February 20 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX
ESPN2
In a match up of two teams both 14-1 in the Big 12 and top-10 nationally (Baylor was No. 4, Texas, No. 6), Kalani Brown was phenomenal in leading the Bears to a 70-67 road win.
Brown, a 6-7 post player who started the night averaging 14 points, scored 35 with outstanding shooting from both the field (10-of-12) and line (15-of-16), and added 13 rebounds.
Texas led by as much as 11 points, but the Longhorns' top three scorers, namely junior guards Brooke McCarty (14 points on 5-of-16 shooting) and Ariel Atkins (14, 4-of-17) and freshman forward Joyner Holmes (7, 3-of-14), all struggled and that's usually not a good thing.
The game was tied at 56-56 with 4 1/2 minutes to go, but Brown had five points and Lauren Cox had four during Baylor's 9-0 run over the next three minutes. Texas got to within three points on three separate occasions after that, including at 70-67 on a Lashann Higgs' lay up with six seconds to play. The ensuing inbounds pass by Alexis Prince was stolen by Higgs, but McCarty's night came to a disappointing end when her potential tying three missed.
This was my first time seeing McCarty play, and despite the tough game, she's one of those basketball players who is very gifted with and without the ball. You don't find that every day. As for Brown - my goodness, what a talent. Though just a collegiate sophomore, she's got a bright future ahead of her and it involves many, many evenings patrolling the paint in WNBA arenas.
With Baylor now holding a one-game lead for the league's regular season title, the teams each have a pair left before the Big 12 Tournament. Baylor hosts Texas Tech on February 25 and visits nationally-ranked Oklahoma on the 27th, while Texas entertains Iowa State on the 24th and travels to Kansas State on the 27th.
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