No. 9 Baylor women rout Stephen F. Austin

Updated: Dec 14, 2015, 06:02 pm

WACO, Texas -- After Baylor's starters missed their first four shots, coach Kim Mulkey pulled all five players out of the game. The next five proceeded to miss a pair of layups, and they, too, got sent to the bench after less than a minute of playing time.

"I've got 10 players that are in the rotation and whatever it takes and whoever I think at that time needs to be on the floor, and sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don't," Mulkey said. "I didn't think we came out the gates hard and fast. I needed to get somebody else a shot. They went in and did some of the same things, so I took them out."

No. 9 Baylor missed its first nine shots before routing Stephen F. Austin 96-57 on Sunday. Nina Davis scored 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Alexis Prince added 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting for the Bears (8-1), and Niya Johnson had 11 assists.

Porsha Roberts led Stephen F. Austin (5-4) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Roberts, a Waco native and a senior, was playing her first college game in her hometown and had about 40 family members in attendance.

Brentney Branch added 12 points, and Tierany Henderson had 10 for Stephen F. Austin.

Baylor didn't make a field goal until Kristy Wallace had an offensive rebound and putback with 13:50 left in the first half. The Bears shot 76 percent after that opening and finished the game making 34 of their 54 (63 percent) field goals.

Stephen F. Austin's leading scorer, Taylor Ross, went to the bench and didn't return in the first half after picking up her third foul with 12:15 left. Coming into the game, Ross had been scoring nearly 19 points a game, and finished with five points and four assists.

"Really, really hurt us," Stephen F. Austin coach Brandon Schneider said of Ross' foul trouble. "It probably doesn't affect the outcome of the game, but it definitely affects the score. She's our leading scorer. But she's also our best on-ball defender. Not having her out there definitely affects our team in a negative way."

TIP-INS

Baylor: The Bears have outscored their opponents by an NCAA-best 35.6 points a game and have allowed 41.5 points per contest in seven home games.

Stephen F. Austin: The Ladyjacks were coming off two consecutive wins: a 90-50 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville and a 70-59 decision at Rice.

IN THE RANKS

Baylor is just the second ranked opponent that Stephen F. Austin has faced the in the previous two seasons. No. 15 LSU handed SFA an 86-58 defeat on Nov. 8, 2013, in Baton Rouge.

SOUTHLAND DOMINANCE

Stephen F. Austin was picked to win the Southland Conference in polls of the league's coaches and sports information directors. The Ladyjacks have won the conference title 16 previous times, besting the

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Stephen F. Austin's Porsha Roberts is a Waco native and a graduate of LaVega High School in nearby Bellmead.

DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE! Under Mulkey, Baylor has held its opponents to 50 percent or less shooting in 486 of 499 games. Stephen F. Austin made 35 percent of its field goal attempts (22-of-63).

SCORE ALL THE POINTS

Baylor leads the Big 12 and is second in the country in scoring with 91.7 points a game. Coming into Sunday, San Jose State led the country at 92.8 points a game.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Plays Syracuse on Friday in the Florida Sunshine Classic in Winter Park, Florida.

Stephen F. Austin: Hosts Arizona on Saturday.