessee and Rutgers, with at least two Women's Basketball Hall of Fame members on its staff. Mulkey was enshrined in 2000 while Barmore entered the Hall in 2003. In addition, Barmore was a 2003 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baylor's six newcomers include four freshmen and two transfers. Junior Morghan Medlock (Pasadena, Calif.) will have two years of eligibility left after transferring to Baylor from USC. Whitney Zachariason (Little Rock, Ark.), a transfer from the University of Arkansas, will become eligible to play at the conclusion of the fall semester (first game will be Dec. 20 vs. Oregon) after sitting out in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. Freshman include Terran Condrey (Eufaula, Ala./Eufaula HS), Ashley Field (Burnet, Texas/Faith Academy), Lindsay Palmer (Tulsa, Okla./Union HS) and Cherrish Wallace (Pasadena, Calif./John Muir HS). All newcomers attended Baylor summer sessions and participated in the Lady Bears' strength and conditioning program.
BAYLOR IN THE RANKINGS
After defeating the then-No. 2 Stanford Cardinal on Nov. 16, the Lady Bears moved up nine spots, to No. 10, in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. This week, Baylor has moved up to No. 6 after wins over Stephen F. Austin and Rice. Baylor has been ranked in a school-record 94 straight AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24.
In the USA Today ESPN Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll, the Lady Bears are ranked No. 9, up from the No. 17 preseason ranking.
BAYLOR TOPS IN RECRUITING
Baylor's recruiting class, which signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, Nov. 12, has been ranked as the nation's consensus No. 1 recruiting class according to USA Today. The publication complied the rankings of the top recruiting services, Collegiate Girls Basketball Report (BU #1), ESPNU's HoopGurlz (BU #1) and Blue Star Basketball (BU #2), to determine the best recruiting class.
Led by the nation's top prep player, 6-8 post Brittney Griner (Houston Nimitz), the Lady Bears also inked 6-2 forward Mariah Chandler (Southwest Atlanta Christian), 5-11 guard Kimetria "Nae-Nae" Hayden (Dallas Lincoln), 6-0 guard Jordan Madden (Lepanto, Ark., East Poinsett County) and Shanay Washington (Austin Del Valle).
NEARING 1,000
Two Lady Bear seniors are closing in on 1,000 career points. With 954 points to her credit, Jessica Morrow needs just 46 to reach the milestone while Rachel Allison, with her 907 points, needs to score 93 to reach 1,000.
HALL OF FAME COACHES
With the addition of Leon Barmore to the Lady Bear coaching staff, Baylor becomes one of just three women's programs, joining Tennessee and Rutgers, with at least two Women's Basketball Hall of Fame members on its 2008-09 staff. Head coach Kim Mulkey was enshrined in 2000, while Barmore entered the Hall in 2003. In addition, Barmore was a 2003 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
LADY BEARS SELECTED FOURTH BY COACHES
For the fifth straight year, the Lady Bears have been selected by the league's coaches to finish among the top four in the Big 12 women's basketball regular season race. The Big 12 coaches picked Baylor to finish fourth in the league's annual preseason poll. Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa State were tabbed to finish ahead of Baylor.
Only once over the past five seasons has Baylor finished below the coaches' predictions:
2007-08 - Predicted No. 3, finished No. 2
2006-07 - Predicted No. 4, finished No. 3
2005-06 - Predicted No. 1, finished No. 2
2004-05 - Predicted No. 2, finished No. 1
2003-04 - Predicted No. 6, finished No. 4
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
UCF - The University of Central Florida Knights enter the game at 1-2 with a victory over Florida A&M (71-69) and losses to Colorado (86-59) and Florida Atlantic (68-63). Three players are scoring in double digits for UCF. Sophomore Emma Cannon, a 6-2 center, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 17.3 points and 12.7 rebounds an outing. Marshay White, a 5-6 sophomore guard, comes off the bench to score 11.0 a game while Marcquitta Head, a 6-4 junior center, also averages 11.0 a contest. Head ranks second on the squad in rebounding at 9.0 a contest.
UCF's Joi Williams is in her second season at the Knight's helm and fifth season overall as a head coach.
UCF's PROBABLE STARTERS
10 Aisha Patrick - Fr., G, 5-9 - 7.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 apg
2 D'Nay Daniels - So., G, 5-10 - 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
23 Jelisa Caldwell - So., G, 5-9 - 1.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
24 Emma Cannon - So., F, 6-2, 17.3 ppg, 12.7 rpg
22 Marcquitta Head - Jr., C, 6-4 - 11.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg
VILLANOVA
The Villanova Wildcats, 2-1 after suffering a season-opening loss to LaSalle (67-62), enter the Paradise Jam on a two-game win streak after victories at Fairfield (61-45) and Pennsylvania (45-43). The Wildcats are led by 31st-year head coach Harry Perretta who sports a 555-330 career record, all at Villanova.
Villanova is led by 6-1 senior forward Laura Kurz's 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Junior guard Maria Getty completes the Wildcats' double-digit scoring average with 14.7 a contest. Senior forward Lisa Karcic, at 6-1, ranks second on the squad in rebounding at 7.0 an outing.
VILLANOVA'S PROBABLE STARTERS
5 Maria Getty - Jr., G, 5-9 - 14.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
21 Tia Grant - Jr., G, 5-11 - 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
3 Laura Kurz - Sr., F, 6-1, 15.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg
11 Lisa Karcic - Sr., F, 6-1, 5.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg
55 Heather Scanlon - So., C, 6-1 - 4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
WISCONSIN
The Wisconsin Badgers are 2-1 after a season-opening loss at South Dakota State (64-44) and home victories over Drake (55-39) and Canisius (69-54). Alyssa Karel, a 5-7 sophomore guard, is the only player averaging in double digits at 10.7 a contest. The Badgers feature balanced scoring as three players score 7.0 a game each and three others average between 6.7 and 6.7 a contest. Lin Zastrow, a 6-4 sophomore forward, is the team's top rebounder at 7.0 a game.
Lisa Stone is in her sixth-year as the Badgers' head coach.
WISCONSIN'S PROBABLE STARTERS
11 Rae Lin D'Alie - Jr., G, 5-3 - 7.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3.3 apg
13 Teah Gant - Jr., G, 5-10, 6.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
30 Alyssa Karel - So., G, 5-7, 10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg
4 Tara Steinbauer - So., F, 6-0 - 7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
33 Lin Zastrow - S0., F, 6-4 - 6.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg
SERIES RECORDS
The Baylor-UCF matchup will be the third meeting between the two schools, Baylor owns a 2-0 series lead. BU's first victory over the Knights came on Dec. 31, 1992, when the Lady Bears posted a 110-67 victory as part of the Central Florida Holiday Classic. The most recent meeting between UCF and BU came on Nov. 24, 2006, as part of the Junkanoo Jam at Freeport, Bahamas. Baylor prevailed in that contest 78-48.
This will be the first meeting between Villanova and Baylor.
Baylor and Wisconsin will meet on the court for just the second time. The Badgers lead the series 1-0 after defeating the Lady Bears 77-52 on Nov. 25, 1994, as part of the Staint Mary's Thanksgiving Tip-Off Classic at Moraga, Calif.
THE COACHES
UCF's She is 11-23 at UCF and owns a career mark of 66-84.
The Villanova Wildcats are led by 31st-year head coach Harry Perretta who sports a 555-330 career record, all of which have come at Villanova.
The Badgers are led by sixth-year head coach Lisa Stone who sports a 73-78 record at Wisconsin and a 448-196 mark in 25 seasons as a head coach.
LADY BEARS VS. C-USA, BIG EAST AND BIG TEN
Central Florida is the second of two Conference USA schools the Lady Bears will face this season. Baylor is 56-76 versus C-USA teams after defeating Rice (83-58) on Sunday, Nov. 23.
The contest with Villanova will mark just the seventh Big East team for Baylor. The Lady Bears are 2-4 versus Big East schools. Baylor will play another Big East team, St. John's, on Dec. 6.
Baylor holds a 5-4 series lead over Big Ten teams. Wisconsin will be BU's only regular-season Big Ten opponent in 2008-09.
