WACO, TX — What started as a prize fight ended with a knockout as the top seeded Baylor Lady Bears dominated Cal for a 102 to 63 win.
The game started as a back and forth battle with both teams working through the post, but finding more success in the midrange.
Juicy Landrum and Lauren Cox were early beneficiaries of kick out passes for the Lady Bears.
It wasn’t the usual suspects for Cal though. Kianna Smith hit her first three shots to give the Golden Bears a 16-15 lead in the waning seconds of the first quarter.
Cox ended that for Baylor though. A made lay in and a Chloe Jackson jumper gave the Lady Bears a 19-16 advantage going to the second frame.
The second quarter started all Lady Bears. Cox handled a tough pass in traffic before whipping it to Jackson for a wide open three.
A Cal turnover gave Jackson a transition lay up and made it 25-16, forcing a Golden Bear timeout.
That run extended 14-0 before Cal scores again to make it 29-18.
The Lady Bears perimeter then all got hot at once. Juicy Landrum, Didi Richards, and Jackson all combined to score before NaLyssa Smith came off the bench and notched two of her own.
Halftime couldn’t come fast enough for Cal, but it waited for Landrum. The Waco native pulled up win one second to go from 30 feet and nailed a three to give Baylor a 46-27 lead at the break.
The second half wasn’t much more promising for Cal than the first.
Baylor kept up its blistering pace both inside and out before ending the third quarter with a 79-40 lead.
The fourth felt like more of a formality as Baylor cruised to its 11th straight Sweet 16.
Baylor will move on to Greensboro, NC for their regional game against South Carolina Saturday at 1 p.m.
