Jordan Smith | Sports Writer
The No. 2-ranked Baylor Lady Bears are taking their undefeated talents to the road to face the No. 3-ranked University of Connecticut Lady Huskies at 6:30 p.m. today at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.
The Lady Bears are coming off of a clutch win over the No. 9 UCLA Bruins on Monday at the Ferrell Center, winning 84-70 in front of 5,955 fans. In this game, senior forward Nina Davis played 37 of the 40 minutes of the game with 15 points, six rebounds and one steal in their victory.
Baylor Lady Bears head coach Kim Mulkey was happy to see her team get that crucial win against the Bruins on Monday. However, Mulkey is not excited for the fact that the game against UConn will not be televised nationally.
“Thursday is going to be on a New York station, I understand,” Mulkey said. “We are playing two good teams in the top 10, and neither game was picked up by ESPN, but they did get Texas and Stanford on there.”
Davis said she is excited for the game but knows that it is no easy task playing against the Lady Huskies.
“It’s going to be an exciting game. Everyone is talking about how UConn lost their big three, but we are not really focused on that,” Davis said. “They are a great team. They have a great coach, and he’s going to have them ready to play.”
The last time Davis played against Connecticut was back in the 2013-14 season where she grabbed 11 points, three assists, two steals and 17 rebounds in the Lady Bears’ 66-55 loss on Jan. 13, 2014.
Mulkey has a losing, 3-2 record against UConn, with her last win against the Huskies coming on Feb. 28, 2013, on the road, 76-70.
Sophomore forward Kalani Brown was the player of the game against Bruins on Monday, as she accumulated a total of 25 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and five blocks, and she will need to produce those same numbers today against the tough Connecticut team if the Lady Bears want a chance at victory.
“My game is elevated. I feel good conditioning wise, running up and down the floor, being able to take off, getting my second wind. It feels really good,” Brown said.
UConn is coming off a close win against the No. 12-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Monday night. The game against Baylor will be the Huskies’ first home game of their season, while it will be the Lady Bears first road game of the season.
The Lady Huskies are 314-19 overall at home and have won their last 23 home openers. Under head coach Geno Auriemma, UConn holds an impressive 30-1 record in its first home game of the season. UConn also boasts a 76-game win streak, which is the third-longest streak in college basketball history and second-longest in program history.
The Lady Bears will have to continue with their momentum as they go up against the Huskies, who are 53-10 against top 10 teams since the start of the 2008-09 season.
“I am sure they are going to have a great crowd, and it’s going to be a great atmosphere, so we are going to have to bring our A-game,” Davis said.
