Baylor, Notre Dame earn shot for title
Lady Bears will face the Fighting Irish on Tuesday,
DENVER — College women’s basketball’s marquee player needed help from her supporting cast to get past Stanford on Sunday, but Brittney Griner and Baylor are headed to their first national championship game since winning their only title in 2005.
After holding off the Cardinal 5947, Baylor plays Notre Dame on Tuesday for the championship.
Baylor (39-0) could set an NCAA record for victories with a win. The Bears beat Notre Dame 94-81 at home early this season.
Much of the credit for that success goes to Griner, a 6-8 junior who is changing the game with her shot blocking and dunking.
“Brittney Griner is the face of women’s basketball right now, and we embrace that,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “But our team is not just Brittney Griner.”
Griner, who entered Sunday’s game averaging 23.4 points, finished with 13.
“You get frustrated when your shot doesn’t go in, but I had confidence in my team,” said Griner, who was 3-for-9 from the field, matching her season low for field goals made.
Holding a two-point lead at halftime, the other Bears, led by senior reserve Terran Condrey, picked up the slack from the perimeter in the second half. Condrey scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half. Guard Odyssey Sims had 11 points.
Griner was neutralized by persistent double teams and outplayed by Cardinal senior forward Nneka Ogwumike, the only other unanimous pick this year on the Associated Press All-america team.
“Attacking her wasn’t as hard as we thought it would be,” said Ogwumike, who finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.
Making outside shots fall was hard for the Cardinal. They were 2-for-17 from three-point range.
Stanford exited its fifth consecutive Final Four without a title. The Cardinal haven’t won a championship since 1992.