Head coach Nicki Collen and Baylor (16-8, 7-5) will look to avoid getting swept on their two game road streak, as they take on Kansas State (14-11, 3-9) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Bears are coming off a disappointing 77-56 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, despite a career performance from Caitlin Bickle, who turned in her fifth double-double of the year, finishing with 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
During the first meeting this season against K-State, the Bears dominated the Wildcats 69-48 inside the Ferrell Center. As Baylor prepares for the rematch, and hopefully the regular season sweep, here’s the 1-3-1.
One Player:
Senior guard Gabby Gregory is the pulse of the Wildcats. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native is the only player in the nation currently averaging 19 or more points, 5 or more rebounds, 2 or more assists and shooting 85 percent or better from the free throw line.
The Oklahoma transfer has established new career season-highs in a number of statistical categories including: points, field goals made, 3-point field goals made and steals. With her career-highs in points (472), free throws made (124) and 3-point field goals made (60).
During the course of Big 12 play this season, Gregory ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring average (19.7 ppg) and free throw percentage (.861), fifth in 3-point field goals per game (2.50) and 3-point field goal percentage (.319), seventh in field goal percentage (.407), eighth in minutes played per game (33.26) and 17th in rebounds per game (5.17).
Three Nuggets:
- Baylor holds the 42-9 advantage in the all-time series with Kansas State.
- The Wildcats are 11-3 at Bramlage Coliseum this season and have won just one of their last five games.
- The Bears have won 13 of the last 14 meetings with the Wildcats in Manhattan and are 14-4 all-time on the road.
One Quote:
Baylor is in an unusual position, as they find themselves in fifth place of the Big 12 standings. The likelihood of being crowned conference champions for the thirteenth consecutive season is all but lost, as the Bears are four games behind the league-leading Longhorns, with just four games remaining.
Coach Collen knows her team has what it takes to finish the regular season on a high note, they just have to dig deeper to find the spark.
“There’s a reason why teams that get on a roll, keep rolling," Collen said. "And there’s a reason why teams that get on a roll in a bad direction, it’s easy for that to snowball as well. So, you have to be good at having a short-term memory and being able to remember what you did to go 3-0 in the league and what you did to win three in a row. That team is still in us, too. So, I think it’s about pulling those things out.”
Watch/Listen:
The contest between Baylor and the Wildcats is available for streaming via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. A live radio broadcast is also available for fans on the Varsity Network App or locally on 1660 AM/92.3 FM. Additionally, live in-game updates will be provided via Twitter or live stats.
