No. 4 Baylor women win 46th consecutive home game

WACO, Texas (AP) — Nina Davis scored 18 points and fourth-ranked Baylor stretched its home winning streak to 46 games with a 79-34 victory over Abilene Christian on Thursday night.

Kalani Brown added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Khadijiah Cave had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Lady Bears (8-1) haven't lost at home since March 2014.

The Lady Bears never trailed, jumping out to a 14-3 lead in the first 6 minutes of the game. Abilene Christian had turnovers on five of its first eight possessions.

Baylor had a 38-22 lead at halftime even with 10 turnovers by then. But Abilene Christian was held to only 12 points in the second half — eight points in the third quarter, four points in the fourth.

"We wore them down in transition and got down the floor," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "It was not a very pretty game from our perspective."

Sydney Shelstead led Abilene Christian (3-4) with nine points, and was in foul trouble. Suzzy Dimba had eight points.

The Lady Bears had a 17-0 run over a span of 6 1/2 minutes that included the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter for a 65-30 lead. Seven different Baylor players scored in that spurt, and Davis had a part in the first five baskets in the fourth quarter when she had a layup, a jumper and three assists.

"We really got killed in transition," Abilene Christian coach Julie Goodenough said. "They were just beating us in the track meet through the middle of the floor and scored so many points in transition. They shot 83 percent in the fourth quarter. We weren't getting back on defense and they really capitalized on that."

BIG PICTURE

Abilene Christian was much smaller, and the Lady Bears made the most of that size advantage. The Wildcats were outscored 54-14 in the paint, and got outrebounded 40-29.

Baylor has a six-game winning streak, winning those games by an average margin of 45 points, since its loss at second-ranked UConn on Nov. 17.

SHE SAID IT

"We're not going to play great every night. But if you just pick it up on the defensive end when you miss shots and you seem lethargic, you've got to live with it," Mulkey said.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

Baylor recorded 23 assists on 30 baskets. On the season, the Bears have notched assists on 206 of its 306 field goals.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Lady Bears started the season ranked No. 2, and slipped to five after the loss at UConn before gaining a spot in the latest poll. Whether they move up or down next week will be determined Sunday when the top five teams all play.

HOME SWEET STREAKS

Baylor won its 172th consecutive home game against non-ranked opponents since losing to Auburn in the WNIT final in Waco on April 4, 2003. The Lady Bears' overall home winning streak dates back to a 71-70 loss to No. 11 West Virginia on March 2, 2014.

UP NEXT

Abilene Christian, after the three-game trip that included a loss at SEC team Texas A&M, gets to go home for the next two games. The Wildcats play UMKC on Saturday.

The Lady Bears get another significant road test, when they play at No. 22 Tennessee on Sunday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.