https://baylorbears.com/news/2019/2...-no-12-14-texas-monday-for-espn2-matchup.aspx
LADY BEARS HAVE RECORD-BREAKING WIN VS. TEXAS TECH
Baylor's 59-point victory over the Lady Raiders Saturday broke a 13-year old record for margin of victory over a Big 12 opponent Saturday as the Lady Bears cruised to a 96-37 victory over Texas Tech. Baylor's previous record was a 50-point win (90-40) over Kansas, Jan. 28, 2006. Baylor's 34-point explosion in the third quarter was also a school record for most points in a quarter in league play. The Lady Bears shot 68.3 percent from the floor (third-best game pct. all-time) and five players reached double figures as Baylor improved to 19-1 and 9-0 in the Big 12. The game marked the first time that Baylor had played in front of its home crowd since earning the No. 1 ranking Jan. 28 and the Lady Bears pleased their second-largest crowd of the season (6,432) by winning their 32nd-straight home game, and 32nd-straight regular season win over a Big 12 opponent.
IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP: BAYLOR RETURNS TO NO. 1 RANKING FOR FIRST TIME SINCE MARCH OF 2013
For the first time since the March 18, 2013 poll, the Associated Press Top 25 has placed the Baylor Lady Bears as the No. 1 team in the nation. Baylor's 19-1 overall record, 9-0 mark in the Big 12 and four wins over Top 25 opponents have played a role in the nation's highest ranking.
Jan 28's poll marks the 40th time that Baylor has ranked at No. 1 in the weekly poll. The Lady Bears spent seven weeks in the top spot from January to mid-February in 2011, spent 21-straight weeks as the favorite from Oct. 29, 2011-Nov. 12, 2012 and ranked No. 1 the last 11 weeks of the 2012-13 season. Baylor's 21-week streak was the eighth-longest streak of all-time.
TEXAS IN SHORT; SERIES NOTES
Texas, an NCAA Sweet 16 team a year ago, is back with another strong start to the season at 18-4 overall and the Longhorns are second place in the Big 12 standings with an 8-2 mark. Texas ranks No. 12 in the AP as of Jan. 28 and will enter Monday night's contest ranked No. 14 by the ESPN/WBCA poll. Texas is 1-2 vs. the Top 25 this season with home losses to No. 6 Mississippi State (67-49, Dec. 2) and No. 9 Tennessee (88-82, Dec. 9) while defeating No. 20/22 Iowa State in Ames 64-62 Jan. 12.
Former Baylor assistant coach Karen Aston is in her seventh season as the Longhorns' head coach, and she carries a 160-66 (.708) record as UT's leader. Lashann Higgs led UT in scoring through four games (13.8 ppg) but was lost for the season due to injury. Since then, Sug Sutton leads the Longhorns at 12.5 points per contest, and Texas has four active players averaging double figures.
Texas holds the all-time series lead over Baylor 58-39, but since Kim Mulkey's arrival at Baylor, the Lady Bears are 30-11, including winners in 18 of the last 19 contests. Baylor last loss in Austin Jan. 31, 2010, 61-50, but the Lady Bears have taken the last eight decisions at the Frank Erwin Center.
TOUGH ON THE ROAD: LADY BEARS LOOK TO INCREASE ROAD WIN STREAK
Baylor's win at Oklahoma State Wednesday gave the Lady Bears 31-consecutive wins on the road vs. Big 12 teams in the regular season. That streak is a Big 12 record passing its previous mark of 22 from 2011-14. 31-consecutive wins on the road vs. conference opponents is the second-best active streak in the NCAA next to UConn's 47-game win streak in the American Athletic Conference and is tied for the third-best streak of all-time with Hampton (31, 2011-2015, MEAC).
BAYLOR'S RECORD VS. TOP 25 AWAY FROM WACO IMPRESSES
In games away from Waco that include true-road contests, Big 12 tournament and NCAA Tournament contests, Baylor is 83-53 in the Kim Mulkey era against ranked opponents while collecting a 51-14 record vs. the Top 25 away from the Ferrell Center since the 2010-11 season.
BALANCED EFFORT LEADING BAYLOR IN 2018-19
Despite having the No. 1 team in the country and in the Big 12, Baylor has taken home just one weekly Big 12 Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week award. Juicy Landrum and NaLyssa Smith earned those honors, respectively, sharing with another Big 12 player in each case. This result is partly due to the offensive balance that the Lady Bears have shown all season. Five players average in double figures for Baylor led by All-Americans Kalani Brown (15.4 ppg) and Lauren Cox's (12.2 ppg). The duo's numbers are down from a season ago, mostly due to the fact that freshmen posts Smith (10.2 ppg) and Queen Egbo (6.8 ppg) are able to spell the starters off the bench with offensive production. And, also guards Juicy Landrum and Chloe Jackson are each sharing the scoring load at 10.8 and 10.7 points per contest, respectively.
POUND THE PAINT, CLEAN THE GLASS, D-UP: LADY BEARS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN REBOUNDING, SCORING EFFICIENCY, DEFENSE
In 12 statistical categories, the Lady Bears rank in the top 10 nationally. But, the Lady Bears (thru games Feb. 2) rank tops in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (33.6), rebound margin (+17.5) and field goal percentage defense (.308) while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (.511). Kalani Brown ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage at a .620 clip. In addition to the nation's best defensive field goal percentage, the Lady Bears rank tops in the nation in blocked shots per game (7.2), led by Lauren Cox's 2.40 per contest. Baylor's rebounding is a staple of the program, and the Lady Bears have out-rebounded its opponents in all 20 games this season, Baylor won the rebounding battle in 34 of 35 contests last year, and in 89 of the last 92 contests, BU has had the upper hand on the boards.
LADY BEARS ON THE RUN
Baylor has 20 runs this season of at least 10 unanswered points including at least one in six of the first nine Big 12 contests. In 13 of 20 games this season, the Lady Bears have had at least one such run, and Baylor has also put together five runs of 20 or more points. In addition, Baylor is dominating opponents in transition, out-scoring opponents 230-54 on the fast break this season.
SHARING IS CARING: BAYLOR LEADS NATION IN ASSISTS PER GAME
Baylor's 23.5 assists per contest ranks best in the nation led by Chloe Jackson's 6.6 assists per contest (ranks 8th nationally) and 2.61:1 assists-to-turnover ratio (ranks 20th nationally). DiDi Richards is averaging 4.1 assists per contest while ranking 21st nationally in assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.61:1 and post Lauren Cox ranks 23rd in that category at 2.58:1.Juicy Landrum also ranks in the top 30 in assists-to-turnover ratio while second on the team at 4.1 assists per contest. As a team Baylor's ball distribution has been the hallmark of the offense in 2018-19. In fact out of Baylor's 658 made field goals this season, the Lady Bears have assisted on 470 marking 71.4 percent of the team's buckets coming on an assist from a teammate.
50 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: BAYLOR NEARLY UNBEATABLE WHEN HITTING HALF ITS SHOTS
In just one occurrence since Kim Mulkey's arrival at Baylor in the 2000-01 season have the Lady Bears lost a game when shooting 50 percent or better. Baylor's record under Mulkey when shooting 50 percent or better is 211-1, and the Lady Bears are 35-0 when shooting 60 percent or better. The lone loss came in the 2017 NCAA Tournament when Baylor fell to Mississippi State in the Elite 8, 94-85 on March 26 despite shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.
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 20 games this season. Through Feb. 2, Baylor ranks tops in the nation in assists per game (23.5) and is second in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.73:1).
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 8th in nation in assists per game (6.6 and 20th in assists-to-turnover ratio. (2.621:1). Landrum ranks 27th in that category at 2.44:1 while ranking second on the team with 78 assists (4.1 p/g), and DiDi Richards ranks 21st at a 2.61:1 and is third on the team in assists at 4.05 per contest. Add post player Lauren Cox's 2.58:1 assists-to-turnover ratio that ranks third in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation, Baylor has done well for itself without a true one.
