No. 4 WBB Opens With 82-37 Win Over UCA

Wednesday, November 25

Waco, Texas

7 p.m.

Baylor

1-0,0-0Big 12

Central Arkansas

0-1,0-0Southlan

Central Ark.

Baylor

No. 4 WBB Opens With 82-37 Win Over UCA

11/25/2020 9:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score WBB_01_UCA

Bickle had a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Since Kim Mulkey sees it every day in practice, what Caitlin Bickle did in fourth-ranked Baylor's season opener against Central Arkansas Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center wasn't that big of a surprise.
            Making her first career start, the junior forward was a near-perfect 5-of-6 from the floor and posted her first double-double with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds to help the Lady Bears shake off a slow start to dominate the visiting Sugar Bears, 82-37.
            "It's not surprising to us," said Mulkey, whose team won its national-best 57^th-consecutive home game. "What you didn't see tonight is she can shoot the perimeter 3. We used her some at the (wing) tonight, because we only have nine players right now. When DiDi (Richards) comes back, she may have to go out there and I I may have to go to a big lineup and use her as a 3-point threat. But, that's what we see every day from Bickle."
            Even less surprising than Bickle's career night was Baylor also getting a 15^th career double-double from junior forward NaLyssa Smith. The Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Smith finished with 25 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds for her 15^th double-double and ninth 20-point game.
            Smith, who missed 11 of her first 12 shots and finished just 6-of-21 from the floor, said it "kind of got in my head about not scoring."
            "But then, Coach told me to do different things, like rebound, pass the ball, just do things that I do naturally," she said. "Once I got into the groove of things, it was easy to come out of that."
            Baylor turned it over on its first two possessions, causing Mulkey to call a timeout just 45 seconds into the game.
            "There are three kids out there, four really, that are starting for the first time," said Mulkey, referring to Smith being the only returning starter from last year's 28-2 team. "They were nervous, and I understand that. But at the same time, I have to help them and challenge them a little bit. I thought it was a typical, rusty, slow start, so let's go press. Let's get our juices following out there and let's make something happen."
            Bickle got two quick steals when Baylor went to a smothering full-court press, going on a 13-0 run that was capped by a three-point play by grad transfer DiJonai Carrington.
            "Coach had put us in '11,' our press, so I was like, 'OK, let's go, let's go!''' Bickle said. "Just being out there with all of them again, it should be fun. We obviously always want to win games, but that was the motivation for me."
            Baylor led 20-6 at the end of the first quarter, despite shooting just 4-of-15 from the floor, and went into the halftime break up, 34-20. Smith was 1-of-10 from the field in the first half, but was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line to get to double digits.
            "I feel like that's what really kept me in my motion," said Smith, who finished 13-of-15 from the charity stripe. "Free throws are so important. I try to get to the basket a lot, so that's why I really focus on making free throws."
            Turning up the defensive heat again at the start of the third quarter, the Lady Bears held UCA scoreless for the first 3 ½ minutes and went on an 8-0 run to go up 42-20.
            "I feel like we just started to relax a little more as the game went on," Mulkey said.
            All eight Baylor players that got in the game scored, with Carrington and freshman Hannah Gusters chipping in 11 points apiece and senior guard Moon Ursin adding 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
            Former Irving MacArthur teammates Gusters and freshman point guard Sarah Andrews, who had four points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists, "probably had butterflies, but I thought you saw just their talents," Mulkey said.
            Richards, who suffered a spinal cord nerve injury in a practice collision with Ursin on Oct. 24, and 6-3 junior center Queen Egbo did not play. Mulkey said there was a reason why Egbo did not play, "and she knows what it is. I'll leave it at that."
            "They did some things on the floor that show what you can expect in the future," Mulkey said of the two freshmen. "They're easy to coach, a joy to be around, and they're just going to get better and better. it was good to see them get in the game and play with some of the upperclassmen as well."
            Jalisa Outlaw led UCA with nine points off the bench, nailing a 3-pointer and hitting 6-of-6 from the line.
           The Lady Bears' game scheduled Friday against Northwestern (La.) State has been postponed until Dec. 18. Baylor goes on the road for its next three games, facing South Florida on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., Arkansas on Dec. 6 in Fayetteville and West Virginia in the Big 12 opener on Dec. 10 in Morgantown.