South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Brittney Griner registered 24 points, 14
rebounds and three blocks, as third-ranked Baylor pulled away late to deal No.
5 Notre Dame its first loss, 73-61 in a rematch of last season's national
championship game.
Odyssey Sims tallied 16 points, Brooklyn Pope had 14 and Jordan Madden chipped
in 12 with eight assists for the Lady Bears (7-1). The defending national
champions, who finished off a 40-0 season with an 80-61 win over Notre Dame,
prevailed despite turning the ball over 20 times.
Skylar Diggins, who came into the game averaging 14 points, was limited to
eight on 4-of-19 shooting for the Fighting Irish (5-1). Freshman guard Jewell
Loyd scored 24 points, Kayla McBride added 18, and Natalie Achonwa ended with
11 in defeat.
Diggins canned a jumper with 7:40 left to tie the game at 52-52, but Baylor
scored the next 10 points, finished by a layup from Sims. She scored six
during the burst, which extended until past the four-minute mark.
The Irish never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Earlier, Loyd's 3-pointer moved the Irish to a 20-11 lead with 7:36 left, but
Baylor later responded with a 10-0 burst. Pope's jumper capped the rally for a
31-25 difference with 1:14 left in the half.
Baylor shot nearly 56 percent, while holding Notre Dame to under 32 percent in
the opening 20 minutes, but the Lady Bears netted only a 33-27 lead at the
break.
The Sports Network