March 1, 2008

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Morenike Atunrase had 24 points and No. 20 Texas A&M got a surprisingly easy 72-53 win over eighth-ranked Baylor to extend its Big 12 conference-best winning streak to five games.

Sixteen of Atunrase's points came in a key run in the first half that stretched A&M's lead from one point to 19.

The Bears (24-4, 12-3) had a chance to clinch at least a share of the regular season Big 12 title with a win, but instead suffered their worst loss since a 24-point defeat by then-No. 5 Stanford in December.

Baylor won its first meeting with A&M this season with a last-minute 3-pointer, but this time the Aggies took over midway through the first half and led by double-digits for the rest of the game.

The Aggies led by 19 at halftime and a 7-1 run stretched the lead to 57-32 midway through the second half. Patrice Reado made all of A&M's points in that span.

Baylor outscored A&M 15-6 in the next 4 1/2 minutes, capped by a 3-pointer by Angela Tisdale, to cut the lead to 63-47 with about 5 1/2 minutes to play. The Bears wouldn't get any closer as the Aggies scored seven straight points, fueled by two 3-pointers by Takia Starks to make it 70-47.

Starks, who finished with 12 points, got her fourth foul with 14 minutes left and missed about eight minutes before returning to the game and promptly hitting those two 3-pointers.

Neither team scored a basket in the first three minutes of the second half until 5-foot-3 Aggie guard A'Quonesia Franklin drove past a trio of Baylor defenders for a nifty layup that made it 43-21.

The Aggies trailed by three early in the game before scoring six straight points to take a 12-9 lead with about 12 minutes remaining in the half. A jump shot by Jessika Bradley cut the lead to one before A&M scored five straight, capped by a 3-pointer by Danielle Gant to push its lead to 17-11. Gant had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Bears got within one again with about seven minutes left in the first half, but the Aggies went on a 23-5 run to lead 40-21 at halftime. Atunrase scored 16 points, including two 3-pointers, in that span. She finished with six rebounds, three blocks and two assists.

Baylor had six turnovers in that time and went almost six minutes without scoring a basket, until Tisdale's jump shot with about 90 seconds left in the half.

The Bears were led by Tisdale's 25 points, but she also had five of their 20 turnovers.