Top-ranked Baylor survived a physical battle a long way from home, but the Lady Bears finished off a perfect Big 12 regular season with a 63-57 victory over West Virginia on Monday night at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W. Va.
“We hung in there for the win,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said in a postgame radio interview. “Two straight years you go undefeated in the league. You just took West Virginia’s best shot, 19 turnovers, foul trouble, and you won.”
The Mountaineers cut a 13-point Lady Bears lead in the third quarter down to three when forward Naomi Davenport made a layup with 7:48 remaining.
But Baylor (28-1, 18-0 Big 12) stiff-armed West Virginia at the end. Lady Bears guard Juicy Landrum made a key shot when she took an in-bounds pass with 48 seconds left on the game clock and 4 on the shot clock. She went into the lane for a layup that gave Baylor a 57-50 advantage.
The Lady Bears made 11 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter as their foul shooting played a critical role in winning their 41st-straight Big 12 contest.
Foul trouble plagued Baylor as center Kalani Brown logged just 26 minutes and point guard Chloe Jackson spent some crucial minutes on the bench.
“This game was the most physical game we have played all year, bar none,” Mulkey said. “Nothing’s even close to what took place tonight.”
But forward Lauren Cox kept the Lady Bears rolling as she finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Landrum added 13 points and Jackson had 10 to give Baylor 3 players in double-digits scoring.
— WACOTRIB