No. 1 Baylor Asserts Dominance Inside In Win Over Sooners

The nation&#39;s top team scored 62 of its 82 points in the paint and Brittney Griner set the NCAA blocks record in an 82-65 win over OU.<br />

Saturday, January 26th 2013, 3:57 pm

By: News 9


Oklahoma center Nicole Griffin won the opening tap from Baylor's Brittney Griner and Aaryn Ellenberg ended the Sooners' possession by draining a three-pointer.

Unfortunately, that was one of the only things the Sooners could hang their hats on Saturday afternoon in Waco.

Griner set the all-time NCAA blocks record, rejecting eight OU shots before fouling out as top-ranked Baylor defeated Oklahoma 82-65.

Griner broke the blocks record with a rejection of Ellenberg's layup attempt with 10:25 remaining in the game. In her four-year career, Griner has accumulated 665 blocks and with plenty of this season left to be played, it's likely her final number will never be touched.

Ellenberg was extremely impressive for the Sooners, scoring 33 points on 9-of-24 shooting—including 6-of-11 from three-point range—but didn't have a lot of help. Joanna McFarland scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds for the Sooners—six of those on the offensive glass—but no other Sooners player scored in double-digits.

Griner added 15 points to go with her eight blocks, leaving her two points shy of former Oklahoma State standout Andrea Riley's Big 12 career scoring record. Six Baylor players scored in double figures.

Baylor dominated inside, scoring 62 of its 82 points in the paint and shooting an Oklahoma opponent record 60.3 percent from the field for the game, and a sizzling 71 percent in the first half.

Oklahoma struggled from the field, the presence of Griner and the overall length of Baylor clearing affecting the Sooners' ability to get to the rim for easy baskets. For the game, OU shot a measly 27.8 percent from the field, hitting more three-pointers (11) than two-point shots (9). In the first half, OU hit only four shots inside the arc while hitting seven three-pointers. Oklahoma scored just 18 points in the paint against the Bears.

OU grabbed an early 10-8 lead on a three-pointer by Ellenberg with 15:52 to go in the first half, but over the next four minutes, Baylor rattled off a 14-0 run to go up 22-10, establishing a lead it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the afternoon.

The Sooners battled back, with a three-pointer from McFarland cutting the Baylor lead to 26-21, but the Bears went on another big run, this one a 15-4 run to extend the lead to 41-25 with 3:25 remaining in the half.

After going into the locker room trailing 45-36, the Sooners kept the game within reach, drawing to within nine at 57-48 on an Ellenberg jumper with 11:49 remaining. Then the Bears went on their biggest run yet, a 19-4 run that ended with a three-pointer from Odyssey Sims—the Bears' only three-point make in four attempts—that put Baylor up 78-52 and effectively ended the game.

OU returns to Lloyd Noble Center Wednesday night to take on TCU. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.

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