OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 1-seed Lady Bears took care of business as usual with an 82-51 second half blowout over the No. 9-seed Texas Tech Lady Raiders on Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Texas Tech hung well with Baylor early in the game, keeping it tied 8-8 up until the first timeout in the first quarter. Baylor was not producing as well as it usually does on offense to start the game, though. It was only a matter of time until the Lady Bears would unleash their wrath.
Although she did not start the game, freshman post Kalani scored the most points (17) of any player on Saturday.
Head coach Kim Mulkey incorporated Brown into the lineup shortly after recognizing Texas Tech’s double-teaming of freshman post Beatrice Mompremiere. Brown’s size advantage (6-foot-7) left her head and shoulders above Texas Tech’s defense. Brown’s presence in the paint was devastating for the Lady Raiders.
Sophomore guard Kristy Wallace played the most minutes of any player on the Lady Bears’ roster, scoring 15 points and generating three assists.
Texas Tech had a nearly impossible task of stopping the Lady Bears’ dynamic offense, but the Lady Raiders’ efficient shooting kept them in the game for a while. Eventually, the Lady Raiders’ shooting form wore down and the Lady Bears suffocated Texas Tech in the second half, specifically in the third quarter.
The Lady Bears scored 29 points in the third quarter, the most of any quarter in the game. Baylor entered the third quarter with a 67-26 lead and the game all but wrapped up.
The Lady Bears face Oklahoma on Sunday at 1:30pm in Oklahoma City, Okla. at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament semifinals.
