Baylor makes statement in 71-48 win over A&M

WACO -- The Texas A&M women's basketball team is the defending national champion, but top-ranked Baylor showed Saturday why it's the odds-on favorite to win this year's title with a 71-48 Big 12 victory over the Aggies at the Ferrell Center.

Baylor dominated a game that had the feel of the Final Four. The sold-out crowd of 10,627 was treated to country music star Trace Adkins singing the national anthem, then minutes later the fans were again standing as the Lady Bears opened with a 17-2 run.

Baylor (25-0, 12-0) never eased up, gaining some satisfaction for last year's 58-46 season-ending loss to the Aggies in the Dallas Regional championship that snapped Baylor's eight-game winning streak against A&M.

On Saturday the Bears regained the upper hand in a huge way, grabbing their most lopsided victory in the series since an 80-55 victory in 2004.

"It was a statement game and they made it," A&M head coach Gary Blair said.

The Lady Bears have a four-game lead on the 15th-ranked Aggies (17-6, 8-4) and Oklahoma (16-7, 8-4) with only six games left in the regular season.

A&M tried to make a game of it a couple of times, but the Lady Bears, led by 6-foot-8 All-American Brittney Griner and sophomore point guard Odyssy Sims, were way too powerful.

The Aggies never got closer than 12 points in the first half after Baylor's initial surge as the Lady Bears cruised to a 40-21 halftime lead.

A&M scored the first three baskets in the second half, but three minutes later Sims hit an 8-footer to push the Baylor lead back to 19. Baylor's Kimetria Hayden followed with a steal that Griner converted to make it 51-30. The Aggies would get within 20 only once as Baylor's lead crested at 70-37 with 5 minutes, 6 seconds remaining.

"That was really a 30-point plus game," said Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey, admitting that her players got fatigued near the end. "I just wanted us to fight through it."

They did and she finally took them out with 29.9 seconds left, but didn't stop coaching, showing plenty of emotion when her own daughter, reserve guard Makenzie Robertson, made a turnover with 24 seconds left.

Her players showed that same passion, led by Griner, who had her typical monster numbers -- 21 points and 10 rebounds. Sims added 19 points, hitting a trio of 3-pointers to complement Griner, but the two were even bigger on defense.

A&M senior wing Tyra White had 18 points on 9-of-18 shooting and hit some tough shots, but the rest of the Aggies struggled mightily, hitting only 9 of 46 shots for 19.6 percent.

Aggie senior shooting guard Sydney Carter had 13 points, but missed 12 of 16 shots while being shadowed by Sims.

"We just have to attack aggression with aggression," Carter said. "We've got to take the ball to the basket and look for those dishes."

But even when Carter got past Sims, the Aggies seldom solved Griner.

"It's not what they did offensively," Blair said. "It's what they did defensively. They made it tough on our lanes to even get open."

Griner blocked six shots and altered about three times that many, and even forced a few silly turnovers.

"A lot of times the key to beating Baylor -- and I always put seven keys up on the board -- is the key itself," Blair said. "Lock Griner in the bathroom and don't let her out."

Blair said Griner was just special, the best the game has ever seen.

"She's a better free-throw shooter [this year]. She's 20 pounds heavier, and she's a lot better on the offensive boards," Blair said. "How many guys can play 40 minutes of a game at the level she plays?"

A&M senior wing Adaora Elonu had a game-high 12 rebounds but missed 7 of 9 shots. Sophomore post Kelsey Bone was a nonfactor in her first meeting against Griner since they were the country's top two-ranked high school players in the Houston area. Bone, who sat out last season after transferring from South Carolina, hit only 1 of 6 shots with four rebounds and three turnovers in 25 minutes.

A&M's bench was 1-of-12 shooting as almost every player other than White rushed shots and missed open looks.

"We just have to knock down those open shots," Carter said.

Griner and Sims had help, especially on the defensive end. Destiny Williams added eight points and five rebounds. Guard Hayden had 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and helped shut down A&M's perimeter players other than White.

"We're going to guard you," Mulkey said.

A&M shot 28 percent for the game, which was two percentage points higher than Baylor allowed Oklahoma to shoot on Tuesday in an 81-54 victory.

"That's pretty good, because A&M is a good basketball team," Mulkey said.