Baylor pulls away from Notre Dame in 1 vs. 2 showdown

Waco, TX – Brittney Griner poured in 32 points and grabbed 14 ranked Baylor pulled away in the second half for a 94-81 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame in the championship game of the preseason WNIT.

Odyssey Sims contributed 25 points, six assists and a career-high six steals for the Lady Bears (4-0), who have won 51 straight non-conference games at the Ferrell Center. Destiny Williams chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.

Natalie Novosel scored 28 points for the Irish (3-1), while Skylar Diggins added 27 in defeat.

Diggins drained a pair of free throws with just under 14 minutes remaining to pull Notre Dame within 56-55. The Irish had trailed by 11 at the break.

Griner then scored four points to key a 14-3 run and Sims completed the spurt with a steal and a layup for a 70-58 cushion. Notre Dame got only as close as nine from there and trailed by as many as 19 in the closing minutes.

The Lady Bears dominated the boards by a 52-37 count and shot 47 percent overall. Griner notched her 29th career double-double and her sixth 30-point effort.

Notre Dame scored the first four points of the game, but Baylor took control late in the opening half. A pair of free throws by Sims with 4 1/2 minutes left capped an 11-2 surge and gave the Lady Bears a 30-20 edge.

The lead reached 35-24 a minute later on a three-pointer by Kimetria Hayden and two free throws by Hayden with just under two minutes left gave Baylor a 16-point margin.

A three-pointer by Novosel just before the halftime buzzer trimmed Notre Dame's deficit to 47-36.