Baylor routs Jackson St. to begin its title defense
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said the Lady Bears seemed more like racehorses in the hours leading up to Sunday’s first-round NCAA Tournament game, rattling around the starting gate and yearning to be unleashed.
The Bears had been confined mostly to their hotel rooms in San Antonio since Tuesday, and they waited almost two years for the opportunity defend their 2019 national championship. Senior guard Moon Ursin said she could feel the shift in atmosphere the first time she stepped on the Alamodome court for practice this week.
“Just to be back playing basketball again, especially during March Madness, that’s what we’ve all been waiting for,” Ursin said. “I took it all in, took a deep breath, and I’m excited to be here.”
No. 2 seed Baylor opened its delayed national title defense with vigor, jumping on No. 15 seed Jackson State early and cruising to a 101-52 victory in
the opening round of the 2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament Sunday at the Alamodome.
The Bears knocked down four of their first five shots from beyond the arc and played their usual stifling defense to open a 28-9 lead late in the first quarter. The margin stretched to 5124 by halftime.
“It's playoff time,” Ursin said. “We have to send a message early not only for other teams, but for ourselves. We want to start out hot and fast, and that's how we get momentum.”
When Baylor's chance to defend its national title was ripped away by the COVID-19 pandemic last March, Mulkey said she went into a “funk.”
The Big 12 and NCAA tournaments were canceled, so Mulkey stepped off the team plane in Waco and entered a period of isolation.
“I couldn't go to work, couldn't be around the
players, couldn't do anything,” Muley said this week. “Woke up, ate, went out and sat on the back patio and watched the world go crazy in a lot of respects. It's like, ‘What do you do?' It's a helpless feeling.”
Baylor went 37-1 during the 2018-19 season, storming to the program's third national title. Coming back last season, the Bears were viewed as a contender to repeat, finishing the year No. 3 in the Associated Press poll after going 28-2.
With no new champion crowned, Baylor entered this year with the mantle of defending titleholder, but also with plenty of unanswered questions about what could have been, especially for the Bears who concluded their careers last March.
“You don't dwell on the past, but you also acknowledge those four seniors that, man, it was just pulled out from under them,” Mulkey said. “I want them to always remember, that could have been them. So play the game as if tomorrow is not promised.”
Ursin netted a game-high 24 points Sunday. Nalyssa Smith, an East Central product playing in the Alamodome for the first time, scored 18 points and pulled in a team-high 10 rebounds.
Baylor outrebounded Jackson State 59-35, knocked down 49.4 percent of its shots and showed off its Ncaa-best field-goal percentage defense, holding Jackson State to 30.9 percent from the field.
“We have to come in and play like we're Baylor, like we are the best team here,” Ursin said. “We just want to know who we are, and play like we have the name ‘Baylor' across our chest, and we want to be the top dog.”
Sunday's game marked a new level of exposure for the program, as the ABC broadcast was the first time Baylor has appeared on one of the four major television networks. The matchup against Jackson State was one of just two opening-round contests to receive the spotlight.
For Ursin, Sunday also represented her first opportunity
to start an NCAA Tournament game after coming off the bench during Baylor's title run.
“I've been dreaming about this day since before I was even in college, thinking about being on this kind
of platform, playing for one of the top teams in the nation, and just balling,” Ursin said. “Today, I got a piece of that feeling. So definitely a big-time moment for me, and I'm going to remember it forever.”
Baylor advances to face Virginia Tech on Tuesday in the second round, looking to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the 12th straight year. Ranked No. 5 in the AP poll, Baylor has won 17 consecutive games, earning a No. 2 seed or better for the 10th season in a row.
With little option to do anything else in the tournament's controlled environment, Mulkey said preparations for the second round begin following Sunday night's postgame meal.
“Have you ever eaten a cold steak before? Let me tell you, it's pretty good. I'm not complaining,” Mulkey said. “That's what we'll do. We'll go eat some boxed food, and then we'll turn our attention to Virginia Tech.”