No. 3 Baylor continues Big 12 march

Times wires
Wednesday, March 9, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Destiny Williams scored a career-high 21 and Brittney Griner added 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocks to lead third-ranked Baylor to an 86-51 victory Wednesday over Kansas, sending the Bears to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament.

Top-seed Baylor (29-2) built a 43-19 lead at the break. The Bears will meet Kansas State (21-9), a 56-53 winner over Iowa State, in the next round.

"Our intensity in the first half was amazing," Griner said. "It wasn't in spurts. It was all the way through."

Baylor guard Melissa Jones, playing her second game with sunglasses to protect a right eye injury, had eight points, nine rebounds and six assists. Jones hit her head diving for a loose ball Feb. 27 and had swelling around the optic nerve.

No. 8 Texas A&M 77, Texas 50: Danielle Adams scored 23 as the Aggies cruised into the Big 12 semifinals.

The Longhorns committed 31 turnovers, one shy of the tournament record, and were held to their lowest point total of the season. Texas A&M (27-4), the No. 2 seed, plays No. 21 Oklahoma on Friday.

No. 21 Okla. 71, Texas Tech 69: Danielle Robinson scored 19 as the Sooners (21-10) ousted the Red Raiders from the Big 12 tournament. Tech's Chynna Brown lost the ball on a drive to the rim as Oklahoma held on.

No. 13 Wis.-Green Bay 89, Loyola-Chi. 41: Celeste Hoewisch scored 23 as the host Phoenix (30-1) rolled in a Horizon League quarterfinal. Green Bay, unbeaten in league play this season, hosts Wright State in a semifinal on Friday.

C-USA: Alabama-Birmingham (16-14) beat Marshall 56-45 in the first round of the conference tournament at El Paso, Texas. The Blazers advance to face UCF at 2 p.m. today.