Sunday, January 18, 2009
By Brice Cherry
Tribune-Herald staff writer
The Baylor women’s basketball team has seen itself on the wrong end of the scoreboard against Oklahoma State before.
The Lady Bears refused to let it happen again.
Seizing control with an emphatic 20-2 second-half run, the fifth-ranked Lady Bears burst past No. 22 Oklahoma State, 75-57, before an appreciative Ferrell Center crowd of 7,189 Saturday night. The victory meant a little more to the Lady Bears since it came against the Cowgirls, who defeated Baylor twice last year, including a 72-68 win in Waco that cost Baylor a share of the Big 12 championship.
BU beats Iowa St.“Of course you go into every game wanting to win,” said BU sophomore guard Melissa Jones, who pumped in a career-high 18 points to top Baylor. “But I think there are some games you want a little bit more.”
Earlier in the week, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey conceded that OSU’s jitterbug of a junior Andrea Riley was liable to score her share of points. Mulkey said the Lady Bears couldn’t allow any of Riley’s supporting cast to join her in the spotlight.
Baylor (15-1 overall, 3-0 in the Big 12) executed the coach’s defensive game plan to a tee. Riley, the Big 12’s leading scorer, darted and danced her way to 33 points, but no other Cowgirl reached double figures in scoring and no OSU player other than Riley registered a single assist.
“You can not stop Andrea Riley,” Mulkey said. “She’s too good, and she shoots too much. She’s going to get her points, but it’s imperative that you don’t let that second or third option kill you. ... It was a good day for Baylor.”
For a half, it was anyone’s game, as Riley used her lightning-quick first step to blow past Baylor’s defenders for 16 points. That kept OSU (12-4, 1-2) within striking distance, trailing 33-31 at the break.
And when Riley broke free in the open court and dropped in a layup at the 17:19 mark of the second half, the Cowgirls led, 38-37, for the first time since early in the first half.
But the Lady Bears found their groove. Baylor scored 20 of the game’s next 22 points over a six-minute stretch to build a 17-point lead and leave the Cowgirls behind.
“Baylor really pressured us, and we just didn’t respond,” Riley said. “It’s hard to bounce back from a 20-2 run.”
“The post play was big,” Mulkey said. “I thought that opened up shots for players like Melissa Jones on the perimeter, which in turn allowed us some isolation when we reversed the ball.”
How right was Baylor living during its game-cementing run? So good that when Jhasmin Player lost control of the ball while trying to work her way for a fast-break bucket, a trailing Jones merely scooped up the loose ball in stride and tossed in a layup of her own.
“Coach always gets on us to never give up on a play,” Jones said. “I just tried to stick with it.”
Jones and Morghan Medlock provided a spark off the bench, capitalizing on increased minutes with solid production. Jones drilled three 3-point shots on her way to her career-best scoring output, while Medlock chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.
“Tonight was a better indication of our depth,” Mulkey said. “I’d been reluctant to use the bench in the first two (Big 12) games, and I’ve got to quit doing that. We’ve got a talented bench, and I’ve just got to let them play.”
The nation’s leader in rebounding margin, Baylor hasn’t been outrebounded by a single foe all year, outpacing OSU 51-34 in that department. Danielle Jones produced her seventh double-double in her last 10 games, pulling down 12 rebounds to go with 14 points and four blocked shots.
Baylor proved particularly adept at crashing the offensive glass to get follow shots or extend possessions. The Lady Bears snatched 19 offensive boards to OSU’s four, including a game-high five from Rachel Allison.
“That was a big key to the game, all the second-chance points they were able to get,” said OSU forward Shaunte Smith, who had eight points and six rebounds. “They’re a good rebounding team, and we couldn’t keep them off the boards.”
Riley certainly did her part for the Cowgirls, hitting 12 of 13 free throws and even tying for the team lead in rebounds with six. But in the end, she just didn’t have enough help.
“The things Andrea does are amazing,” OSU coach Kurt Budke said. “But we’re at our best when we’ve got four or five scoring in double figures. ... If we can’t do that, we’re not going to win, especially on the road.”
Meanwhile, Mulkey praised her team’s collective effort.
“It’s great when you can leave the floor and say, ‘Every kid out there gave us something,’” she said.
Baylor will play its third ranked foe in as many games when it travels to No. 8 Texas A&M on Wednesday.
bcherry@wacotrib.com
757-5714
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