Lady Bears on to Sweet 16 for 7th straight year

Basketball is a game of runs — and few teams can match the Baylor Lady Bears in this area.

Head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad closed the first half Sunday on a 30-7 run and coasted to a 73-44 win over Arkansas. The victory extends an even more impressive Baylor run — a 7th straight Sweet 16 for the Lady Bears; only two schools (UConn and Stanford) have longer active Sweet 16 runs.

[LINKS: Photos and highlights from BU’s opening-round win over Northwestern State || Second-round photos and highlights || Behind-the-scenes Sunday || Coach Mulkey postgame interview || Get your Lady Bears gear]

Overall, this marks Baylor’s 10th Sweet 16 in the last 12 years, all under Mulkey’s watch. Of course, it helps when you can host opening weekend games, as the Lady Bears have done four of the last five years. Friday at the Ferrell Center, Baylor beat Southland Conference tournament champs Northwestern State 77-36 — the Lady Bears’ 151st straight home win against unranked opponents. Sunday was more of the same, as a loud home crowd helped Baylor overpower Arkansas.

Next up for No. 5-ranked Baylor: The 18th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, a No. 3 seed that finished second in the Big Ten. Playing at home in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes beat American University and Miami to reach the Sweet 16. Baylor and Iowa will square off on Friday in Oklahoma City (6:30 p.m., ESPN2), with the winner of this game facing the winner of Notre Dame/Stanford on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN). Click here for ticket information.

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!