WACO, Texas (AP) — NaLyssa Smith had her ninth double-double in a row, Ja’Mee Asberry scored a season-high 20 points while matching her career high with six 3-pointers and fifth-ranked Baylor overwhelmed Alcorn State 94-40 on Wednesday.
Smith, a preseason All-American, had 25 points and 10 rebounds while playing only 20 minutes in the lopsided game. Her nine double-doubles lead the nation, and she has 33 overall in her career.
Sarah Andrews scored 14 points while Caitlin Bickle had 13 points and six assists for Baylor (9-1).
The Bears never trailed and had a 15-point lead when Asberry made a 3 with 35 seconds left in the first quarter. Asberry hit buzzer-beating 3s at halftime for a 51-18 lead and at the end of the third quarter for a 81-29 advantage, and said afterward she always feels like she is going to make her shot.
“That’s how you gain confidence in yourself. So even when I miss it, I’m neutral. I make it, I’m neutral. I just had to shoot the ball with confidence,” said Asberry, who transferred to Baylor after playing three seasons at Oklahoma State.
“This is honestly like what I expect every day,” first-year Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. “I think she’s a player that if her footwork is right, if her head is right, then she’s capable of stepping up and making five or six 3s a game.”
Freshman guard Zy’nyia White had a team-high eight points for Alcorn State (0-7) in a rare midweek day game with local elementary school students in the crowd.
The Lady Braves shot 30.2% from the field (16 of 53) and had 19 turnovers. Baylor shot 52.4% (33 of 63), including 11 of 24 on 3-pointers, and had a 42-26 rebounding advantage.
“Well, everything that we saw from them, we expected it. We were going to live with them shooting the 3 ball a lot, hoping that they wouldn’t shoot as well as they did. And they lit it up,” Alcorn State coach Nate Kilbert said. “Because they are so big inside and we were so small, we wanted them shooting over us. … They’ve got great athletes. They’ve got size and they just gave us fits, especially on the defensive end.”
QUEEN’S ANKLE
Baylor center Queen Egbo had nine points and seven rebounds before leaving the game when she rolled her left ankle with 6:41 left in the third quarter. She came down awkwardly after being fouled and had to be helped off the court, though Collen doesn’t think it is a high ankle sprain.
“It’s probably going to be pretty tender. I know it hurt, but if there’s such a thing as a good time, we’ve got two days off and then have this length of time because of finals before our next game,” Collen said.
BIG PICTURE
Alcorn State: The Lady Braves played on the road for the sixth time in seven games, which included a trip to Mississippi State. They still have games remaining at LSU and Texas before getting into SWAC play in January.
Baylor: The Bears have won 66 consecutive nonconference home games since January 2014. … With Egbo hurt and guard Jaden Owens out with her right foot in a walking boot, the Bears were down to seven scholarship players in uniform at the end of the game. They have only one game in the next three weeks.
UP NEXT
Alcorn State: Hosts Tougaloo on Monday.
Baylor: Plays plays No. 13 Michigan on Dec. 19 at the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Bears beat Michigan 78-75 in overtime in the NCAA Sweet 16 last March.
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