Women's Basketball Plays International Games

Women's Basketball 8/29/2008 12:00:00 AM

Aug. 29, 2008

WACO, Texas - Head coach Kim Mulkey and her Baylor women's basketball team will get a head start on the 2008-09 season when the Lady Bears participate in the program's first-ever international competition over Labor Day weekend.

Baylor will play two exhibition games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Saturday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Aug. 31. The Lady Bears will take on Simon Fraser University on Saturday followed by a Sunday contest against the University of British Columbia, both games begin at 7 p.m. Central time. Saturday's game versus SFU will be broadcast over the internet and live statistics will also be available via the internet.

All-Big 12 and All-Defensive team senior post Rachel Allison is expected to lead the Lady Bears this season after averaging 13.1 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game last season. In addition to Allison, Baylor returns three more starters off last season's 25-7 squad. Senior guards Jhasmin Player and Jessica Morrow return along with junior post Danielle Wilson. Player had averaged 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds a game before being sidelined with an ACL tear 21 games into the season. Morrow also averaged double-digit scoring in her junior season, knocking down 11.7 a contest while collecting 4.1 boards. Wilson completed the Lady Bears' double digit scoring with 10.4 points and added 6.8 rebounds a game which ranked second on the team.

Baylor's two then-freshmen, guards Kelli Griffin and Melissa Jones, saw considerable action as rookies, starting in eight and six games, respectively. Jones scored 5.4 points a game and averaged an impressive 5.6 rebounds while Griffin, running the point, tallied 2.8 an outing.

Seven newcomers grace the Baylor roster, six of which will travel to British Columbia. The most experienced of the seven is forward Morghan Medlock, a transfer from the University of Southern California, who, after receiving a waiver from the NCAA, will be eligible this season. Whitney Zachariason, a transfer from Arkansas, will miss the trip to Canada, she will become eligible beginning with Baylor's Dec. 20 game at Oregon.

The Lady Bears' 2008-09 roster sports five freshmen, four of which are guards, including Brianna Brown (Chandler, Ariz.), Terran Condrey (Eufaula, Ala.), Lindsay Palmer (Tulsa, Okla.) and Cherrish Wallace (Pasadena, Calif.). The lone non-guard newcomer is post Ashley Field (Burnet, Texas).

Simon Fraser (SFU) returns all but one player off last season's fifth place CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) National Championship squad. Last season the SFU squad completed the regular season as the top ranked team in the CIS but were upset on their home court and finished third in the Canada West Final Four.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) lost three of five starters off last season's 21-2 CIS championship team. Gone is lead scorer, championship MVP and Canada West defensive player of the year Erica McGuiness who averaged over 20 points per game. This year's team will be led by 6-2 post Lyanne Evans who averaged 9.5 points and 10.2 rebounds a game along with 2.4 blocks.

Saturday, Aug. 30 Baylor vs. Simon Fraser University, Chancellor Gym, Burnaby, B.C. - 7 p.m. Central

Sunday, Aug. 31 Baylor vs. University of British Columbia, War Memorial Gym, Vancouver, B.C., 7 p.m. Central

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