Women’s Basketball — No. 7 Baylor rolls by Lady Demons

WACO, Texas – A near record setting afternoon was more than enough for No. 7 ranked Baylor to easily dispatch Northwestern State on Friday 136-43.

The Lady Bears (6-1) dominated play from the outset, shooting nearly 70 percent from the field in route to their second highest point total in program history and a record-setting 45 assists in a single game.

“We talked about before the game and at halftime about wanting to see growth,” first-year head coach Anna Nimz said. “We wanted to, regardless of who we are playing, see that execution. I think on the defensive end we missed on a lot of that.

“We knew our doubles weren’t likely to be impactful against Baylor but we wanted to see the execution. I wish we would have maintained focus and maintained that execution on the defensive end. We also got into a tough situation in transition from the very beginning of the game. You have to get back and be very stubborn that they’re not going to get layup after layup on us.”

The Lady Demons (0-3) found themselves behind 6-0 within the first minute as Baylor converted on their first three field goals and six of their first seven shots to start the game. Long balls from Anessa Dussette, Tristen Washington, Erin Harris and Makayla VanNett accounted for all the scoring for NSU in the opening quarter.

The 42 percent effort from the floor, all from behind the arc, was overshadowed by the 62 percent effort from Baylor including 12 points from 6-foot-5 freshman Hannah Gusters.

The Lady Demons offensive production took a dip in the second quarter while the Baylor offense continued to roll, improving their effort to 77 percent pushing their 23-point first quarter lead to a even more commanding 74-21 advantage by halftime.

Dussette converted on a pair of jumpers out of the high post early in the third, but the quick defensive Baylor adjustment halted any further success, keeping the Lady Demons off the scoreboard for the next five minutes of play.

“I think we did a nice job in spurts,” Nimz said. “We had a handful of possessions where we attempted to work our offense, attempted to get in gaps and play through our teammates. I was excited to see a lot of the kids get a bucket, get a rebound, get a block because at the end of the day you’re playing the reigning national champs.”

Washington led NSU with 12 points, her third straight double-digit scoring effort to begin the season. Baylor’s 93-point win is the largest margin of defeat for the Lady Demons in program history.