Jan. 13, 2009

#5/5 Baylor (13-1, 1-0) vs. #20/#20 Iowa State (13-2, 1-0)

Wednesday, Jan. 14 - 7 p.m. (CST)
Ferrell Center (10,284) Waco, Texas

OVER THE AIRWAVES

TV: None

Webcast: BaylorBears.com
live audio (free) and video (pay)

Radio: ISP Sports Network
92.9 FM-KLRK
www.baylorbears.com

Radio Talent:
Rick May (Play-by-play)
Lori Fogleman (Color analyst)

Live Stats: www.baylorbears.com

BAYLOR PUTS ITS SEVEN-GAME WIN STREAK ON LINE
No. 5/5 Baylor puts its seven-game win streak on the line when it hosts 20th-ranked Iowa State in the Ferrell Center on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. (CST). Baylor is 13-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 with an 8-0 home mark.

Iowa State, 13-2 on the season and 1-0 in league play after a 63-55 home victory over No. 21 Oklahoma State on Saturday, comes to Waco riding an eight-game win streak. Since their last loss at Iowa on Dec. 7, the Cyclones have reeled off eight straight wins including victories over two ranked opponents, then-No. 20 Vanderbilt (55-51) and then-No. 21 Oklahoma State.

The Iowa State contest marks Baylor second matchup against a top 25 team and the first in a stretch of three-straight contests versus ranked opponents. Baylor downed then-No. 2 Stanford on Nov. 16, 81-65, at Waco.

LADY BEAR LEADERS
With 14 games under its belt, Baylor continues to lead the Big 12 Conference in rebounding and the nation in rebounding margin (+15.2). Five players haul down 5.3 or more rebounds a contest, junior post Danielle Wilson leads the way with 8.1, senior post Rachel Allison follows with 7.2, sophomore guard Melissa Jones and junior forward/post Morghan Medlock come off the bench to haul down 6.1 and 5.5 respectively, and senior guard Jhasmin Player averages 5.3 an outing. The Lady Bears average 46.6 rebound a contest while limiting their opponents to just 31.4.

Wilson leads the team in both scoring and rebounding at 15.1 points and 8.1 boards a game while Allison ranks second in both categories with 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds an outing. Senior guard Jessica Morrow completes Baylor's double-digit scoring at 10.0 a game while Player isn't far behind at 9.6 a contest.

BAYLOR LADY BEARS

IN THE POLLS
5 - Associated Press
5 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches

PROBABLE STARTERS
21 Kelli Griffin-So., G, 5-8 - 5.6 ppg, 2.8 ppg, 3.7 apg
15 Jhasmin Player-Sr., G, 5-10 -9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
3 Jessica Morrow-Sr., G, 6-0 - 10.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg
14 Rachel Allison-Sr., F, 6-1 - 13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg
11 Danielle Wilson-Jr., P, 6-3 15.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 3.1 bpg

TOP RESERVES
5 Melissa Jones-So., G, 5-10 - 6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
55 Morghan Medlock-Jr., F, 6-2 - 6.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg
24 Ashley Field-Fr., G, 6-2, 4.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg

BAYLOR QUICK HITS
- All three of Baylor's seniors, Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player, are scheduled to graduate in May 2009.
- Baylor's Jan. 10 victory at Colorado marked Kim Mulkey's 100th win versus Big 12 teams, she is 100-47 (.680).
- Freshman Cherrish Wallace will celebrate her 19th birthday, Friday, Jan. 16.
- Baylor achieved its highest Associated Press poll ranking of the season as it checks in this week at No. 5. The Lady Bears had been ranked No. 6 twice this season, Nov. 24 and Jan. 6. Baylor is now No. 5 in the USA Today ESPN Coaches' Poll for the second straight week.
- Baylor has not been out-rebounded this season and owns a +15.2 rebounding advantage over its opponents. The Lady Bears rank No. 1 nationally in rebound margin.
- BU leads the Big 12 in all rebounding categories, rebound offense (46.6), rebound defense (31.4) and rebound margin (+15.2).
- The Lady Bears own the Big 12's top two team rebounding marks this season. They hauled down 70 against Florida Atlantic (Nov. 14) and 64 versus Lamar (Dec. 8).
- Baylor has topped the 50-rebound mark five times this season (Florida Atlantic-70; Rice-52; UCF-50; Lamar-64; UT-Pan Am-50).
- Junior post Danielle Wilson blocked six shots against Stanford. Currently, at the 14-game mark, she has rejected 44 shots and totals 211 for her career to extend her school record. She is over half-way to her Baylor single-season record of 86 blocks she set as a rookie in 2006-07.
- Wilson currently ranks No. 7 on the Big 12's career shot block chart.
- Over the past eight games, Wilson has averaged 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.88 blocks and a .626 (62-99) shooting percentage. In addition, she has posted a double-double in four of the last six games.
- Wilson ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference in blocks per game (3.1) and No. 9 nationally.
- Wilson leads the team in double-doubles with five (Wisconsin, Lamar, Samford, UT-Pan Am, Oregon).
- Allison has two double-doubles to her credit this season, both have been recorded by halftime (Florida Atlantic, Rice).
- Allison saw her 46 consecutive starts and 109 consecutive games-played streaks halted when she sat out the UT-Pan American game with an injured left ankle.
- Jessica Morrow became the 25th Lady Bears to score 1,000 career points when she achieved the feat on Dec. 8 versus Lamar. She now has 1,059 career points.
- Rachel Allison became the 26th Lady Bears to score 1,000 career points when she achieved the feat on Jan. 3 versus Texas State. She now has 1,016 career points.
- The then-19th-ranked Lady Bears downed No. 2 Stanford, 81-65, on Sunday, Nov. 16.
- 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.
- After scoring a three-pointer in 43 straight games, dating back to Feb. 28, 2007, the Lady Bears have come up empty from behind the arch three times this season, they were 0-6 against Wisconsin and Colorado and 0-9 from 3-point range versus Samford.

WILSON ON A ROLL
Baylor's Danielle Wilson, an All-American candidate, has been on a roll recently. Over the past eight games, the junior post has produced five double-doubles, including four in the last six games, led the team in scoring on six occasions and rebounding in five contests. In addition, against Texas State she poured in a career-high 26 points.

Over the eight games she has averaged a team-leading 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.88 blocks while shooting 62.6 percent (62-99) from the floor. Wilson has raised her season averages to 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, both of which lead the team, and owns the squad's top field goal percentage at 53.7 percent (87-162). She has blocked a team-leading 44 shots which ranks her No. 2 in the Big 12.

As of games through Jan. 11, Wilson ranks No. 9 nationally in blocked shots (3.1) and No. 34 in field goal percentage (.537).

Wilson has hauled down 113 rebounds, 61 (54.0 percent) of which are off the offensive glass.

ALLISON CONTINUES TO POST IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS
Baylor All-American candidate 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, against No. 2 Stanford. 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 en route to a 16 point and 14 rebound effort.

On the season, Allison is averaging 13.8 points an outing and 7.2 rebounds per game, both of which ranked No. 2 on the squad. Due to an ankle injury, she sat out the UT-Pan American game which halted her 46 consecutive starts and 109 consecutive games-played streaks.

LADY BEAR SENIORS ON TRACK TO GRADUATE IN MAY
All three of Baylor's seniors, Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player, are scheduled to graduate in May 2009. Baylor boasts a 100% graduation rate by Lady Bears who have completed their athletic eligibility at BU since coach Mulkey's arrival.

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

BAYLOR IN BIG 12 GAMES
The 2008-09 season marks the 13th year of competition for women's basketball in the Big 12 Conference. Baylor has a record of 116-77 (.601) all-time in regular season Big 12 games. However in Kim Mulkey's nine years, Baylor is 89-40 (.690) in Big 12 play and has never posted a losing conference record. The 2004-05 Lady Bears claimed their first-ever Big 12 Conference championship, winning both the regular season and tournament titles.

Lady Bears under Kim Mulkey in regular season Big 12 games:
2000-01 - 9-7
2001-02 - 12-4
2002-03 - 8-8
2003-04 - 10-6
2004-05 - 14-2
2005-06 - 12-4
2006-07 - 11-5
2007-08 - 12-4 (best Baylor start in league history at 9-1)
2008-09 - 1-0

TWO LADY BEARS ACHIEVE 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Lady Bear senior Rachel Allison scored her 1,000th career point on Saturday against Texas State. The forward/post from Jonesboro, Ark., became the 26th Lady Bear to attain the milestone and now has 1,016 career points.

Fellow Lady Bear Jessica Morrow scored her 1,000th career point on Dec. 8, versus Lamar, she now has 1,059 points.

LADY BEARS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS
As a team, the Lady Bears rank among the NCAA's top 50 teams in eight categories: No. 1 rebounding margin (+15.2), No. 7 scoring margin (+22.5), No. 8 won-lost percentage (92.9), No. 13 scoring offense (75.9), No. 15 scoring defense (53.4), No. 16 field-goal percentage (45.0), No. 23 field-goal percentage defense (34.9) and No. 48 blocked shots per game (4.7).

Among individuals, Danielle Wilson is No. 9 in blocked shots (3.1) and No. 34 in field goal percentage (53.7) while sophomore point guard Kelli Griffin ranks No. 31 in assist-turnover ratio (1.86).

BAYLOR IN THE RANKINGS
In its latest poll (Jan. 12), the Associated Press lists Baylor at No. 5, its highest AP ranking of the season. Prior to the No. 5 listing, Baylor had been ranked No. 6 twice, Nov. 24 and Jan. 5. In addition, it is the Lady Bears' highest ranking since they were listed at No. 5 on Feb. 4, 2008. Baylor has been ranked in a school-record 101 straight AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24.

In the latest USA Today ESPN Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll, the Lady Bears are ranked No. 5.

BAYLOR'S AP POLL HISTORY
Baylor's 123 Associated Press Top 25 poll appearances in the 2000s, all of which have come under head coach Kim Mulkey, rank No. 13 on the wire service's all-time list. The Lady Bears' average ranking during that time frame is 10.89. Tennessee and Connecticut top the 2000s list with 181 each.

Baylor's average rank (10.89) during the 2000s is the highest among the five Big 12 schools included in the AP's top 25 listing: Baylor (10.89), Texas Tech (10.93), Oklahoma (12.08), Kansas State (12.80), Texas (13.63).

All told, the Lady Bears have appeared in the Associated Press Top 25 poll 139 times which ranks No. 33.

MULKEY VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
With Baylor's victory over second-ranked Stanford on Nov. 16, 2008, head coach Kim Mulkey is now 40-41 against ranked opponents. Since a 69-55 loss to No. 15 Texas during the 2004-05 season, Baylor is 25-17 versus ranked opponents.

SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
The Iowa State Cyclones, 13-2 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 action, enter the contest riding an eight-game win streak. Since their last loss at Iowa on Dec. 7, the Cyclones have reeled off eight straight wins including victories over two ranked opponents, then-No. 20 Vanderbilt (55-51) and then-No. 21 Oklahoma State.

Iowa State averages 24 3-point attempts per game and makes 7.9 of those, so the Lady Bears, who rank No. 6 in the league in 3-point percentage defense, will have their hands full defending beyond the arch.

Two Iowa State players are averaging double-digit scoring. Heather Ezell, a 5-9 senior guard, leads the squad in scoring with 12.0 points a game. Ezell leads the team in three-point shooting, with 40 makes on the season, which accounts for 33.9 percent of the team's treys. Alison Lacey, a 6-0 junior guard, completes the Cyclones' double-digit scoring with 10.5 an outing. She is the team's leading rebounder, hauling down 6.4 a contest.

Bill Fennelly is 293-134 in his 14th year as the Iowa State Cyclones' head coach, he possesses a 459-187 record in his 21 seasons as a head coach overall. Coach Fennelly is 5-9 versus Baylor throughout his coaching career at Iowa State.

IOWA STATE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
14 Heather Ezell - Sr., , G, 5-9 - 12.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.3 apg
4 Alison Lacey - Jr., G, 6-0 - 10.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.8 apg
11 Kelsey Bolte - So., G, 6-1 - 8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
5 Nicky Wieben - Sr., F, 6-4 - 9.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg
32 Amanda Nisleit - Sr., F, 6-0 - 7.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg

SERIES RECORD
Baylor and Iowa State will meet for the 15th time when the two teams square off on Wednesday night. Baylor leads the series 9-5 and has won four straight and seven of the last eight. Iowa State's most recent triumph over Baylor came on Feb. 14, 2004, in Ames, 81-72. Baylor holds a 5-1 lead in games played in Waco. The Cyclones' lone Waco win came on Feb. 5, 1997, 88-43.

Head coach Kim Mulkey owns an 8-2 record against Iowa State, including a 4-0 mark in Waco.

COMMON OPPONENTS
The Cyclones and the Lady Bears have only one common opponent to date, Stanford. Baylor downed the then-No. 2 Stanford squad, 81-65, in Waco while Iowa State suffered an 83-45 loss to the then-No. 8 Cardinal in Hawai'i's Waikiki Beach Classic on Nov. 29.