LADY BEARS & GAMECOCKS HIGHLIGHT SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE
For the fifth time, the Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences will challenge each other in the women’s game with all 10 Big 12 teams taking on 10 SEC squads. Five teams will be ranked in the two-day event that begins Thursday and concludes Sunday. All 10 games will receive television broadcasts including three national television broadcasts.
Sunday’s games carry all three nationally-televised events with a doubleheader on FS1 featuring No. 6/6 Mississippi State at No. 10/10 Texas at 1 p.m. CT and No. 11/11 Tennessee at Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. The No. 4/5 ranked Lady Bears will meet No. 18/19 South Carolina on the road at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Other ranked matchups include Missouri at RV/21 West Virginia Sunday at 4 p.m. and Arkansas at No. 23/22 Iowa State at 2 p.m.
Baylor is 2-0 all-time in the conference challenge beating No. 22/25 Tennessee on the road Dec. 4, 2016 (88-66) on ESPN2. BU played host to No. 20/22 Kentucky last season where Lady Bears fans were treated to a 90-63 win, Nov. 30, 2017.
NICE TO MEET YOU: SOUTH CAROLINA IN SHORT
Since 2010-11 season, Baylor and South Carolina are among NCAA Women’s Basketball’s elite with each bringing home a national title (BU ’12; SC ’17), while Baylor carries the second-best winning percentage (.927, 281-22) in that span and the Gamecocks have the eighth best (.787, 210-57). The Gamecocks have made six consecutive trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 while the Lady Bears have 10, and each program has a head coach in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (Kim Mulkey, BU, Class of 2000; Dawn Staley, SC, Class of 2012). However, with all the commonalities between the programs, Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Gamecocks debuted in the preseason polls ranked No. 10/11 nationally but have suffered losses to No. 9/10 Maryland (85-61, Nov. 18) at home, vs. No. 9/8 Oregon State (70-68, Nov. 23) on neutral floor and to un-ranked Drake (90-85, OT, Nov. 24) on neutral floor. The Gamecocks kept their streak of 119 weeks ranked in the AP poll Monday at No. 18, and South Carolina defeated Dayton 65-55 at home Wednesday to get back on the winning track at 4-3 on the season. Junior guard Te’a Cooper leads the team at 14.4 points per contest.
TOUGH ROAD: LADY BEARS ARE 82-52 AWAY FROM WACO VS. RANKED OPPONENTS UNDER MULKEY
Since Kim Mulkey arrived at Baylor at the start of the 2000-2001 season, the Lady Bears have had no shortage of games against ranked opponents. All-time under Mulkey, Baylor is 148-70 vs. top 25 teams. Away from Waco in games that include the road, neutral floor, Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament contests, the Lady Bears are 82-52. Since 2010-2011, Baylor is 50-13 vs. ranked opponents in games away from the Ferrell Center.
JACKSON SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS; BROWN CRACKS BU TOP 10 IN CAREER REBOUNDS
Chloe Jackson is new in a Baylor uniform, but not new to putting the ball in the hoop. Coming into her graduate transfer season, the guard had 949 career points. She surpassed 1,000 in Nov. 23’s contest with South Dakota State with her second bucket, and she carries 1,012 into the matchup at South Carolina.
Kalani Brown pulled down 16 rebounds at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas in wins over South Dakota State and Georgetown to give her 859 career rebounds. That mark helped her pass Rachel Allison (850, 2005-09) for 10th all-time on the career-rebounds list. Brown is already in the top 10 in field goal percentage, blocks, field goals made, free throws made and double-doubles. She’s also just 14 points shy of tying for 10th all-time on the career scoring list for Baylor.
POUND THE PAINT, CLEAN THE GLASS: LADY BEARS AMONG NATION’S BEST IN REBOUNDING, SCORING EFFICIENCY
In 10 categories other than win percentage – where Baylor is tied with a handful of teams with an undefeated record – the Lady Bears rank in the top 10 statistically. But, the Lady Bears are tops in the nation (as of Nov. 28) in field goal percentage (.561), defensive rebounds per game (36.0) and rebound margin (+21.5). The Lady Bears have three players in the nation’s top 25 for field goal percentage with NaLyssa Smith (10th, .654), Kalani Brown (12th, .638) and Lauren Cox (25th, .609) with efficient starts to the season. Baylor’s rebounding is a staple of the program, the Lady Bears have out-rebounded all six opponents this season, Baylor won the rebounding battle in 34 of 35 contests last year, and in 75 of the last 78 contests, BU has had the upper hand on the boards.
LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
Baylor’s 13-0 run vs. South Dakota State (11/23) beginning with the last 11 points of the first quarter and the first two of the second marked the seventh run of 10 or more unanswered on the season. The Lady Bears have also put together three runs of 20 or more points, and the only game in which BU hasn’t had a run of 10 or more came in a 21-point win over Georgetown (11/24). In addition, Baylor is out-scoring opponents 92-15 on the fastbreak this season.
JACKSON, LANDRUM THRIVING AT POINT GUARD OUT OF POSITION
Head Coach Kim Mulkey said at the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tipoff Oct. 16 that she had never entered a season without knowing who her point guard would be. Despite that fact, Baylor has had no trouble distributing or sharing the ball through six games this season. Through Nov. 28, Baylor ranked No. 5 in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.56), fourth in total assists (147), and second in assists per game (24.5)
Chloe Jackson and Juicy Landrum, true-two guards, are the Lady Bears’ primary point guards this season and both have met the challenge thus far with success. Jackson ranks 25th in nation in total assists (37) and 22nd in assists per game (6.2). Jackson boasts an assists-to-turnover ratio of 1.68:1 while Landrum has the team’s best mark at 3.22:1. Landrum is second on the team with 29 assists, just under five a game, and DiDi Richards is averaging 4.0 assists per contest through six games.
I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE, SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME: BROWN & COX EARN ANOTHER SPOT ON PROMINENT WATCH LIST
Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox garnered recognition from several voting entities for the upcoming season. The latest came Nov. 20 when the WBCA put both players on the Wade Trophy Watch List – Brown’s second time to be a selection. The John Wooden Award selected both players to the Top 30 Watch List for its annual All-American team and Most Outstanding Player award.
The senior, Brown, and junior Cox have been tabbed by many as the best post combo in the nation, and the pair has combined for six preseason All-America honors with Brown taking home four and Cox a pair. Brown was a first-team selection by the Associated Press, Athlon, Street & Smith’s and Lindy’s Sports while Cox earned second-team nods from Athlon and Street & Smith’s.
Both players were selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and Brown was selected to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year. Brown is also on the WBCA’s Lisa Leslie Award Watch List for the nation’s top center while Cox is on the Katrina McCalin Award Watch List for top power forward.
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END: BROWN’S CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED, GAMES STARTED STREAK SNAPPED
After a mild sprained ankle after Baylor’s game at Arizona State Nov. 11, Kalani Brown’s streak of 113-straight games played and 64-straight games started came to an end as she missed BU’s 94-49 win over Southern Nov. 15. Brown returned to action at the South Point Shootout as she averaged 11 points and eight boards. Brown’s streak of 23-straight games with double-figure scoring came to an end when she scored nine vs. Georgetown (11/24).
BAYLOR SIGNS TOP-10 PROSPECT OLIVER AS LONE ADDITION TO 2019 SIGNING CLASS
A year after signing five players and accepting a graduate transfer, Jordyn Oliver gets all the Lady Bears’ attention this season as the No. 10-ranked national prospect (Collegiate Girls Basketball Report) signed with Baylor. Oliver, a Prosper, Texas native is a 3-time TABC All-State selection, and was also ranked No. 11 by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
MULKEY’S MIDAS TOUCH: 1,100 WINS
Everything head coach Kim Mulkey touches doesn’t necessarily turn to gold, but if it has to do with college basketball, nearly everything she touches results in a win. Baylor’s win vs. Nicholls (Nov. 6) gave Mulkey 1,100 wins combined as a collegiate player (130, La. Tech), assistant coach (430, La. Tech) & head coach (540, Baylor). In those capacities, Mulkey’s teams are a combined 1,100-192 for an astounding .851 winning percentage.
FIERCE FIVE: FISH EAGER TO MAKE MARK AFTER SELECTION AS NO. 1 RECRUITING CLASS
For the second time in program history, the Baylor women’s basketball team signed the nation’s top recruiting class and the “Fierce Five” freshmen are three games deep into 2018-19. Caitlin Bickle, Aquira DeCosta, Queen Egbo, Honesty Scott-Grayson and NaLyssa Smith all signed with the Lady Bears and all were ranked in the Top 30 overall by ESPN Hoopgurlz and boasted a five-star rating. Acosta is the only player who hasn’t seen action after suffering a minor toe injury in an exhibition game with Langston Oct. 26. Smith is shining brightest through the first six games averaging 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest while picking up the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Week award Nov 12.
LADY BEARS’ NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE HAS FOUR FROM TOP 25
Baylor defeated No. 23 Arizona State 65-59 Nov. 11 in the first of four non-conference opponents ranked in the AP Top 25. Next, Baylor plays at No. 18/19 South Carolina Dec. 2, at No. 8/7 Stanford Dec. 15, and plays host to No. 2/2 UConn Jan. 3 in Waco.
