Baylor
Southern
WBB Hosts Southern in Search of 59th-Straight Home Win
12/15/2020 11:39:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Lady Bears & Jaguars to square off on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+
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#7/7 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (4-1) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
#7/7 BAYLOR (4-1) vs SOUTHERN (0-3) December 16, 2020 | 2 PM (CT) Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284)  WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+Talent: John Morris (PBP), Jim Haller (Analyst) RADIO: 1660 AM/92.3 FM DIGITAL RADIO LINK: ESPN Central Texas Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Analyst) LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast Baylor Social Media:    ** Due to COVID-19, there will be no physical copies of stats, media almanacs, rosters, please use the following link for MEDIA RESOURCES ** |
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SOUTHERN JAGUARS (0-3) Location: Baton Rouge, La. Conference: SWAC Head Coach: Carlos Funchess (La.-Monroe, 1992) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Kim Mulkey can't think too long about the proposal for San Antonio to host the entire NCAA Tournament in March and April. For the moment, all of her focus is on playing three games in the next four days.
The seventh-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (4-1, 2-0) will host Southern (0-3) at 2 p.m. Wednesday, followed by back-to-back games against Northwestern State (0-2) on Friday and McNeese State (0-5) on Saturday.
"We understand that these next three games are about us," said Mulkey, whose team is coming off a 91-45 blowout of Texas Tech. "Take what we did tonight, and let's build on it. And let's get ready for a Southern team that was very, very physical the last time we played them. I just want us to be a better basketball team every time we hit that floor."
Asked about the NCAA's decision to potentially host the 64-team NCAA Tournament in San Antonio, Mulkey said she likes it, "because it's close to home . . . but we really can't think about that at this point."
"I just can't look that far ahead. I coach in the moment," she said. "I'm just hoping we get three games in this week, because we need to keep playing to get better."
In Baylor's 94-49 win over Southern two years ago, the only previous meeting between the two programs, the Jaguars were whistled for 33 fouls. The Lady Bears were 24-of-40 from the line and had seven players in double figures, including NaLyssa Smith, Queen Egbo, Moon Ursin and Caitlin Bickle with 11 points apiece.
Smith (15.6 ppg, 9.4 rebounds), Egbo (11.0 ppg, 7.3 rebounds) and grad transfer DiJonai Carrington (14.2 ppg) lead a balanced Baylor attack that features four other players averaging at least six points per game.
Mulkey said one of the objectives in the next three games is gaining some confidence on the offensive end. The Lady Bears are averaging 76.6 points per game and shooting 43.7 percent overall, but have turned it over 87 times.
"I want everybody to be confident," Mulkey said. "Don't be somebody you're not, don't try to do what a teammate does. Do what you do to help us score buckets on the offensive end, continue to take great pride in our defense and continue to rebound the ball. Turnovers are part of the confidence on the offensive end. We're having turnovers that you can't have. We had a couple tonight trying to hit the home run instead of taking the single."
After pouring in a career-high 25 points in her season debut at South Florida, Egbo has scored 19 points combined and gotten into early foul trouble in the last three games.
"I've got to help her and decide if she is better coming off the bench," Mulkey said of Egbo, who was the Big 12 Sixth Person of the Year last season when she started eight of 30 games and averaged 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.
"There is such a thing that players, sometimes, don't need to start. They're better, they're more of a spark for you coming off the bench. And I need to look at that. That's not a demotion. Most people want to start . . . that means nothing to me. I want the players that need to help me win the game be on the floor when it's gut-check time."
Southern, which hasn't played since a 57-53 loss to Wichita State, is led by 5-8 sophomore guard Genovea Johnson (17.7 ppg), 5-8 junior guard Amani Mcwain (8.7 ppg, 5.0 rebounds) and 6-1 sophomore forward Raven White (5.7 ppg, 6.7 rebounds).
The Jaguars lost to Big 12 foes Kansas State (66-51) and Oklahoma State (68-34) to open the season and will play Texas Tech on Dec. 21 in the last of six straight games on the road.
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 coach Jim Haller calling the action.
LADY BEARS DOMINATE TEXAS TECH, START TO FINISH, BEGIN LEAGUE PLAY, 2-0
With an unprecedented early start to the Big 12 schedule, the Lady Bears had a big week, taking a 20-point win on the road at West Virginia before a 36-point victory over Texas Tech at home Monday. The Lady Bears scored at least 20 points in each quarter, held TTU to just 28.1 percent from the floor and Baylor had its highest field-goal percentage output at 55.4 percent. Four players scored in double figures with NaLyssa Smith leading the way with 21 points. Five players had at least seven rebounds and four players had at least four assists. Smith was on rebound shy of a double-double and Jordyn Oliver collected a career-high eight assists while the Lady Bears dished 30 in the game for a season high. The win pushed Baylor to 172-8 in regular-season Big 12 play since the 2010-11 season. Baylor took a one-game edge in the all-time series with Texas Tech at 48-47 with its 23rd-straight win over the Lady Raiders.
RICHARDS PRESENTED WITH NAISMITH WOMEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
DiDi Richards swept the Naismith and WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year awards last season, and Monday prior to the game with Texas Tech, she was presented with Naismith's trophy. Due to COVID, the staff with the Naismith Trophy was not able to attend, but Kim Mulkey delivered the trophy, and she was honored with a pregame video. Richards held her assignments to 26.2 percent shooting last season, spearheading the Lady Bears who led the country in field goal percentage defense for the fourth-straight season.
LADY BEARS LOOK FOR SECOND WIN OVER SOUTHERN IN PAST THREE SEASONS, EYE EXTENDING NATION'S LONGEST HOME-WIN STREAK
Wednesday will mark just the second meeting between Southern and Baylor, but it will be the second game in the last three seasons. The Lady Bears beat Southern in Waco, 94-49 on Nov. 15, 2019. Seven players scored in double figures, which at the time tied a school record for most players with at least 10 for Baylor. Returning players to reach double figures for Baylor in that contest included NaLyssa Smith (11), Moon Ursin (11), Queen Egbo (11) and Caitlin Bickle (11). Southern returns just three players that played in that contest with Amani McWain, Taneara Moore and Ce'Undra McGhee combining for 18 minutes in the loss.
Baylor has two separate home winning streaks on the line, and both equal 58-straight wins. Baylor has the nation's longest-active home-win streak at 58 games. It marks the 11th-longest home win streak in NCAA history, and the second-longest streak in Baylor history. In addition, Baylor has 58-straight non-conference home wins entering into Wednesday's contest.
COVID-19'S EFFECT ON THE LADY BEARS
All are having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Lady Bears are no exception. Baylor lost four games scheduled for the Preseason WNIT in Waco in November, along with a Thanksgiving week game vs. Oregon in Las Vegas. Originally scheduled for Nov. 27, Baylor and Northwestern State's game was postponed due to COVID issues within the NWST program and was rescheduled for Dec. 18. Moon Ursin, lost her grandmother, Ruby Alexander, to the virus in April after a swift and brief battle with COVID. Kamaria McDaniel, a transfer from Penn State that is having to sit this season, lost her grandfather, Johnny Webster, Sr., in April as well.
RICHARDS RETURNS TO FLOOR AFTER SPINAL INJURY, FEATURED ON ESPN'S SPORTSCENTER
Oct. 24, Moon Ursin and DiDi Richards collided in mid-air during a practice scrimmage, leaving Ursin with a concussion and Richards with a Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality
(SCIOWRA). Ursin returned to practice after clearing concussion protocol in mid-November while Richards' rehab began immediately after she briefly lost feeling below her knees. Richards was first confined to a walker to assist her in walking, but by mid-November she was completing individual drills and workouts with medical and strength & conditioning staff. Richards shocked doctors, team
medical staff and coaches with the rate of her rehab. Thirty-eight days after the injury, she played 30 minutes off the bench at South Florida Dec. 1. She scored a bucket 13 seconds into her entry, and picked up where she left off last season by leading Baylor with seven assists. Sunday in Fayetteville, Ark. she resumed her starting role, getting her first start at point guard and finished the contest with a game-high eight assists. She led the Big 12 in assists per game in 2019-20, ranked 13th in the nation and had the NCAA's sixth-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9:1.
Her return to the floor sparked interest from ESPN with Mechelle Voepel writing a feature on her recovery, and Scott Van Pelt led off his Tuesday edition of SportsCenter, covering Richards' return with the "Best Thing I Saw Today" segment.
BAYLOR WINS 1,000TH WIN AS A PROGRAM; LADY BEARS BECOME 15TH PROGRAM IN D1 HISTORY TO REACH 1,000 VICTORIES
Baylor's win at South Florida Dec. 1 marked the program's 1,000th victory. Baylor became the 15th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 1,000 victories joining Tennessee, UConn, James Madison, Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Texas, SFA, Old Dominion, Ohio State, Maryland, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin-Green Bay, South Dakota State, and Notre Dame. Kim Mulkey has 606 of those wins as head coach for Baylor. At Louisiana Tech, she was either a player, assistant or associate head coach for 560 victories, which makes her a direct contributor to 1,106 wins between the two programs on the prestigious list.
LONE LADY BEARS SIGNEE, DAUDA, COMMITS FOR 2021-22
Baylor signed just one player for the 2021 recruiting class, but it was a big fish. Bentonville, Ark. native Maryam Dauda was ESPN Hoopgurlz's No. 1-ranked post recruit out of the 2021 class, was given five stars and ranked the No. 13 overall recruit in the class. Dauda began playing basketball in sixth grade after moving to the U.S. from Nigeria. The 6-4 post was a AAA All-State selection in Arkansas as a junior after averaging 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per contest. She was named to the Naismith High School Player of the Year watch list in November ahead of her senior season.
BAYLOR FINISHED 2019-20 RANKED FIRST IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE FOR FOURTH-STRAIGHT YEAR
For the fourth-straight year and the fifth in Kim Mulkey's history as head coach at Baylor, the Lady Bears ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in defensive field goal percentage in 2019-20. Mulkey's Lady Bears are known for their tough-nosed defense, and last year's team was led by Richards who earned the national defensive player of the year award from both Naismith and the WBCA. The team held opponents to a .310 shooting mark, which tied with the 2011-12 squad for lowest opponent field goal percentage. Baylor has ranked in the top five in that category in each of the last six seasons and in 9 of the last 10. Baylor also won the category in 2010-11.
MULKEY JOINS STAR-STUDDED 2020 CLASS WITH NAISMITH HALL OF FAME INDUCTION
The Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled, but Kim Mulkey did get some good news in April when she was announced as a member of the 2020 induction class to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She and her class' peers are virtually peerless as she joined a star-studded class, including Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings, Rudy Tomjanovich, Eddie Sutton, Barbara Stevens and Patrick Baumann.
Her induction ceremony was delayed due to COVID-19 and the 2020 class has yet to be enshrined. Her induction will be as a coach, although she has been nominated as a player on numerous occasions. She was also a finalist in 2018. Mulkey's many accomplishments earned her the honor, but among them are three NCAA titles, 21 Big 12 championships, and she was the fastest NCAA Division I head coach, man or woman, to reach 600 career victories (700 games).
50/50 – BAYLOR'S MAGIC NUMBER OFFENSIVELY & DEFENSIVELY
Kim Mulkey-coached teams at Baylor are 237-1 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, while just 16 times in 20-plus seasons has an opponent shot 50 percent or better against the Lady Bears defense. Baylor's only loss when shooting 50 percent or better came vs. Mississippi State in the 2017 Elite 8.
