Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – Despite a strong first-half performance, the No. 20/19 West Virginia University women's basketball team couldn't hold on and fell to No. 3 Baylor, 83-72, on Sunday at the WVU Coliseum.
 
The Mountaineers led by as many as nine in the opening 20 minutes but struggled offensively after halftime. Junior guard Naomi Davenport scored a game-high 27 points and added five rebounds and four steals, for WVU while senior forward Teana Muldrow added 21 points and four rebounds.
With the loss, WVU fell to 17-5 on the season and dropped to an even 5-5 in Big 12 Conference play.
 
The game was a rematch of the 2017 Big 12 Conference Championship game. The Mountaineers topped the Lady Bears, 77-66, last season to win the program's first-ever Big 12 Tournament title.
 
"I thought we had a good game plan going in. I thought we really executed it the first half," coach Mike Carey said. "(In the) second half, we got in a little foul trouble, got a little tired. They took the lead, and we missed a couple right at the rim. We missed about three shots right at the rim and missed a wide open three, but they kept scoring at the other end. I think that was the difference. I thought our players played hard. We just don't have enough bodies right now to put in. Give Baylor credit; they're really good. They're really good, so give them a lot of credit."
 
The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 9-5 lead, thanks to a 3-pointer by Davenport, along with a pair of layups by senior forward Kristina King and one from junior guard Katrina Pardee. Following a steal and score by Davenport, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native sank a 3-pointer, putting the Mountaineers up 15-12.
 
Muldrow swished a 3 on WVU's next possession, bumping the team's lead to six, before senior guard Chania Ray got in on the action with a corner 3-pointer off a nice pass from Davenport. That helped give WVU a 23-16 advantage after 10 minutes.
 
The Mountaineers shot 9 of 18 in the opening quarter and a sizzling 18 of 33 for the half.
 
WVU opened the second frame with two more treys from Muldrow and Davenport to make it a 35-26 affair with seven minutes to go before halftime. Later, Muldrow was able to finish on the low block off a nice bounce pass from freshman guard Destiny Harden. The East Orange, New Jersey, native drained another triple with just under three minutes to play in the half, giving WVU a 44-36 lead.
 
Davenport and Muldrow combined to score 34 of the team's 47 first-half points. The Mountaineers made seven 3s in the opening half and took an eventual 47-41 lead into the locker room.
 
After the break, the Lady Bears (19-1, 9-0) started the second half on a 10-2 run, taking the lead at 51-49 two minutes into the third quarter. Then, Davenport answered with a big 3-pointer, vaulting WVU back into the lead. From there, Ray got a turnaround jumper to fall, before another 3 by Muldrow put the Mountaineers ahead, 58-54, at the 6:26 mark of the period.
Ray drilled her second triple of the contest with just 45 seconds to go in the third to give WVU another lead. However, the back-and-forth third quarter ended with Baylor on top, 66-64.
 
The Mountaineers went on to trail by four in the early portion of the final frame, but they worked their way back to a 70-70 tie with 6:39 left to play. Muldrow hit a pair of free throws to level the contest. But Baylor scored 13 of the final 15 points of the game, while WVU went scoreless for the final four-and-a-half minutes.
 
WVU finished 26 of 58 (44.8%) from the field in the loss, while Baylor shot 35 of 65 (53.8%) as a team. The Mountaineers hit 10 3s but were outrebounded by the Lady Bears, 41-25.
 
Along with Davenport and Muldrow, Ray finished with 12 points and a game-high eight assists for the Mountaineers. Baylor, meanwhile, finished with four players in double figures, led by guard Kristy Wallace's 25 points.
 
Sunday's contest also was "I Belong" Day, a celebration of diversity and inclusion hosted by the Mountaineers, in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Governor Jim Justice recognized the team's efforts and issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 28, 2018, "I Belong" Day in the state of West Virginia. More than 40 community and student organizations participated in the event.
 
The Mountaineers are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 3, when the team travels to Oklahoma. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, in Norman.
 
Notes: a total of 5,073 fans attended "I Belong" Day on Sunday, the largest crowd at the WVU Coliseum this season and the most since 5,080 came to watch the Mountaineers take on Oklahoma State on Feb. 27, 2016 … the Mountaineers scored 47 points in the first half, the most Baylor has allowed in a half this season …Naomi Davenport recorded a game-high 27 points, marking her sixth 20-point game of the season … Teana Muldrow tallied 21 points, the 12th time this year she has recorded more than 20 points … Muldrow now has 24 career 20-point games, moving her into a tie for No. 8 in school history … it marked the first time since Dec. 28 against TCU, and the fifth time this season, that WVU has had two 20-point scorers … Chania Ray dished out a game-high eight assists against the Lady Bears … it is the 13th time this year she has had at least five assists in a game.