Martin leads Oklahoma State to 52-45 upset of No. 4 Baylor
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Brittney Martin could sense it among her Oklahoma State teammates before the game - the Cowgirls believed they could beat No. 4 Baylor, a team they'd lost to 14 straight times.
With Martin, the Big 12 Conference's top scorer, leading the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds, Oklahoma State opened league play Wednesday night by stunning the Bears 52-45. It was the Cowgirls' first win over Baylor since Jan. 9, 2010 - which also happens to be the last time Oklahoma State beat a top-five foe.
''I don't know what the heck happened to us, but we were on another level today,'' Martin said. ''We all knew we had to play hard. Actually, I know what happened. We all thought that we could actually win. We all believed in each other. We all believed in our team. That's something that I haven't experienced since I've been here.''
Kaylee Jensen added 10 points and nine rebounds and Roddricka Patton had 10 points and matched her career high with seven steals for Oklahoma State (11-1, 1-0 Big 12), which ended Baylor's 13-game winning streak.
Baylor (13-1, 0-1) played without starting point guard Niya Johnson, who sat out with a bone bruise. Her absence was notable, particularly in the Bears' shooting percentage. Baylor entered the game third in Division I in shooting at 52 percent but went 18-of-59 from the field (30.5 percent) against the Cowgirls.
Baylor guard Alexis Jones, who entered averaging 14.6 points per game, finished 2-of-18 from the field and managed only five points. Nina Davis scored 18 points for Baylor, but only she and freshman Beatrice Mompremier (10 points) scored in double figures for the Bears.
''I'm not going to come in here and take a victory away from (Oklahoma State), but when you don't have your quarterback on the floor, it kind of puts all of us in a tough bind,'' Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. ''But don't write . where that comes across that we lost because we didn't have Niya. You've got to play. Give those guys credit. They were more physical at the post. I thought the game was won and lost at the post, with physical play, big rebounds, just things like that.''
Martin scored nine of her points in the final 4:23 after Baylor had cut a 10-point deficit to one at 41-40 midway through the fourth quarter. She hit a reverse, driving layup and Mandy Coleman followed with a basket with 3:47 left to put Oklahoma State up by five. After a Baylor miss, Martin's three-point play made it 48-40 with 2:57 left.
Davis' 3-pointer with 1:43 left pulled the Bears within 50-45, but they didn't score again and Martin's put-back with 1:32 left proved to be the game's final points.
''I'm obviously very proud of our kids and the energy and enthusiasm and the toughness they played with tonight,'' Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell said. ''It's just a special win for our program. . I'm aware they were a player short, but our kids still had to play well. It was probably the best we've played defensively since I've been here.''
Oklahoma State blocked eight shots - with Martin and Coleman recording three each - and six of those came in the first half.
Still, the Lady Bears led 17-16 after the first quarter and 19-16 after Mompremier's basket at the 8:05 mark of the second quarter. Those were Baylor's only points of the quarter as the Lady Bears missed their final 14 shots of the half. Oklahoma State wasn't much better in the second quarter, but did manage six points and led 22-19 at halftime.
TIP-INS:
Baylor: Baylor will retire former All-American Odyssey Sims' jersey during their home game Sunday against No. 17 Oklahoma . Baylor's only other single-digit scoring quarter of the season came in the second quarter of the season opener, when the Lady Bears had nine points en route to a 62-20 win over Texas-Arlington . Mompremier started the second half in place of Kristina Higgins.
Oklahoma State: Patton swished a 30-foot 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to pull the Cowgirls within 17-16 . Oklahoma State had had only three other single-digit scoring quarters this season before the Cowgirls' six-point second quarter . Martin's 10 rebounds gave her 901 for her career.
UP NEXT:
Baylor: Hosts No. 17 Oklahoma on Sunday.
Oklahoma State: Visits Iowa State on Saturday.
