Jan 11, 2017; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Kim Mulkey reacts after a play during the second half against TCU Horned Frogs at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports
The Iowa State women’s basketball team is currently heading down a rocky road as they possess a 10-7 overall and are 1-6 in the Big 12.
Now, Iowa State must lace up its shoes and head to Texas and to play perhaps its toughest game of the season, the No. 2 Baylor Lady Bears in Waco.
The two teams will square off this evening at 7 in the Ferrell Center.
Everything to know about Baylor
Baylor was and still is seen as the heavy favorites to win the Big 12 this season. It’s easy to see way.
The Lady Bears enter this matchup with a 17-1 record and a perfect 6-0 mark in Big 12 play. The only team to knock off Baylor this season is was top-ranked UConn.
Iowa State will try to slow down the high scoring Lady Bears but that will be a tough task as Baylor possesses a plethora of scoring options. Four players are averaging double-figures for the Lady Bears this season: Alexis Jones (15.2 points), Kalani Brown (13.8), Nina Davis (11.6) and Alexis Prince (11.1). Assists and offense go hand and hand and Baylor is leading the country in assists per game as it dishes 23.3 per outing. That means the Cyclones can’t just hone in on one single player, as any Lady Bear could go off in terms of scoring.
Iowa State, like most Big 12 schools, has lost games on its last 12 trips to Waco. The last time Iowa State beat Baylor on its home court was all the way back in 1997 when the Cyclones defeated the Lady Bears, 88-43.
Baylor is led by Kim Mulkey who is in her 17th season coaching the Lady Bears. During this time, she has complied an overall record of 490-93. She is also 21-4 against Iowa State.
Baylor is red hot right now
The Lady Bears enter the contest on a 15-game win streak. They also went undefeated in the month of December, which saw Baylor defeat Winthrop, 140-32.
They are dominating in conference
While beating Winthrop by 108 points was an NCAA record, Baylor has been making Big 12 foes look foolish as well.
The Lady Bears have outscored their conference foes by an average of 36.7 points per game. Baylor has defeated Kansas State by 30, Kansas by 47, No. 17 West Virginia by 35 (on the road), Oklahoma State by 36 (on the road), TCU by 23 and Kansas once again (on the road) by 45.
This is the Lady Bears best start in conference play since the 2012-13 season.
Baylor is also 48 percent from the field compared to its opponents’ 26.4 field goal percentage in league play.
It’s always a block party for Baylor
The Lady Bears have four players who stand 6-foot-3 or taller. Iowa State only has one 6-foot-3 or taller athlete, Meredith Burkhall. That enemorous height for Baylor has helped it lead the country in block shots (161) and blocked shots per game (8.9). That 8.9 average is higher than any average the Lady Bears recorded when Britteny Griner, who is the NCAA’s record holder in block shots all-time with 748 stuffs, played for them between 2009-12.
Baylor is dominant in almost every area of the game
Currently, the Lady Bears lead the NCAA in 11 statistical categories. They lead in scoring offense (92.6 points per game), scoring margin (+42.6), rebounds per game (54.22), rebounds (976), rebounding margin (+25.2), field goal percentage defense (28.2), blocks per game (8.9), blocks (161), assists per game (23.2), assists (419) and assist to turnover ratio (1.71).
