"She did what seniors should do," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "She got rattled but she kept her composure and never quit shooting. She saw the flow running the baseline and turned and shot."
Tisdale scored 15 points but was just 3-of-14 from the field, although she wasn't the only Baylor player to struggle with her shooting. The Bears (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) made just 29 percent of their field goals.
"I was just shooting and shooting and kept missing, and I thought one was going to go in," Tisdale said. "The odds were in my favor."
After Tisdale put Baylor ahead 54-53, Takia Starks tried to answer for the Aggies (12-4, 0-2), but missed a 3-pointer with 21.5 seconds left. The Bears' Jhasmin Player grabbed the rebound and was fouled.
Player made the first free throw but missed the second, and A&M's LaToya Micheaux rebounded but was tied up by Baylor's Rachel Allison, giving the Bears possession with 19.9 seconds remaining. Franklin committed a foul on the inbounds play and Tisdale, who was 8-of-8 on free throws, made both for a 57-53 lead.
Franklin converted a three-point play to pull the Aggies within one with 15 seconds to go. Tisdale then made two more free throws with 15 seconds left for the final margin. Starks' attempt at a tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left fell short.
"We got into foul trouble early and we had to switch to a zone, which we do not like," A&M coach Gary Blair said. "It takes our aggressiveness away from us. With the fouls we had early, and as tight as the officials were calling, we were making some technique fouls and we had to make some adjustments."
Danielle Wilson led Baylor with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Allison had 14 and Player 10.
Starks scored 16 and was the only Aggie with more than eight points.
Before the game, Mulkey and Blair took part in a ceremony that honored the national champion 1982 Louisiana Tech team. Mulkey was the starting point guard on that team, and Blair was an assistant. Both had tears in their eyes when they embraced after Saturday's game, and Blair was still emotional after the game.
"I think it has to deal with the competitive juices that we have in each other," Blair said. "We talk on the phone enough and recruit the same kids. Waco and College Station have never been thought of as destination cities for basketball. All of a sudden it's becoming that."
- Send us your sports story tips
- Click here for more sports stories
