March 11, 2009
#7/7 Baylor (24-5, 12-4) vs. Texas Tech (16-14, 6-10) or Oklahoma State (15-14, 4-12)
Friday, March 13 - 5:00 p.m. (CT)
Cox Convention Center
Oklahoma City, Okla.
OVER THE AIRWAVES
TV: Fox Sports Network
Brent Stover, play-by-playv Brenda VanLengen, color analyst
Internet Feeds
Webcast: BaylorBears.com
Live audio (free)
Radio: KLRK - 92.9 FM - Waco
Radio Talent:
Rick May, play-by-play v Lori Fogleman, color analyst
Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Championship
First Round - March 12 (Thursday)
Game 1: No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Colorado - 11:00 a.m.
Game 2: No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 Nebraska - 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Missouri - 5:00 p.m.
Game 4: No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Oklahoma State - 7:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals - March 13 (Friday)
Game 5: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Game 2 winner - 11:00 a.m. • FSN
Game 6: No. 4 Texas A&M vs. Game 1 winner - 1:30 p.m. • FSN
Game 7: No. 2 Baylor vs. Game 4 winner - 5:00 p.m. • FSN
Game 8: No. 3 Iowa State vs. Game 3 winner - 7:30 p.m. • FSN
Semifinals - March 14 (Saturday)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:00 p.m. • FSN
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m. • FSN
Championship - March 15 (Sunday)
Game 11: Winner G9 vs. Winner G10, 12:30 p.m. • FSN
BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPs
Baylor is 4-3 in first round games, 5-4 in second round games, 3-2 in semifinal games and 1-2 in the finals.
The Lady Bears are 13-11 all-told in Big 12 Championship games, including 12-7 under head coach Kim Mulkey. BU has won its first Big 12 Championship game in seven of Mulkey's eight seasons and has played in two of the last four title games.
LADY BEAR SEEDS
This season marks the fifth straight year, and sixth time overall, that the Lady Bears have earned a top four seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Baylor was the tournament's top seed in 2005, the year it claimed both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles en route to the NCAA championship. Baylor has earned a No. 2 seed on four occasions, 2002, `06, `08 and `09 and was a No. 3 seed in 2007.
HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey
When Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey accepted the position of women's basketball head coach at Baylor University, few could have predicted the dramatic and prestigious turn the program was about to take. In just eight 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, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and eight 20-win seasons.
The 2005 national title was Baylor's first for a women's team sport and the first basketball national title, men's or women's, in the Big 12 Conference's 12-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 25.7 wins a season. In her nine years at the program's helm, she has posted an impressive 232-65 (.781) record which ranks her No. 8 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 eight postseason appearances, including seven NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the WNIT finals. Mulkey's autobiography, "Won't Back Down," hit bookstores on Nov. 1, 2007, the paperback edition became available on Sept. 8, 2008.
Since coming into the league in 2000-01, Kim Mulkey owns the top winning percentage and most victories among Big 12 coaches at 78.1 percent (232-65).
In addition, under Mulkey, BU has won at least 24 games in each of the last eight years, the league's longest active 20-game win streak and with 12 Big 12 wins this season, Mulkey has now registered 10 or more league wins in seven of her nine seasons at Baylor, including six straight campaigns. Next best is Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, who have won 10 or more games four times during the six-year period.
BAYLOR Lady Bears
IN THE POLLS
7 - Associated Press
7 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
G-21 Kelli Griffin - So., 5-8 - 6.6 ppg, 3.6 apg
G-15 Jhasmin Player - Sr., 5-10 - 10.5 ppg, 5.7 apg
G-3 Jessica Morrow - Sr., 6-0 - 11.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
P-14 Rachel Allison - Sr., 6-1 - 8.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg
P-24 Ashley Field - Fr., 6-2 - 3.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg
OKLAHOMA STATE Cowgirls
IN THE POLLS
NR - Associated Press
NR - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
G-10 Andrea Riley - Jr., G, 5-5 - 23.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.1 apg
G-13 Taylor Hardeman - Sr., G, 5-10 - 6.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg
F-1 Tegan Cunningham - Jr., F, 6-1 - 10.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg
F-32 Shaunte' Smith - Sr., F, 6-0 - 11.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg
C-33 Megan Byford - Jr., C, 6-2 - 4.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg
TEXAS TECH Lady Raiders
IN THE POLLS
NR - Associated Press
NR - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
G-3 Maria Moore - Sr., 5-5 - 8.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.0 apg
G-13 Jordan Murphree - Jr., G, 6-0 - 11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
F-41 Dominique Seals - Sr., F, 6-2 - 13.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg
F-31 Ashlee Roberson - Jr., F, 5-11 - 5.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg
C-20 Kierra Mallard - Fr., C, 6-3 - 9.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg
BAYLOR'S BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
1997 (1-1)
First round - defeated Oklahoma State, 68-62
Quarterfinals - lost to Kansas, 66-54
1998 (0-1)
First round - lost to Kansas State, 71-66 OT
1999 (0-1)
First round - lost to Missouri, 60-55
2000 (0-1)
First round - lost to Nebraska, 82-61
2001 (1-1)
First round - defeated Kansas State, 60-44
Quarterfinals - lost to Iowa State, 73-48
2002 (2-1)
Quarterfinals - defeated Texas Tech, 75-60
Semifinals - defeated Iowa State, 91-83
Finals - lost to Oklahoma, 84-69
2003 (1-1)
First round - defeated Texas A&M, 80-61
Quarterfinals - lost to Kansas State, 77-60
2004 (2-1)
First round - defeated Kansas, 86-71
Quarterfinals - defeated Texas Tech, 80-72
Semifinals - lost to Texas, 63-59
2005 (3-0)
Quarterfinals - defeated Missouri, 70-52
Semifinals - defeated Texas Tech, 58-57
Finals - defeated Kansas State, 68-55
2006 (2-1)
Quarterfinals - defeated Kansas State, 79-74 OT
Semifinals - defeated Texas A&M, 53-52
Finals - lost to Oklahoma, 72-61
2007 (1-1)
Quarterfinals - defeated Kansas, 71-54
Semifinals - lost to Oklahoma, 78-64
2008 (0-1)
Quarterfinals - lost to Texas, 76-61
BAYLOR HONORS IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Five Lady Bear players have been named to the Phillips 66 Big 12 All-Tournament team, all since Kim Mulkey's arrival.
2002 - Sheila Lambert, Danielle Crockrom
2004 - Sophia Young
2005 - Sophia Young (Most Outstanding Player), Steffanie Blackmon
2006 - Sophia Young
2007 - Jessica Morrow
LADY BEAR LEADERS
With 29 games under its belt, Baylor continues to rank among the Big 12 Conference leaders in rebounding and is No. 6 nationally in rebounding margin (+9.6). Four players haul down 5.5 or more rebounds a contest, junior post Danielle Wilson leads the way with 9.6, senior post Rachel Allison ranks second on the squad with 6.0 and senior guard Jhasmin Player and sophomore guard Melissa Jones haul in 5.7 each. The Lady Bears average 44.4 rebounds a contest while limiting their opponents to just 34.8.
Wilson leads the team in both scoring and rebounding at 15.1 points and 9.6 boards a game while senior guard Jessica Morrow ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.2 a contest and Player completes Baylor's double-digit scorers at 10.5 a game.
BAYLOR QUICK HITS
• All three of Baylor's seniors, Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player, are scheduled to graduate in May 2009. The trio has posted a 101-27 (.789) record, including a 59-7 (.894) Ferrell Center mark, throughout their four years. This class has posted three Big 12 Conference second-place finishes and one third-place finish.
• Senior Jhasmin Player needs three more steals to rank No. 10 on BU's all-time steals list, she currently has 185. In addition, she needs 75 points to reach 1,000 for her career.
• Baylor eclipsed the 100,000 mark in home attendance for the fourth straight season with 104,925 fans in 2008-09. The ranks as the third-highest single-season total in school history and is also No. 3 in attendance average at 6,558 fans per contest.
• For the first time in program history, with wins over No. 2 Stanford (81-65), No. 9 Texas A&M (64-61) and No. 10 Texas A&M (64-60) the Lady Bears have posted more than one regular season victory over a top 10 team. In eight of head coach Kim Mulkey's nine seasons, Baylor has managed one regular season top 10 win. En route to the 2005 NCAA championship, the Lady Bears ended the year with four top 10 wins, three of which came in the NCAA Tournament.
• With 12 Big 12 wins this season, Kim Mulkey has now registered 10 or more league wins in seven of her nine seasons at Baylor, including six straight campaigns. Next best is Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, who have won 10 or more games four times during the six-year period.
• Baylor is 7-3 versus ranked opponents this season, 5-2 at home and 2-1 on the road. The Lady Bears own victories over No. 2 Stanford (81-65), No. 20 Iowa State (68-57), No. 22 Oklahoma State (75-57), No. 9 Texas A&M (64-61 & 64-60), No. 18 Kansas State (59-50) and No. 16 Texas (66-57), while losing to No. 2 Oklahoma (56-51 & 66-58) and No. 18 Texas (58-55). All rankings are listed at game time.
• Baylor has outrebounded its opponent in 25 of 29 games this year. The 2008-09 Lady Bears rank No. 6 nationally in rebound margin.
• BU has won at least 24 games in each of the last eight years, the league's longest active 20-game win streak. The Lady Bears have posted nine consecutive 20-win seasons all told.
ALL-AMERICAN CANDIDATE Danielle Wilson
Prior to her knee injury against Texas (Feb. 28), Baylor's Danielle Wilson, an All-American candidate, had been on a roll since the Lady Bears played Wisconsin. Over the 21 game time period, the junior post produced 16 double-doubles, led the team in scoring on 13 occasions and rebounding in 16 contests. In addition, against Texas State and again against Missouri, she poured in a career-high 26 points and at Texas Tech she hauled down a career-high 17 rebounds.
Over the 21 games she averaged a team-leading 16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocks.
Wilson has raised her season averages to 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds a game, both of which lead the team. She has blocked a team-leading 83 shots which ranks her No. 1 in the Big 12 at 3.1 a contest. Wilson has hauled down 258 rebounds, 126 (48.8 percent) of which are off the offensive glass.
As of games through March 8, Wilson ranks No. 7 nationally in blocked shots (3.1).
In addition, on Feb. 25 she became the third Lady Bear this season to achieve the 1,000 milestone and the 27th overall. She has now 1,015 points to her credit.
Wilson now ranks No. 4 on the Big 12 Conference's career blocks list with 249.
Wilson was recently named first-team All-Big 12 and to the All-Big 12 Defensive team.
LET ME GUARD HER COACH
When deciding which player to assign to defend the opponent's top perimeter player, coach Mulkey often hears from 6-0 senior guard Jessica Morrow, "let me guard her coach." Morrow's long arms and lanky frame make her a daunting defender and she has often held her assigned player to well below her scoring average this season.
In addition, Morrow, who was recently received All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention honors, has stepped up her offensive production since the start of Big 12 play. Prior to entering league action, the 6-0 guard averaged 9.7 points a game to rank fourth on the squad in scoring. She has raised her season scoring average to 11.2 ppg which ranks No. 2 on the team. In Baylor's 16 league games, Morrow has averaged 12.4 points a game. Against 10th-ranked Texas A&M (March 9), Morrow poured in a season-high 23 points, scoring Baylor's final 12 points.
OFF THE BENCH
Coming off the bench, sophomore guard Melissa Jones has proven to a valuable asset to the Lady Bears. Not only can she hit from the outside, but she can post-up, is one of the team's best rebounders and leads the squad in steals.
Her performance this season has earned her a share of the Big 12 Conference's Sixth Man Award.
The Thornton, Colo., native is averaging 7.1 points and 5.8 rebounds while hitting 49.3 (67-136) percent from the floor, including 39.0 percent (16-41) from three-point range. She has dished out 46 assists and stolen the ball a team-leading 44 times. Against 16th-ranked Texas (Feb. 28), Jones hauled down a career-high 15 rebounds.
LADY BEARS EARN BIG 12 AWARDS
Junior Danielle Wilson was named to the 2008-09 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 First Team and to the league's All-Defensive Team, while seniors Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player earned honorable mention honors, the Big 12 Conference announced on Monday. In addition, sophomore Melissa Jones was one of two players voted to receive the Sixth Man Award. The official All-Big 12 awards are selected by the league's head coaches, with coaches not allowed to vote for their own players.
20 WINS AGAIN
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey kept her 20-win streak intact. With the victory at Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Baylor notched its ninth straight 20-win season and the program's 15th overall. The Lady Bears have recorded 20-wins in each of Mulkey's nine seasons at the helm, including 24 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons.
SCOUTING THE LADY RAIDERS
The Texas Tech Lady Raiders, prior to their game against Oklahoma State, are 16-14 on the season and finished league play at 6-10, good for a No. 7 seed in the Big 12 Championship. The Lady Raiders, who have lost have five of their last seven contests, are 3-9 away from the United Spirit Arena this season.
Head coach Kristy Curry is in her third season at Texas Tech after a highly successful head coaching stint at Purdue. Curry posted a 179-51 record in seven seasons at Purdue. She is 227-97 in 10 seasons as a head coach, including 48-46 at Texas Tech. Curry and Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey were both assistant coaches at Louisiana Tech serving under current Baylor assistant coach Leon Barmore. Mulkey served there from 1985-2000 while Curry was there for three seasons (1996-99). Curry is 0-4 versus Baylor.
Texas Tech is led in scoring by 5-10 senior forward Dominic Seals' 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds. Senior guard Jordan Murphree ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points while 6-3 freshman center Kierra Mallard is the team's second-leading rebounder at 8.0 an outing.
SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls finished regular season action at 15-14 and enter the game against Texas Tech on a five-game losing streak and with six losses in their last seven games. They finished league play at 4-12, good for the No. 10 seed in the Big 12 Championship.
OSU head coach Kurt Budke is in his fourth season as the Cowgirls' head coach and 16th year as a head coach overall. Budke is 68-55 in four seasons at OSU and 148-71 in seven NCAA Division I campaigns. He is 2-6 versus Baylor, both victories coming during the 2007-08 season.
Junior guard Andrea Riley leads the Cowgirls in scoring average with a league-leading 23.6 a game. Senior forward Shaunte' Smith scores 11.4 a contest while forward Tegan Cunningham manages 10.9 an outing. Smith leads the Cowgirls in rebounding at 8.4 followed by senior forward Shyvon Spears' 6.0 a contest.
SERIES RECORDS
Baylor and Texas Tech will meet for the 69th time if the two teams square off on Friday evening in the Cox Convention Center. Texas Tech leads the series 46-22, however Baylor has won 11 of the last 12 games including seven straight, Baylor's longest win streak in the series.
Baylor is 7-2 all-time in games played on a neutral court. Head coach Kim Mulkey owns a 13-7 record against Texas Tech, including a 6-2 mark in Waco and two straight neutral court victories.
Baylor and Oklahoma State will meet for the 30th time if the two teams square off on Friday night. Baylor leads the series 20-9, including the most recent meeting, a 64-62 overtime win, Feb. 11, at Stillwater. BU holds a 1-0 lead in games played on a neutral court.
Head coach Kim Mulkey owns a 14-4 record against Oklahoma State. #7/7 Baylor (24-5, 12-4) vs. Texas Tech (16-14, 6-10) or Oklahoma State (15-14, 4-12)
