No. 7/6 WBB Returns Home to Face Georgia in Big 12/SEC Challenge Wednesday

Wednesday, December 4

Waco, Texas

7:00 PM

Baylor

Georgia

Photo by: Chris Jones Photography

No. 7/6 WBB Returns Home to Face Georgia in Big 12/SEC Challenge Wednesday

12/3/2019 7:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lady Bears put 44-game home-win streak on the line



	#7/6 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (7-1) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	#7/6 BAYLOR (7-1) VS. GEORGIA (6-2) December 4, 2019 • 7 p.m. Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10.284) LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast/1660 AM/92.3 FM WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (PBP), Jim Haller (Analyst) LISTEN: Tune In Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Color) Baylor Social Media:

	GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS (6-2) Location: Athens, Ga. Conference: SEC Head Coach: Joni Taylor Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            In more ways than one, No. 6/7 Baylor (7-1) will look to rebound when the Lady Bears host Georgia (6-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
            Not only are the Lady Bears looking to rebound from their first loss in almost a year, they're also trying to fix a problem that saw them get dominated on the boards (43-29) in Saturday's 74-59 loss to South Carolina at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.
            "We've been blessed to have size inside. Well, you don't have that size when (Lauren) Cox is off the floor," coach Kim Mulkey said of the 6-foot-4 All-American forward who has missed the last six games with a stress reaction in her right foot. "We know that. So, the rebounding needed to come from all of them, and we didn't get it done."
            South Carolina had a significant size advantage inside, with 6-5 freshman Aliyah Boston recording a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Gamecocks also had 6-2 forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) in the lineup and brought 6-4 freshman Laeticia Amihere and 6-2 sophomore Victaria Saxton off the bench.
            "Really, everybody just has to rebound," said 6-2 sophomore forward NaLyssa Smith, who had a double-double of her own with 18 points and 10 rebounds. "Not just post players, all of our guards have to rebound. Everybody on their floor was rebounding. We just know we need to execute and rebound it a lot more, so we're going to work on that."
            The Lady Bears also missed half of their free throws (9-of-18), but what bothered Mulkey the most is giving up 52.8 percent shooting from the floor (28-of-53). That's just the 16^th time in Mulkey's 20-year, 683-game tenure at Baylor that her team has allowed a team to shoot 50 percent or better.
            "When you play a Baylor team, two things we're known for – physical, tough defense, and we're going to rebound the ball," Mulkey said. "We didn't do it. Some of that was South Carolina doing it to us. But, we didn't respond. We didn't play like I thought we could. My posts, Queen (Egbo) and NaLyssa, they're more finesse-like. But, they've got to learn. People don't care. You've got Baylor written on that jersey, they're going to bring it to you."
            Georgia doesn't have as much size as South Carolina, but 6-4 junior center Jenna Staiti is averaging 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. Junior point guard Gabby Connally is a native of San Antonio, Texas, who is averaging 15.9 points and 4.8 assists per game.
            "They're big inside, which is the problem we had this weekend," Mulkey said. "And when you play in the SEC, you're well-schooled. Every game you play in the SEC is pretty much tough. We will see how we're going to respond. I can tell you, I expect us to respond in a way that one, better on the boards; and two, we guard people better."
            Mulkey said she's still waiting for Cox to be cleared by the team doctor or Alex Olson, Director of Athletic Medicine.
            "I wanted her to play in the Virgin Islands, particularly the South Carolina game," Mulkey said. "Her presence would have been so important. But, I'm not the trainer, so I guess we'll get her ready for January, because I don't anticipate playing her in December. We only have three games."
            The Lady Bears will host Arkansas State in a noon game on Dec. 18 and Morehead State at 7 p.m. Dec. 30 before opening league play on Jan. 4 with a road tilt at Oklahoma.
            Wednesday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor men's basketball head coach Jim Haller calling the action.

IMPRESSIVE STREAKS SNAPPED; OTHERS ON THE LINE VS. GEORGIA
     Baylor's 36-game win streak came to an end Saturday at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, USVI vs. No. 5/6 South Carolina. But, the Lady Bears can be proud that they tied for the 10^th longest win streak in NCAA history and the second-best streak in program history (42, 2011-13).
   Another impressive streak that came to an end Saturday was keeping opponents below 50-percent shooting. Prior to South Carolina shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, Baylor had kept opponents below the 50-percent mark for 53-straight games. In fact, in Kim Mulkey's tenure, only 16 times in 20 seasons has a team gone above the 50-percent mark from the floor vs. the Lady Bears' defense.
   While some streaks ended, others are still on the line Wednesday vs. Georgia. Baylor's home win streak is 44 games, which is tied for 24^th all-time on the NCAA's list for consecutive home victories, and it is the second-longest home win streak in BU history (69, 2011-14).
   In addition, Baylor's non-conference win streak at home sits at 54 games entering the contest with the Lady Bulldogs with its last loss coming to Connecticut, Jan. 13, 2014 (66-55).

POSITIVES FROM THE PARADISE JAM
   While Baylor didn't sweep through the loaded Paradise Jam schedule, it did pick up a Top 25 win over No. 17 Indiana. The Hoosiers defeated South Carolina to open the tournament Thursday, 71-57, but the Lady Bears held Indiana to its lowest shooting effort of the season Friday (25-61, .410) to take a 77-62 win.
   No Lady Bear put together a consistent, three-game effort, but the tournament's voters did recognize DiDi Richards and Queen Egbo to the all-tournament team. Richards' best game came in the ranked win vs. Indiana with 20 points, six assists and three steals, while Egbo had a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. the Hoosiers.

LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
   Through eight games the Lady Bears have 14 double-digit runs this season, including a season-high 37-0 run to begin the game vs. New Hampshire Nov. 5. In addition to the transition game on offense, Baylor's defense has allowed just 21 fast-break points on the season. Baylor is outscoring teams on the break by an average of 18.1-2.6.

DISTRIBUTION, SCORING EFFICIENCY & MARGIN OF VICTORY HIGHLIGHT NATIONAL RANKINGS
   The 7-1 Lady Bears rank in the top 10 nationally in 12 categories through games played through Dec. 1. Baylor ranks tops in the nation in assists (179), field goal percentage (.526) and scoring margin (38.6). BU also checks in, in the top five in assists per game (22.4), free-throw attempts (199), rebound margin (14.3), scoring defense (49.1), and scoring offense (87.8).
   Individually, three Lady Bears rank in the Top 25 with Te'a Cooper checking in a No. 16 in the nation and first in the Big 12 in total assists (43) while DiDi Richards ranks 23^rd in the same category (39). Queen Egbo's .636 field goal percentage ranks 15^th in the nation and second in the Big 12.

SENIOR FORWARD LAUREN COX TO MISS TIME WITH RIGHT-FOOT INJURY
     Baylor All-American senior forward Lauren Cox sustained a stress reaction to the second metatarsal on her right foot and is expected to miss time beginning with Nov. 14's contest with Houston Baptist.
     Cox will rest and rehab with the Baylor Athletics medicine staff, and will treat the injury aggressively to ensure further progression. Her return will be determined based on her symptoms.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT: LADY BEARS INK TWO TOP-10 RECRUITS FOR 2020
     Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey announced the signing of two of the top 10 players in the country Wednesday, with Irving MacArthur standouts Sarah Andrews and Hannah Gusters signing national letters of intent to join the Lady Bears in 2020.
     Gusters was the first to verbally commit to Baylor in May. The 6-4 post player is the No. 9 overall ranked player in the 2020 class and the No. 2 center by espnW's Hoopgurlz. The Dan Olson Collegiate Basketball Report ranks her ninth and second, respectively as well. After helping Duncanville High School win a state championship as a freshman, Gusters averaged 14.5 points per game as a sophomore in leading the Pantherettes to a 39-2 record and the Class 6A region finals. Gusters played AAU ball for Nike ProSkills, and her maternal grandfather, Dewey Turner, played football for the University of Texas.
     Andrews verbally committed to Baylor on social media Nov. 2 during an official visit. The 5-7 point guard is ranked No. 7 overall and the No. 2 point guard by espnW's HoopGurlz recruiting rankings and carries the same ranking from the Dan Olson Collegiate Basketball Report. Among Andrews' honors as a point guard for Irving MacArthur High School, she was a two-time TGCA 6A All-State selection in 2018 and 2019. USA Today named Andrews to the second-team All-Texas team in 2019 as well. The Dallas Morning-News named Andrews the top recruit in Texas. As a junior, she was the District 6-6A MVP after averaging 15.1 points, 7.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals for a MacArthur team that went 29-9. Andrews played AAU ball for Nike ProSkills.

I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE, SOMEBODY'S WATCHIN' ME
     Winning a national title puts a lot of extra eyes on a program, and the Baylor Lady Bears have been honored entering the 2019-20 season with several acknowledgments from national entities for individual awards. The WBCA/Naismith Hall of Fame has an annual Starting Five, which honors the best player at each position. Te'a Cooper (Nancy Liberman Award), Juicy Landrum (Ann Meyers Drysdale Award), DiDi Richards (Cheryl Miller Award), Lauren Cox (Katrina McLain Award) and Queen Egbo (Lisa Leslie Award) were all honored as a part of the preseason watch lists.
     Cox earned a trifecta when she was named to the John Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy watch lists for collegiate player of the year. Landrum and Richards were each named to the Wooden Award watch list as well and Cooper earned a look from the Naismith Trophy.

MULKEY PASSES HER COLLEGE HEAD COACH, FORMER BOSS AND FORMER BU ASSISTANT COACH IN ALL-TIME WINS
     Leon Barmore coached Kim Mulkey in college at Louisiana Tech, hired her to be an assistant coach when she was done playing, and later rejoined his pupil as an assistant coach at Baylor. In 19 seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech, Barmore won 576 games and the 1988 NCAA national title with Mulkey as an assistant. Baylor's 97-29 win over New Hampshire Tuesday at the Ferrell Center gave Mulkey 577 career wins.

SCORING IS TOUGH VS. THE LADY BEARS
     Baylor ranked tops in the nation in 2018-19 in the following categories: Assists (850), Assists Per Game (22.4), Blocked Shots (274), Blocked Shots Per Game (7.2), Defensive Rebounds Per Game (32.0), Rebound Margin (+17.0), Rebounds (1,790), and won-lost percentage (97.4). However, the Lady Bears ranked first in field goal percentage defense (.318) marking the third-straight year to lead the nation. Baylor has also ranked in the top five in eight of the last nine years.