March 6, 2009
#5/6 Baylor (23-5, 11-4) vs. #10/8 Texas A&M (23-5, 11-4)
Saturday, March 7 - 7:30 p.m. (CT)
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 HOST TEXAS A&M IN FINAL REGULAR SEASON GAME
No. 5/6 Baylor, 23-5 overall, 11-4 in the Big 12 and tied for second place in the league standings with Texas A&M, will host the 10th-ranked Aggies on Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. (CT) in the Ferrell Center. The contest will mark the end of regular season play for both squads and determine which team earns the No. 2 seed for the Big 12 Championships, which runs March 12-15 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The Texas A&M Aggies, 23-5 on the season and 11-4 in conference action, enter the contest winners of five straight games; Colorado (79-50), then-No. 12 Texas (76-65), No. 2 Oklahoma (57-56), at Kansas State (71-45) and Oklahoma State (79-49).
SENIOR NIGHT COMING UP
The Lady Bears' three seniors, Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player, will be honored during halftime of Saturday's game. The 2008-09 senior class boasts a 100-26 (.794) record throughout its four-year career and has combined for 3,204 career points.
Also impressive is the fact that all three players will receive their Baylor degrees in May ceremonies.
Fans presenting a ticket stub from the Baylor-Nebraska men's game can purchase a women's ticket for $5.
LADY BEAR LEGEND
Former Lady Bear point guard LaToya Ellis (1995-99) will be honored by the "B" Association as a Baylor Legend during Saturday's contest. Ellis is considered to be one of the program's best point guards. She ranks No. 3 in career assists, No. 5 in free throws made and currently ranks second all-time in games played. In addition, Ellis is a member of the program's prestigious 1,000 point club, scoring 1,319 points during her outstanding career at Baylor.
BAYLOR LADY BEARS
IN THE POLLS
5 - Associated Press
6 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS (based on previous game)
21 Kelli Griffin-So., G, 5-8 - 6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
15 Jhasmin Player-Sr., G, 5-10 - 10.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg
3 Jessica Morrow-Sr., G, 6-0 - 10.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
14 Rachel Allison-Sr., F, 6-1 - 8.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg
55 Morghan Medlock-Jr., F, 6-2 - 6.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg
TOP RESERVES
11 Danielle Wilson-Jr., P, 6-3 -15.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.1 bpg
5 Melissa Jones-So., G, 5-10 - 7.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg
24 Ashley Field-Fr., P, 6-2 - 3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
LADY BEAR LEADERS
With 28 games under its belt, Baylor continues to rank among the Big 12 Conference leaders in rebounding and is No. 5 nationally in rebounding margin (+10.2). Four players haul down 5.5 or more rebounds a contest, junior post Danielle Wilson leads the way with 9.6, sophomore guard Melissa Jones ranks second on the squad with 5.8 and senior guard Jhasmin Player and senior post Rachel Allison haul in 5.6 each. The Lady Bears average 44.5 rebounds a contest while limiting their opponents to just 34.7.
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 10.8 a contest and Player completes Baylor's double-digit scorers at 10.4 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.
• Baylor needs just 5,193 fans at Saturday's game to eclipse the 100,000 mark for the fourth straight season.
• With 11 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 Oklahoma and Texas A&M, who have won 10 or more games four times during the six-year period.
• Baylor has outrebounded its opponent in 25 of 29 games this year. The 2008-09 Lady Bears rank No. 5 nationally in rebound margin.
• Senior Jhasmin Player needs four more steals to rank No. 10 on BU's all-time steals list, she currently has 184. In addition, she needs 88 points to reach 1,000 for her career.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
The Texas A&M Aggies, 23-5 on the season and 11-4 in conference action, enter the contest winners of five straight games; Colorado (79-50), then-No. 12 Texas (76-65), No. 2 Oklahoma (57-56), at Kansas State (71-45) and Oklahoma State (79-49).
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is in his sixth season in College Station with a record of 125-63. Combining his years at Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas, Blair's 24-year career record is 533-226. He spent five years at Louisiana Tech as a graduate assistant and assistant coach under current Baylor assistant coach Leon Barmore. Also during that time, Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey was a player for the Lady Techsters. Coach Blair is 3-6 against Baylor while at Texas A&M, 1-4 in Waco.
Senior guard Takia Starks leads the Aggies in scoring average with 15.9 a game while senior forward Danielle Gant scores 13.2 a contest and leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 an outing.
TEXAS A&M'S PROBABLE STARTERS (based on previous game)
51 Sydney Colson - So., G, 5-8 - 6.2 ppg, 3.0 apg
3 Takia Starks - Sr., G, 5-8 - 15.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
22 Tanisha Smith - Jr., F, 6-0 - 9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg
55 Danielle Gant - Sr., F, 5-11 - 13.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg
12 LaToya Micheaux - Sr., C, 6-3 - 2.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg
SERIES RECORD
Baylor and Texas A&M will meet for the 76th time when the two teams square off on Saturday night. Baylor leads the series 40-35. The Lady Bears prevailed over the Aggies earlier this season, posting a 64-61 win in College Station. Baylor holds a 21-12 lead in games played in Waco.
Head coach Kim Mulkey owns a 14-4 record against Texas A&M, including a 7-1 mark in Waco.
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 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 10.8 ppg which ranks No. 2 on the team. In Baylor's 15 league games, Morrow has averaged 11.7 points a game.
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.
The Thornton, Colo., native is averaging 7.4 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 43 times. Against 16th-ranked Texas (Feb. 28), Jones hauled down a career-high 15 rebounds.
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 23 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons.
