By Nathan Keil | Sports Writer
Redshirt senior guard Alexis Prince scored 22 points and the Lady Bears used a 13-2 run to open the third quarter to help them pull away from the Cyclones and earn an 83-52 victory over Iowa State on Wednesday night.
During the run, Prince connected on all three of her attempts from beyond the arc, and the Lady Bears were able to find their offensive rhythm.
Prince said she was just taking what the Cyclones’ defense was giving her.
“Just trusting my shot,” Prince said. “They’re leaving the perimeter open, so we’re just trying to hit the open shots.”
Prince provided a much-needed boost offensively as redshirt senior guard Alexis Jones struggled shooting from the floor. Jones finished with 12 points but was just five of 16 from the field.
Mulkey said the key adjustment in the second half was just trusting in the offense and taking what the defense was giving them, which were perimeter jump shots.
“Just making shots,” Mulkey said. “They were concerned about our post play. They packed it in there and let all our perimeter players have open looks, and we can shoot it.”
Senior forward Nina Davis provided a strong effort on the offensive end for Mulkey. Davis finished with 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Iowa State was able to keep it close throughout the first half, mostly due to the play of redshirt junior guard Jadda Buckley. She scored 13 points on five of eight shooting in the first 20 minutes. However, in the second half, the Lady Bears’ defense held her to zero points and only two shot attempts. No other player finished in double figures scoring for Iowa State.
Buckley credits Baylor’s defense for coming out in the second half with an inspired energy on defense.
“They came up with a lot more pressure. A lot more aggressiveness,” Buckley said.
After allowing two three-pointers in the first quarter to Buckley, Baylor held Iowa State to one of 16 on three-point attempts the rest of the game.
Despite a quiet eight-point, nine-rebound game for sophomore post Kalani Brown, Baylor controlled the glass, outrebounding Iowa State 46-29. The Lady Bears also took advantage of second chance opportunities, outscoring the Cyclones 19-2 and nullifying quality defensive possessions for Iowa State.
Iowa State dropped to 12-10 but 3-8 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones will take on No. 22 West Virginia at 11 a.m Saturday.
Baylor, who won their 20th consecutive game, improves to 22-1, 11-0 in the Big 12. The Lady Bears will travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech at 2 p.m Saturday.
