By Ben Everett | Sports Writer
The No. 2-ranked Baylor women’s basketball defeated No. 25 Kansas State 91-49 Wednesday in Manhattan, Kan., to grab their 18th straight win.
The Lady Bears (20-1, 9-0) locked down the Wildcats (15-6, 5-4), holding them to just 26.5 percent shooting.
Baylor was led by senior guard Alexis Prince, who scored a career high 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting.
Senior guard Alexis Jones opened up scoring for Baylor with a pull-up jumper, and K-State junior guard Karyla Middlebrook responded with a three-pointer to give the Wildcats an early 3-2 lead.
Prince knocked down back-to-back three-pointers and sophomore center Kalani Brown scored on two post plays as the Lady Bears jumped out to a 14-5.
The Lady Bears received contributions from freshman forward Lauren Cox as she scored seven points in the first quarter to lead the Lady Bears to a 28-7 advantage at the end of one period.
Prince continued her hot shooting in the second quarter, scoring on three straight mid-range jumpers to give Baylor a 36-9 lead.
K-State senior guard Kindred Wesemann converted on an and-one play to give the Wildcats’ offense a spark, but Cox sank three free throws to give the Lady Bears a 44-14 lead heading into halftime.
The Wildcats struggled to score in the first half, shooting just 17.9 percent from the field as the Lady Bears dominated on the defensive end.
Prince led Baylor in scoring at the break with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting while Middlebrook paced K-State with five points.
The Wildcats’ offense woke up in the third quarter as freshman forward Eternati Willock scored on a post move and Middlebrook drained another three to bring the score to 46-19.
Baylor junior guard Kristy Wallace drove through the defense to score and convert on a three-point play and Prince continued to knock down jumpers as the Lady Bears extended their lead to 59-24 in the third quarter.
Middlebrook carried the Wildcats’ offense late in the third, going four for four from the line and scoring on a reverse layup to make it a 69-36 game at the end of the third.
Prince knocked down a jumper in the fourth to set her new career high at 25 points and stretch the Baylor lead to 73-39.
The Lady Bears did not let up, scoring 10 straight capped by a Jones three, prompting Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey to send in bench players with a comfortable 83-39 advantage.
Middlebrook finished with 17 points while shooting seven-for-10 from the free throw line to lead K-State.
Cox put up 19 points and six rebounds for the Lady Bears as she continues to gain a more significant role in the offense.
Baylor will continue Big 12 Conference play against No. 20 Oklahoma at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the Ferrell Center.
