No. 7/8 Baylor WBB Takes on Texas Tech in Lubbock with Slim Lead in Big 12 Standings

Tue Feb 9 10:08:42 CST 2021

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#7/8 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (14-2, 9-1)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Kim Mulkey<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1573> (La. Tech, 1984)

Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/2020-21> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats> | Game Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2021/2/9/BU_WBB_Game_Notes_TTU_2_10_21.pdf?id=16011>
#7/8 BAYLOR (14-2, 9-1) at TEXAS TECH (9-10, 4-9)
February 10, 2021 | 6 PM (CT)
Lubbock, Texas | United Supermarkets Arena (15,000)

[Big 12 Now on ESPN+]WATCH: E<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/37724a3a-4dd6-4b5f-bc77-050c381e42cb#bucketId=24800>SPN+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/f5c6182f-7aa9-4450-8e68-8479375a188c#bucketId=24800>
Talent: Ron Thuln (PBP), Mike Peterson (Analyst)
RADIO: 1660 AM/92.3 FM DIGITAL RADIO LINK: ESPN Central Texas<https://listen.streamon.fm/krzi>
Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), John Morris<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=52> (Analyst)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast<http://baylorstats.com/>

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** Due to COVID-19, there will be no physical copies of stats, media almanacs, rosters, please use the following link for MEDIA RESOURCES<http://baylorbea.rs/MediaWBB> **
[texas tech]
TEXAS TECH LADY RAIDER (9-10, 4-9)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Krista Gerlich

Roster<https://texastech.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster> | Stats<https://texastech.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats> | Game Notes

________________________________

BAYLOR'S WIN IN MANHATTAN KEEPS LADY BEARS' HALF-GAME LEAD IN THE BIG 12 STANDINGS INTACT
    A season-high seven 3-point field goals with six coming in the first half powered Baylor to a road win over K-State Saturday to keep the Lady Bears in first place in the Big 12 standings. The 64-52 victory improved Baylor to 9-1 with West Virginia nipping at the Lady Bears' heels at 9-2. Half a game behind WVU is Oklahoma State (10-3) and Iowa State stands fourth at 8-4. With the Texas Longhorns at 7-4 the race for the regular-season title in the Big 12 is still very much up for grabs.
     Sunday, NaLyssa Smith<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10009> led Baylor with 17 points and eight rebounds while Moon Ursin<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10010> and DiJonai scored 16 points apiece. DiDi Richards<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10008> added 10 assists, seven points and three steals to aid in the victory. Baylor's home contest with K-State, Jan. 10 was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns for both programs and a date for reschedule has not been set by the league office.

BAYLOR LOOKS TO EXTEND SERIES LEAD OVER TEXAS TECH
    Despite Kim Mulkey<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1573>'s 40-8 record vs. the Lady Raiders all-time, Baylor's 91-45 decision over Texas Tech, Dec. 14, gave the Lady Bears the series lead for the first time since 1985. Texas Tech tied the series at eight games apiece in the schools' first meeting in 1986 and took the series lead, Feb. 15, 1986 with a 72-65 win in Waco. The series remained in Texas Tech's favor until Feb. 18, 2020 when Kim Mulkey<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1573>'s 600th career victory in Lubbock, knotted the series at 47 games apiece. In December, four players scored in double figures for Baylor with NaLyssa Smith<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10009> leading the charge with 21 points and nine rebounds to down the Lady Raiders. Baylor overcame 18 points from Vivian Gray but held the graduate transfer to 6-of-15 shooting.

THREE LADY BEARS LAND FINALIST NODS FROM NAISMITH/WBCA ANNUAL POSITION AWARDS; SMITH NAMED TO NAISMITH MIDSEASON TEAM
     The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and the WBCA rolled out its top-10 lists this past week for its annual "Starting Five" awards, honoring the best women's college basketball players at each position, each season. First-year point guard and senior DiDi Richards<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10008> earned a spot on the Nancy Lieberman Award list, NaLyssa Smith<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10009> was honored as a power forward for the Katrina McClain Award list, and for the second-straight year, Queen Egbo<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10005> was selected as a top-10 finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award for centers. The position awards are in their fourth year in existence except for the Lieberman Award, which began honoring point guards in 2000. Any player can play their way on or off the position lists throughout the season, and in March, each award will narrow the list to five players before announcing the winners, April 9. In addition, Tuesday, Smith was named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team featuring 25 top-performing players for the 2020-21 season.

RICHARDS, KNOWN FOR HER DEFENSE, QUIETLY MOVING UP BAYLOR'S ALL-TIME ASSISTS LIST
     When most think of DiDi Richards<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10008>, they think defense. After all, she was the National Defensive Player of the Year by both the WBCA and Naismith last season without having high steals or blocks numbers. Her reputation for on-ball defense and pestering the Big 12 and the nation's top perimeter players earned her the awards. But, many might not know that Richards is one of Baylor's all-time best passers. This season, she ranks first in the Big 12 in assists per game, which ranks 9th nationally. She ranks second in the league in total assists, and last season she was the Big 12 statistical champion, ranking 7th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 481 assists coming into Sunday's game ranks 5th all-time on the Baylor career assists list. With COVID-19 looming, Richards may not get to put up the numbers she normally would have, but she has a shot to leave Baylor at 3rd all-time in that category. Kristy Wallace collected 525 assists in her four years and ranks third. Richards has 8 Big 12 games left to play, a Big 12 Tournament and an NCAA Tournament. Her pace is 6.8 assists per game, and if she continues at that rate, she would pass Wallace in the next 9 games. Niya Johnson is Baylor's all-time leader with 988 and Odyssey Sims ranked second at 641.

COVID-19'S EFFECT ON THE LADY BEARS
     All are having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Lady Bears are no exception. Baylor lost four games scheduled for the Preseason WNIT in Waco in November, along with a Thanksgiving week game vs. Oregon in Las Vegas. Originally scheduled for Nov. 27, Baylor and Northwestern State's game was postponed due to COVID issues within the NWST program and was rescheduled for Dec. 18. Baylor lost its top-10 matchup with UConn Jan. 7 and postponed originally-scheduled Big 12 contests with K-State at home (Jan. 10) and at Kansas (Jan. 13).
     Moon Ursin<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10010>, lost her grandmother, Ruby Alexander, to the virus in April after a swift and brief battle with COVID. Kamaria McDaniel<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10266>, a transfer from Penn State that is having to sit this season, lost her grandfather, Johnny Webster, Sr., in April as well. Kim Mulkey<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1573>, Jordyn Oliver<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10006>, DiJonai Carrington<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10073> and Caitlin Bickle<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10004> have all had to miss time due to COVID-19 protocols this season.

RICHARDS RETURNS TO FLOOR AFTER SPINAL INJURY, FEATURED ON ESPN'S SPORTSCENTER
     Oct. 24, Moon Ursin<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10010> and DiDi Richards<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10008> collided in mid-air during a practice scrimmage, leaving Ursin with a concussion and Richards with a Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality (SCIOWRA). Ursin returned to practice after clearing concussion protocol in mid-November while Richards' rehab began immediately after she briefly lost feeling below her knees. Richards was first confined to a walker to assist her in walking, but by mid-November she was completing individual drills and workouts with medical and strength & conditioning staff. Richards shocked doctors, team medical staff and coaches with the rate of her rehab. Thirty-eight days after the injury, she played 30 minutes off the bench at South Florida Dec. 1. She scored a bucket 13 seconds into her entry, and picked up where she left off last season by leading Baylor with seven assists. Dec. 6 in Fayetteville, Ark., she resumed her starting role, getting her first start at point guard and finished the contest with a game-high eight assists. She led the Big 12 in assists per game in 2019-20, ranked 13th in the nation and had the NCAA's sixth-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9:1.
     Her return to the floor sparked interest from ESPN with Mechelle Voepel writing a feature on her recovery, and Scott Van Pelt led off his Tuesday edition of SportsCenter, covering Richards' return with the "Best Thing I Saw Today" segment.

BAYLOR WINS 1,000TH WIN AS A PROGRAM; LADY BEARS BECOME 15TH PROGRAM IN D1 HISTORY TO REACH 1,000 VICTORIES
      Baylor's win at South Florida Dec. 1 marked the program's 1,000th victory. Baylor became the 15th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 1,000 victories joining Tennessee, UConn, James Madison, Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Texas, SFA, Old Dominion, Ohio State, Maryland, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin-Green Bay, South Dakota State, and Notre Dame. Kim Mulkey<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1573> has 606 of those wins as head coach for Baylor. At Louisiana Tech, she was either a player, assistant or associate head coach for 560 victories, which makes her a direct contributor to 1,106 wins between the two programs on the prestigious list.

___________________________________
Kyle Robarts | Associate Director, Athletics Communications (WBB, WTEN)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-3042 | C: 254-405-9492

[cid:image008.png at 01D6FECB.89041290]<http://baylorbears.com/>
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