No. 1 Baylor women beat WVU to cap perfect Big 12 season

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Lauren Cox had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead top-ranked Baylor to a 63-57 victory over West Virginia on Monday night, capping a perfect Big 12 season for the Lady Bears.

Baylor (28-1, 18-0 Big 12) never trailed in winning its 20th straight game entering the conference tournament. The Lady Bears went unbeaten in the Big 12 for the fourth time, joining teams from 2012, 2013 and last year.

Juicy Landrum added 13 points and Chloe Jackson scored 10 for Baylor, which didn’t secure the win until time ran out on the cold-shooting Mountaineers (20-9, 11-7).

West Virginia used a 12-2 run to trim a 13-point deficit to 46-43 after Naomi Davenport’s layup early in the fourth quarter.

The Mountaineers then went scoreless over the next four minutes. Cox made five free throws and Jackson four down the stretch and Baylor held on.

Davenport led West Virginia with 20 points. Tynice Martin added 18 and Kari Niblack scored 13.

Baylor top scorer and rebounder Kalani Brown got into early foul trouble and was limited to eight points — just the fourth time this season she was held to single digits in scoring.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor: The Lady Bears were held to their lowest point total of the season and won this one on the defensive end. Baylor has held its past seven opponents to 60 points or fewer.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers shot 35.7 percent from the floor and fell to 2-5 against ranked opponents this season. They are trying to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament and could use a solid showing in the league tournament to get there.

UP NEXT:

Baylor has a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City later this week. The Lady Bears are going after their 10th tournament title overall.

West Virginia heads into the conference tournament having lost three of four games.