No. 8 Baylor 79, No. 10 Oklahoma 59

2/17/2008 4:07 PM

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

WACO, Texas (AP) -Baylor coach Kim Mulkey hopes the message was loud and clear.

Oklahoma certainly got it.

After a tough stretch since starting guard Jhasmin Player's season-ending knee injury, Mulkey made some unexpected lineup changes and the eight-ranked Lady Bears responded with a 79-59 victory Sunday that ended No. 10 Oklahoma's seven-game winning streak.

``Not many teams in the country can adjust and adapt this late in February to a loss of that magnitude. It takes time,'' Mulkey said. ``And I think you saw today a team that is adjusting and adapting, and give those kids credit.''

Baylor (22-3, 10-2 Big 12) won its 16th straight home game and finished with its largest margin of victory ever over a Top 10 team in the regular season. It was also the Lady Bears' most lopsided win over the Sooners (18-5, 8-3) in 10 years.

``You don't beat an Oklahoma by that kind of score if Jhasmin Player is missed and we're just going to fall off the earth,'' Mulkey added.

Sophomore post player Jessika Bradley had 10 points and 10 rebounds in only her third career start, a move Mulkey decided to make during the bus ride home from a 10-point loss at Texas on Wednesday night. Freshman Kelli Griffin got her first start.

While Bradley had a double-double, she also had the difficult task of defending Oklahoma's 6-foot-4 twin sisters, Courtney and Ashley Paris.

``The lineup change was just a spark for our team,'' Mulkey said. ``Jessika Bradley just fronted. She banged, she pushed. What rebounds she couldn't get a hand on, she tried to slap away. I thought she was active.''

Angela Tisdale, the lone senior and only player remaining from Baylor's 2005 national championship team, had 23 points. Jessica Morrow added 20 points, while Rachel Allison had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Lady Bears had lost two of three games since Player tore knee ligaments Feb. 2. Both losses were on the road, but Baylor was back at the Ferrell Center and are the only Big 12 team without a home loss.

And this one wasn't even close.

``We never had a rhythm, ever. We were very hesitant,'' Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. ``Nobody looked like they wanted the basketball. Nobody looked like they wanted to shoot it from the perimeter anyway.''

Courtney Paris and Ashley Paris both had double-doubles for the Sooners. Courtney had 21 points and 15 rebounds for her 84th consecutive double-double dating back to December 2005, and Ashley had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Danielle Robinson added 12 points.

It was only the second time Oklahoma lost when the Paris twins both had double-doubles. The other was also against Baylor, 84-73 last month in a game that featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties in the Sooners' last loss

``We didn't have any energy and our energy strikes rhythm and helps us all around,'' Courtney Paris said.

``We had the momentum and we just didn't carry it over,'' Robinson said. ``It's frustrating that we had to play like this once again.''

Less than 7 minutes into the game, Allison and Tisdale stopped in the middle of the court and leaped together in celebration. And the fun was just getting started because Baylor had just taken the lead for good.

Oklahoma had an early 6-2 lead after consecutive baskets by Robinson, a short jumper and then a breakaway layup after a turnover. The Lady Sooners led 8-7 when Courtney Paris missed a shot, eventually grabbed the rebound that rattled around several players and made a layup.

The Sooners then missed six straight shots, and Allison hit a go-ahead basket to start a 7-0 run. When Allison added a short jumper to make it 13-8, Coale called timeout. Before going to their huddle, Allison and Tisdale stopped and leaped, excitedly bumping into each other.

Baylor led by as many as 13 points before halftime, then had a 59-39 lead with 9:45 left after Morrow drove for a layup and then hit the free throw.

``Early on, we had a few fouls and we just turned soft and passive,'' Coale said. ``Baylor is tough and hard-nosed and they take it right at you. If you don't respond the right way, they will roll you over like a truck.''