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College Basketball Capsules - Women: No. 1 Baylor clobbers Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Brittney Griner's defensive presence allowed top-ranked Baylor to run away with a 20th straight victory. As a reward, coach Kim Mulkey gave her the chance to show off a rarely used part of her offensive game.
Griner had 18 points, seven blocks and hit her first 3-pointer of the season as the Bears pulled away in the second half and beat Oklahoma 89-58 on Thursday night.
The Bears (20-0, 7-0 Big 12) barely escaped with a one-point win in Norman last season on their way to the regular-season conference title but this time left nothing in question.
Mulkey called timeout with 3:14 remaining after a 12-0 run pushed the lead to 32, then sent her front-liners back onto the court with something special planned. Griner connected on her first 3 on Baylor's next possession, and that got the reserves off the Bears' bench.
"She can shoot the 3. The unfortunate thing is she's playing for a coach that won't let her shoot it much. But Brittney is an outstanding 3-point shooter," Mulkey said.
"I guess she got tired of being banged in there and asked me could she shoot a 3, and I said, 'Come off the stagger and go shoot it.'"
Odyssey Sims and Terran Condrey scored 14 points apiece, Destiny Williams added 13 points and Kimetria Hayden and Brooklyn Pope each had 10 as Baylor put six players in double figures.
The Sooners (12-6, 4-3) frequently had a post player behind Griner and Aaryn Ellenberg sagging in front of her on the offensive end to keep her from getting the ball.
"They, I guess, challenged us to have to have that kind of scoring. I thought that they left players open because they were so concerned on defending Griner," Mulkey said. "That's what Division I basketball players do."
Whitney Hand led Oklahoma with 19 points and seven rebounds. Ellenberg scored 11 points on 5-for-17 shooting and Morgan Hook had a season-high five steals for Oklahoma, which fell to 0-13 all-time against teams ranked No. 1. The Sooners had won two straight games against ranked opponents this season.
After seemingly avoiding the nation's top shot blocker at all costs in the first half, the Sooners aggressively attacked Griner coming out of the tunnel to temporarily cut into the lead.
Nicole Griffin went after Griner inside and converted a three-point play, and Hook's steal at the end of a 10-0 run led to a fast-break layup that brought Oklahoma back within 46-40 with 17:17 to play. The Sooners weren't within striking distance for long, though.
Condrey silenced the crowd with a 3-pointer from the left wing, sending the Bears on a 19-3 surge that put them firmly in control again.
"When (Condrey) hit that 3, it definitely gave us a boost. That was the spark that we needed to get us going," Griner said. "After that, I just feel like everybody was ready to move the ball around and we got the looks that we needed to get to get that lead."
Griner followed Condrey's 3 by swatting away Hand's jumper from the right wing, eliciting a smile from Hand, who must have seen it coming. Griner blocked two more shots under the basket by Hook during the big run, and it hardly mattered that she picked up her third foul of the half in the same span.
She had six blocks in the second half and is now two shy of tying Michigan State's Alyssa DeHaan for second all-time in NCAA women's basketball.
"She's 6-8, she can alter shots," Mulkey said. "When you think you've got a good look at the basket, she can fly out of there from the help side and block it into the stands.
"I've said this numerous times. Brittney makes all of us change the game. She makes me coach differently, she makes the officials officiate differently and she makes opposing teams change their game plan.
Sims connected on 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Bears a 65-43 advantage with 10:18 remaining, and the game was out of reach. The last run pushed the lead to 83-51 after Pope's layup with 3:15 remaining and helped make the margin of victory the largest for Baylor in the 38-game series.
"I just felt like we got fatigued and quit moving and then kind of let one play lead into another, lead into another and suddenly there's a snowball that you can't stop," Sooners coach Sherri Coale said.
After falling behind by six right off the bat, Oklahoma rallied back to take a brief lead at 16-15 when Ellenberg's jumper along the right baseline finished the Sooners' own run of six points in a row.
Hayden responded with a three-point play, and Pope followed with one of her own on the next possession to start a 10-2 run that put Baylor ahead to stay. Sims' runner gave the Bears their first double-digit lead at 30-20 with 6:51 to go before halftime.
Griner added to the lead by dodging three defenders for a basket inside that led to a three-point play, and Sims followed with a jumper for a 17-point lead. Hand's two free throws to close the first half brought the Sooners within 43-28.
"We can't get punched and then just back away. We've got to just keep fighting until the end," Hook said. "Today, we got punched and we started coming back and then we got punched again and we just kind of stayed down."
Top 25
Capsules: Mathies, Kentucky force errors from Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — A'dia Mathies scored 20 points and No. 6 Kentucky forced 30 turnovers in an easy 66- 48 win over Auburn on Thursday.
The Wildcats (19-2, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) took control with a 33-10 run that carried over into the second half. Kentucky moved within two wins of matching its best-ever start, 21-2 in the 1982-83 season.
Meagan Conwright shot 5 for 6 and had 10 points, while Samarie Walker had only six points on 1-of-11 shooting but grabbed 15 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Blanche Alverson led Auburn (10-11, 2-6) with 15 points and Morgan Jennings had 10.
NO. 7 TENNESSEE 86, ALABAMA 56
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Shekinna Stricklen scored 14 points and Glory Johnson added 13 to lead Tennessee over Alabama.
Kamiko Williams and Isabelle Harrison chipped in 10 points apiece for the Lady Vols (15-5, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), who rebounded from the second-worst loss in program history — a 72-44 setback at No. 2 Notre Dame on Monday.
Kyra Crosby had 15 points and five rebounds as the Crimson Tide (10-11, 0-7 SEC) lost their seventh straight.
VIRGINIA TECH 75, NO. 8 MARYLAND 69
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Monet Tellier tied a career high with 31 points and fueled a late charge that carried Virginia Tech over Maryland.
Aerial Wilson added 15 points for the Hokies (7-14, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who came in with a five-game losing streak and had also dropped six in a row against Maryland. But Virginia Tech overcame 38 percent shooting by forcing 20 turnovers.
Lynetta Kizer scored 21 points, Laurin Mincy had 19 and Tianna Hawkins added 18 for Maryland (18-3, 5-3) was without leading scorer Alyssa Thomas, who sprained her left thumb in practice and watched from the sideline with a cast on her hand. Thomas is averaging 17.2 points.
NO. 9 OHIO STATE 73, INDIANA 55
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Samantha Prahalis had 18 points and nine assists to help Ohio State beat Indiana.
Tayler Hill, the Big Ten's leading scorer, had all 18 of her points in the second half, and Ashley Adams had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Buckeyes (20-1, 7-1 Big Ten).
Ohio State, the conference's highest-scoring team at nearly 79 points per game, trailed 26-25 at halftime. The Buckeyes shot 60 percent from the field in the second half and held Indiana to 28 percent shooting after the break. Ohio State scored 25 points off 16 Indiana turnovers.
Aulani Sinclair scored a career-high 27 points for Indiana (5-16, 0-8).
NO. 10 MIAMI 64, WAKE FOREST 39
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Stefanie Yderstrom and Riquna Williams scored 14 points each to lead Miami past Wake Forest.
Shenise Johnson added 10 points and 12 rebounds to help the Hurricanes (18-3, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) win their 36th straight at home.
Secily Ray scored nine points to lead Wake Forest (12-8, 2-5).
Williams' layup with 1:59 remaining gave Miami a 60-39 lead. The Hurricanes finished the game on a 12-0 run, holding the Demon Deacons scoreless after Garcia's basket.
Wake Forest shot 25 percent (15 for 60).
NO. 12 WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY 60, BUTLER 36
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Julie Wojta scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half to lead Wisconsin-Green Bay over Butler.
Adrian Ritchie had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Hannah Qulling scored eight points for the Phoenix (18-0, 7-0 Horizon League).
Green Bay continued its best start in program history and remained one of the two remaining undefeated women's teams in the country with top-ranked Baylor.
Devin Brierly scored nine points to lead Butler (7-12, 3-5), which shot 19 percent from the field (8 for 43).
NO. 13 PURDUE 80, NORTHWESTERN 70
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Courtney Moses scored a career-high 29 points and KK Houser added 21 to help Purdue beat Northwestern for its 11th win in a row.
The Big Ten's only unbeaten women's team, the Boilermakers (18-3, 8-0) never trailed after Houser's baseline 3-pointer opened a 28-26 lead with 6:20 left in the first half.
Dannielle Diamant scored 21 points, and Morgan Jones and Kendall Hackney each had 13 for the Wildcats, losers of four of their last five.
Northwestern (12-9, 2-6) rallied from a 13-point deficit to make it 70-64 with 1:31 to play but never got closer.
NO. 15 DELAWARE 84, HOFSTRA 66
NEWARK, Del. (AP) — Elena Delle Donne had 41 points and 15 rebounds to lead Delaware over Hofstra in a meeting of the top two teams in the Colonial Athletic Association.
It was the third time this season Delle Donne crossed the 40-point mark.
With the score tied 55-all midway through the second half, the Blue Hens (17-1, 8-0) went on a 14-0 run to take control. Delle Donne, who leads the nation in scoring, hit a deep 3-pointer that made it 65-55 with just over 8 minutes left.
She added two free throws a minute later and Danielle Parker's jumper capped the burst.
Shante Evans had 22 points to lead the Pride (14-5, 6-2).
VANDERBILT 68, NO. 17 GEORGIA 48
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Christina Foggie scored a career-high 34 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help Vanderbilt beat Georgia.
Tiffany Clarke added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Commodores (15-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference), who snapped a three-game skid that dropped them out of the Top 25.
Anne Marie Armstrong led the foul-plagued Bulldogs (16-5, 5-3) with 15 points. Meredith Mitchell scored 12 for Georgia, but committed her fourth foul 48.6 seconds before halftime and didn't start the second half.
Foggie outscored Georgia 10-2 during an nearly 4-minute of the second half.
NO. 18 PENN STATE 77, MICHIGAN 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Maggie Lucas had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead Penn State over Michigan.
Alex Bentley had 18 points and eight assists, and Nikki Greene added 13 points and 11 rebounds to help the Lady Lions (16-4, 6-2 Big Ten) win their fifth straight.
Sam Arnold scored 12 points, Nya Jordan had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Courtney Boylan also scored 10 for Michigan (16-5, 5-3), which lost at home for the first time this season.
Penn State never trailed and led 35-19 at the break thanks to a 13-0 run midway through the first half. Greene scored nine points during the spurt.
NO. 19 NEBRASKA 60, IOWA 53
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jordan Hooper recorded her Big Ten-leading ninth double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds to help Nebraska held off Iowa's late comeback attempt.
Lindsey Moore added 15 points for the Cornhuskers (17-3, 6-2), who led 30-17 at the break but went almost 11 minutes between field goals in the second half, allowing Iowa to storm back from a 13-point deficit with under 10 minutes to play
Jaime Printy had 17 points, Kamille Wahlin added 11 and Samantha Logic had 10 for the Hawkeyes (11-10, 3-5).
Iowa pulled to 52-51 with 3:10 left but the Huskers closed the game with an 8-2 run.
NO. 22 GONZAGA 79, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 61
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Reserve Stephanie Golden scored a career-best 15 points to lead Gonzaga past Loyola Marymount.
Kayla Standish and Haiden Palmer added 14 points apiece as Gonzaga (18-3, 7-1 West Coast Conference) beat the Lions for the ninth straight time. Katelan Redmon picked up two fouls a minute in and went to the bench in favor of Golden, who had 10 points in the first half.
The Lions (5-15, 1-7) got a career-high 24 points from Hazel Ramirez, who averages 9.2 points. Alex Cowling, the WCC leading scorer at 20.8, added 23 despite going 18 minutes without a field goal.
Versatile Moore helps No. 19 Huskers in Big Ten
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Whatever No. 19 Nebraska needs, Lindsey Moore can deliver.
If it's a basket, she'll shoot the 3-pointer or drive to the hoop. If it's a play, she'll find the open teammate and whistle a pass to the right spot. And she can make the big free throw or make key defensive play.
"We're just lucky to have her because she can do so many things," Cornhuskers coach Connie Yori said Wednesday.
The junior point guard from Covington, Wash., is one of the reasons the Huskers, who finished last in the Big 12 a year ago, are in contention in their first year in the Big Ten. She ranks in the top six of four major statistical categories in the league.
Nebraska (16-3, 5-2) goes into Thursday night's home game against Iowa tied for third, two games behind Purdue and one game in back of Ohio State.
The turnaround from last season is impressive considering the Huskers have eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
"I knew we'd have potential to be a good team and have potential to do good things in the Big Ten," Moore said, "but a lot depended on our health and how fast the new kids picked things up. It's been a joy ride for us."
Moore has scored in double figures in 29 of the last 32 games and has had 20 or more points in five games this season.
In Sunday's win over Minnesota, she took only four shots and finished with five points. She did, however, hand out eight assists.
"I'll do whatever is needed to be done in order for us to win," she said.
Moore is averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 assists. Her 1.7-to-1 assist-turnover ratio is fourth-best in the Big Ten. She's also a 79 percent free-throw shooter. Oh, and she excels on the defensive end, making 2.2 steals a game.
"I have not been around a player that versatile," forward Jordan Hooper said. "She can do it all. She can take over a game whenever she feels like it. Some games she chooses to, other games she doesn't."
Moore, who has started all 84 of her games at Nebraska, began her career as a pass-first point guard on the team that won 30 straight games and finished 32-2.
She had to become more aggressive as a scorer last season after the graduation of three All-Big 12 first-team players and injury issues. Her average ballooned from 6.0 points a game as a freshman to 14.1.
This season, she lets circumstances dictate how she plays each game.
"If I'm doing a really good job setting people up and other people are knocking down shots, that's what I go with," Moore said. "I don't try to force the issue of me getting points."
Moore has earned a reputation among teammates for baking tasty cookies and cakes, as well as for her artistic skills. Hooper, her roommate, said Moore especially enjoys coloring during her down time. In fact, Hooper bought her a Disney coloring book for Christmas, and she has three or four other coloring books stashed in their apartment.
"I love bright colors," said Moore, who paints her fingernails lime green before every game.
Hooper said Moore colors on flights to kill time or on nights when she has no homework.
"She's really a talented colorer," Hooper said. "If basketball doesn't work out, she can go color."
-- Eric Olson
News & Notes
BGSU women's coach to miss game after mild stroke
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Bowling Green women's basketball coach Curt Miller will not travel with the team to Central Michigan after doctors determined Thursday that he suffered a mild stroke late in his team's win over Eastern Michigan last Sunday.
"This has been a wakeup call for me and I have already begun the process of finding a healthier balance," Miller said.
Associate head coach Jennifer Roos will fill in for Miller on Saturday at Central Michigan. It is unknown when Miller will return.
"Our first priority is Curt's health," said athletic director Greg Christopher. "Although he has been cleared to continue coaching, we all felt it was best to take a step back right now. We fully expect Curt to return to the bench soon."
The Falcons are 16-3 this season and 6-0 in the Mid-American Conference.
