Lady Bears win mismatch of epic proportions
WACO — By doing the things coach Kim Mulkey had been emphasizing since a rare Big 12 tournament loss, the Baylor Lady Bears opened the women’s NCAA Tournament with an overwhelming record-setting performance.
It also helped that the Lady Bears, with three post players at least 6-4, were much bigger than NCAA firsttimer Texas Southern.
Beatrice Mompremier had 22 points with 11 rebounds, Kalani Brown scored 21 points, and freshman post Lauren Cox had 17 as the Lady Bears defeated Texas Southern 119-30 on Saturday night in the most lopsided women’s NCAA Tournament game ever. Baylor’s 119 points were the most ever in regulation of a Tournament game.
“That work we’ve put in since the tournament championship game, I think you saw it today,” said Mulkey,
whose team lost in the Big 12 final for the first time in seven years.
“You saw post players feeding each other better than they have all year. I think you saw production from people immediately when they came in the game,” she said. “It’s just been an emphasis to continue to work on your defense."
The Lady Bears (31-3) were ahead 22-0 after Alexis Jones, on her first shot in her first game since Feb. 20, hit a 3-pointer just more than 6 minutes into the game.
The 89-point margin shattered the previous-record 74-point win by TenCarolina nessee over North Carolina A&T (111r’s 37) in 1994. Baylor's 119 points were the third most in Tournament history and the most in regulation, surpass ing the 116 first set by Ohio State in 1998 and twice matched by Connectiier cut, including earlier Saturday.
“Definitely, it’s an honor," Brown said of the record-setting victory “We all worked hard. It was a team
effort. Everyone contributed.”
This wasn’t even Baylor’s biggest win of the season. The Lady Bears beat Winthrop 140-32 on Dec. 15.
All 12 Baylor players who got in Saturday’s game scored, six of them in double figures — Nina Davis added 13 points, while Kristy Wallace and Natalie Chou each had 12. All 12 players had a rebound, and only one didn’t have an assist.
“I thought the group that started the game was as intense as they’ve probably been all year,” Mulkey said. “We did score a lot of points, but the thing I’m most proud of is how few points we gave up.”
Joyce Kennerson had 19 points for TSU (23-10), which made the NCAA Tournament for the first time after winning the SWAC tournament.
“These young ladies have worked hard. They’ve worked really hard for me and for our university,” Lady Tigers coach Johnetta Hayes-Perry said. “Today was about them growing.”