Sams reaches double figures for her fourth straight game

Box Score
WACO, Texas, January 2, 2008 – A year ago against the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team, Baylor got the ball into the post effectively, earned easy baskets in transition and out-rebounded the Aggies. 

On Wednesday, the Aggies returned to the Ferrell Center to see the Bears hadn’t changed much. The No. 9 Baylor Bears got 28 points and eight rebounds from Rachel Allison, and point guard Angela Tisdale added 22 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the 3-point range in an 89-48 win over the Aggies.

The Bears won 89-40 last season, shot 50 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Aggies by 11. Wednesday night, the Bears shot 60.4 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Aggies by eight.

Jalessa Sams was the only Aggie in double figures with 12 points. Nancy Rembert came off the Aggies bench to score nine points and grab four rebounds.

“Tonight we didn’t get back in transition,’’ said head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “They ran the ball up and down the floor and were three steps slower than they were. That hurt us because we’re a team that likes to run too, but we didn’t execute in the first half.”

Bibbs said the Aggies played well enough to win against No. 12 Texas A&M on Sunday in their nine-point loss to the Aggies. But she added that her team didn’t play well enough to beat anyone on Wednesday. The Aggies had a 5-4 lead in the first two minutes of the game, and trailed just 11-7 after the first media timeout.

Then the Bears began to run. Over the next 8 ½ minutes the Aggies went 1-for-11 from the field and turned the ball over six times. Every missed shot and every turnover turned into an opportunity for the Bears to run the floor. The result was a 24-3 Bears run that gave Baylor a 35-10 lead with 7:27 remaining in the first half.

When the half was over, the Bears held a 54-16 lead and shot 80 percent from the floor thanks to transition layups. The Aggies did open the second half with a 10-0 run and played much better defensively, but the damage had already been done.

“We are at a point in our season where we have to grow up as a team,’’ said Bibbs as the Aggies conference season approaches. “Leadership can’t just come from the coaches; it has to come from the players. We play in a tough conference, so I’m looking for players who are willing to be leaders.”

The Aggies face conference foe Morgan State 2 p.m., Saturday, January 12 at Cal Irvin-Don Corbett.