Skye Duncan | Lariat Photo Editor
Skye Duncan | Lariat Photo Editor
By Jeffrey Swindoll
Sports Writer
The No. 3 Lady Bears kept their undefeated record and 23-game winning streak alive after decimating West Virginia 79-51 on Sunday at the Ferrell Center. Baylor (24-1, 13-0) completed another season sweep over a Big 12 team with Sunday’s win over West Virginia.
A 12-0 run to begin the game sent a message to West Virginia loud and clear. The Lady Bears controlled the game from start to finish and the Mountaineers had nothing they could do to overcome Baylor. Baylor got out to a 47-28 score at halftime. Much like the Oklahoma game, it was over before the second half even began.
Sophomore forward Nina Davis scored a game-high 22 points in 25 minutes on Sunday. In her first game against West Virginia this season, Davis scored just 10 points.
Junior guard Niya Johnson added to her longtime account of performances with double-digit assists. Johnson dished out 13 assists, committing three turnovers in 30 minutes of play.
Every player on head coach Kim Mulkey’s roster scored a basket from open play. Among the better performances from the reserve players was freshman post Dekeiya Cohen’s outing. Cohen scored 10 points, shooting 5-11. Though she is a backup for Mulkey, Cohen’s post play was effective even against some of West Virginia’s starters.
Production from Baylor’s bench was so rampant that Mulkey said after the game she doesn’t like referring to her substitutes as “the bench”. Rather, Mulkey deservedly referred to them as “the players that didn’t start” in the post-game press conference. Baylor’s bench players accounted for 31 of the team’s 79 points on Sunday.
The Lady Bears dominated in the paint, scoring 58 points compared to West Virginia’s 24 points in the paint. Moreover, the Lady Bears won the rebound-battle 50-21 over West Virginia.
