No. 7 Baylor 87, Oklahoma State 51

WACO, Texas (AP) _ After two close road victories, Baylor got the breather it needed. <br/><br/>Sophia Young had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Steffanie Blackmon added 12 points and 13 rebounds, leading

Saturday, February 12th 2005, 5:25 pm

By: News On 6

WACO, Texas (AP) _ After two close road victories, Baylor got the breather it needed.

Sophia Young had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Steffanie Blackmon added 12 points and 13 rebounds, leading No. 7 Baylor to an 87-51 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

``We got out of the gate strongly,'' Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson said. ``It made it less stressful for me on the sidelines.''

Coming off a 52-49 win over Texas Tech and a 73-72 victory over Oklahoma, Baylor (19-3, 9-2 Big 12) charged to a 22-5 lead over the Cowgirls (7-14, 2-9).

Helped by Young's 14 points and career-high six assists, the Lady Bears extended their lead to 46-18 by the break.

``When we played Oklahoma State (the first time), we didn't do a good job of passing,'' Young said. ``Today, people were getting open, and we got the ball to them.''

The Lady Bears led by as many as 35 points twice in the second half, at 57-22 and 66-31, the last coming on Young's jumper with just over 11 minutes remaining. Baylor closed out the win by scoring eight straight points.

``We had great ball reversal and a lot of movement on the offensive end,'' Mulkey-Robertson said.

Young and Blackmon controlled the inside as the Lady Bears outscored Oklahoma State 48-14 in the paint and outrebounded the Cowgirls 46-31.

Nina Stone and Taleesha Conder led Oklahoma State with 14 points, while Christian Hood added 12.

``When you get in a hole to start, it makes the basket shrink,'' Oklahoma State coach Julie Goodenough said. ``Sophia and Steffanie are the best post duo in the country. And with their shooters, it's a very well-balanced Baylor attack.''