By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big 12 Sports.com Correspondent

WACO, Texas - If you're surprised that No. 11 Nebraska is 16-0 and one of four undefeated teams in women's basketball, don't be. If you're surprised that Cornhuskers won at No. 9 Baylor Sunday, don't be.

Unlike some of the crazy things that happen in sports, there's a logical explanation. Nebraska has a veteran team; the Cornhuskers got 53 points from three seniors. The Lady Bears' only senior had two points and missed all five of her field goal attempts.

Add that to the fact that Nebraska scored 36 points from 3-point range (equaling the school record of 12 threes in a game) while Baylor was 0-of-10 from beyond the line and the Cornhuskers' 65-56 Big 12 Conference victory in the Ferrell Center is simple to comprehend.

"Baylor's got a lot of inexperience and we've got seniors," said Nebraska's Cory Montgomery, who had 18 points including three-of-seven 3-pointers. "We've got a lot of different options on this team and a lot of players that have experience."

Nebraska (16-0, 3-0) has won road games at Iowa State and Baylor and is tied for first place with Oklahoma State (15-2, 3-0). The Cornhuskers have a three-game lead in the loss column on the Lady Bears (14-3, 1-2) in the Big 12 standings. Baylor and Kansas were picked to finish one-two in the preseason poll and are a combined 2-4.

"What you need to have is upper classmen lead you, let the young ones follow the older players' lead," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "You can't just throw 'em on the floor and tell 'em to make plays. Nebraska's got five seniors, three juniors, they executed their offense down the stretch. Hopefully one day we'll be able to do that.

"I hope you don't think this is unexpected. We are not experienced enough to be picked No. 1 in this league."

One of Baylor's young players is someone you might have heard about. Brittney Griner, the Lady Bears' 6-8 freshman post, had 18 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots. She was 8-of-14 from the field but she had only four shots in the first half.

Trailing 59-54 with under 3:45 to play, Baylor had two consecutive possessions when Griner didn't get a shot. Nebraska, which had a 47-42 rebounding edge, limited Griner to three offensive rebounds.

The Cornhuskers missed 13 of their first 15 shots and 10 of their first 11 3-pointers. Baylor failed to take advantage and Nebraska didn't panic. The Huskers kept moving the ball and tried to avoid challenging Griner inside.

"We weren't thinking about shooting all threes but coach said we could take open shots," said senior guard Yvonne Turner, who tied a career-high with six 3-pointers. "We shot it well but that wasn't one of our keys to the game. We had good shot selection and we fired it up."

Right now, one of the keys for Baylor is sitting on the bench. Junior Melissa Jones, the Lady Bears' glue gal who is the team's top 3-point shooter, missed her third consecutive game. She has a stress reaction in her right leg and Mulkey is determined that it heals before Jones plays again.

In three Big 12 games, Baylor is 6-for-30 from 3-point range.

"Look, we're a wild bunch on offense, it's like a track meet, we have no offensive execution," Mulkey said. "We're asking young players to do a lot of things. I can't call plays. I draw up a play in the huddle and two go one way and the other three go another direction.

"I've never told a kid not to shoot. They hear 'Throw it inside to Griner' but there's no spacing. Then it's, 'Oh, can I shoot this? She told me to throw it inside.' It's an experience thing. You're open, shoot the sucker."

Five minutes into the second half, Baylor had a 41-39 lead. Montgomery lined up a 3-pointer from the corner but Griner came out to swat it over the Nebraska bench. The freshman shook her head in a "don't try that" silent message.

Montgomery, though, got free from the top of the key on the ensuing possession and made a 3-pointer.

"OK, she got me, she's gonna block shots," Montgomery, a 6-2 senior said. "You just need to keep going and keep shooting when the shot's there. The mentality is to keep going at her."

Griner scored five consecutive points, converting a three-point play and then scoring in the low post, to give Baylor a 50-48 lead with 8:23 remaining. Nebraska closed it out with a 17-4 run as the Lady Bears missed 10 of their last 11 shots; the only basket came in transition after a turnover.

Nebraska senior Kelsey Griffin had a career-high five assists and drew four charging calls in addition to her eighth double double of the season (13 points, 12 rebounds). Griffin's pass to Truner led to a 3-pointer and a 57-51 lead, the biggest for either team until the final seconds. She also scored on an offensive rebound with 1:49 remaining to again give the visitors a seven-point edge.

"If you had asked me in the fall I don't know if I would have said I'd expect (to be 16-0)," said Griffin, who missed last season after ankle surgery. "But I think we deserve it because this team put in one of the best off seasons I've seen since I've been here."