Lady Bears fight for second conference win

Baylor outlasted Texas A&M’s late charge to win 61-53. Melissa Jones’ heroic return included 17 points and the hustle that the Lady Bears have missed from her for the last four games. Brittney Griner added 17 points, and Kelli Griffin 13.

44.1 seconds left; nobody has left the building

It’s 53-47 at the Ferrell Center, with the Bears trying to seal the Aggies. Baylor lead 50-41 before coming up empty on possession while Texas A&M capitalized to narrow the margin.

Lady Bears look to close out the Aggies

With 3:41 left Baylor is ahead 50-41. Griner has 20 points and has stayed out of foul trouble so far, and Jones’ 14 points are truly not an indication of the incredible effort given tonight.

Aggies not going quietly

A&M has put together a 7-2 run to pull within 7 with 5:20 remaining.

Lady Bears holding lead

With 7:46 remaining in the game the Aggies are staring a 44-33 deficit. Brittney Griner has dominated down low and now has 18 points and just one foul. Melissa Jones has played all but a minute of this half. Mulkey wanted to give her some rest but was quickly forced to put her back in with the Aggies gaining ground.

Lady Bears build momentum into halftime

Covering the Spread apologizes for being unable to deliver updates from the Ferrell Center courtside.

It’s halftime in Waco, and Baylor is up 30-18. First half highlights include a steal and transition layup from Shanay Washington that put the Lady Bears ahead 15-6. Even a long delay caused by an A&M substitution error (resulting in a technical foul) could not cool off the Bears for long.
The Aggies came as close as 23-18, a run which included a brief Jones break on the bench. Mulkey put her back in, and the Bears closed out the half on a 7-0 run.
One of those baskets was a half court pass from Kelli Griffin to Brittney Griner, which Griner turned into a layup and free throw.
Jones has 10 points in her much anticipated return, and Griner leads the Bears with 11. Griner also has not committed a foul yet. Other scorers include Griffin with five points and Washington and Morghan Medlock each with two.

Jones enters the game

During the Aggies’ first two free throw, Melissa Jones has entered the game to the surprise of the Ferrell Center. She scored Baylor’s first two points with a pull up jumper.

Lady Bears take on A&M

Baylor (14-4, 1-3) plays its fifth straight conference game without Melissa Jones, facing the No. 8 ranked Aggies at the Ferrell Center. With the loss of Jones comes a lack of shots behind the arc, so once again the Lady Bears will rely on its inside presence and ball movement to get a win. Tip-off is less than a minute away, and Covering the Spread will bring blog updates as long as the Wi-Fi gods at the Ferrell Center allow it.

Covering the Spread has made it big time

After the winter break, it’s time to get back to Covering the Spread. Fortunately, my first column was picked up by NBCDFW blogger and “journalist” Drew Magary. Magary, who apparently spends his time devouring through college publications to discover ways he can boost his ego, called me a “stupid person”. While it doesn’t bug me someone called me a stupid person (each person is entitled to his or her opinion), I do want to point out that the “flaws” he tried to depict in my column, aren’t flawed at all. For example, my use of the word paramount in today’s column was correct.

Also, while Magary seems to be content with one playoff victory against a struggling Eagles squad in Romo’s four years as a starter, I know Cowboys fans hold their players to higher standards.

And calling Tony Romo young? The guy has been around since 2003, I don’t exactly label him a young NFL player.

It’s final; Bears lose

Nebraska hit 12 three pointers in its 65-56 win over Baylor. Griner lead the Lady Bears with 18 points and blocked seven shots, but it was not enough Sunday afternoon.