Griner, Baylor open with easy win over Gauchos

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Brittney Griner banged a bit down low with her undersized opponents and blocked a few shots at the other end -- then headed to the sideline early in the second half.

Once again, Baylor didn't need its 6-foot-8-inch star to dominate.

Griner scored 14 points in only 22 minutes, and the top-seeded Lady Bears rolled to an 81-40 win over 16th-seeded UC Santa Barbara on Sunday in the Des Moines Region. Brooklyn Pope scored 13 points and Destiny Williams 12 for Baylor, which had 11 players log at least 12 minutes.

"I think the more rest you can get, the better, but make sure you get them enough minutes not to get out of rhythm," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "I thought our kids worked up a sweat, and I thought they did some good stuff. We didn't have to show a lot of stuff -- and get them off the floor. We've actually done that a lot of late."

Baylor (35-0) has not lost since falling in the quarterfinals of last year's NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears will take on ninth-seeded Florida in the second round Tuesday.

Emilie Johnson scored 10 points for UCSB (17-16), but the Gauchos were as overmatched as expected. Griner, the towering center who wowed the crowd by dunking during warmups, went 7-for-11 during the game.

"We played against maybe the eventual national champion," UCSB coach Carlene Mitchell said. "We were outmanned, it's pretty obvious, at every position, and you have to give Baylor all the credit."

Baylor's defense was stifling throughout. The Lady Bears scored the game's first 12 points, and the Gauchos struggled on several occasions to get a shot off before the shot clock expired.

Griner had an easier time finding space inside late in the first half, scoring back-to-back baskets. Odyssey Sims' steal and layup put Baylor up, 41-14.

It was 46-16 at intermission, and Griner spent most of the second half relaxing on the sideline.

AROUND THE TOURNAMENT

■ ELLENBERG SPARKS SOONERS -- At Norman, Okla., former Bishop Gorman High standout Aaryn Ellenberg scored 21 of her 28 points in the second half, sparking sixth-seeded and host Oklahoma (21-12) to an 88-67 win over 11th-seeded Michigan (20-12) in the Fresno Region.

■ MARIST STUNS BULLDOGS -- At Tallahassee, Fla., Corielle Yarde scored 21 points and Brandy Gang had 18, leading 13th-seeded Marist (26-7) to a 76-70 upset of fourth-seeded Georgia (22-9) in the Des Moines Region.

■ BONNIES SURVIVE IN OT -- At Tallahassee, Fla., Megan Van Tatenhove had 18 points, and fifth-seeded St. Bonaventure (30-3) rallied for a 72-65 overtime win over 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (29-3) in the Des Moines Region.

■ AZTECS CAN'T HANG ON -- At Baton Rouge, La., LaSondra Barrett had 17 points as fifth-seeded Louisiana State (23-10), which trailed by six points midway through the second half, came back for a 64-56 win over 12th-seeded San Diego State (25-7) in the Kingston Region.

■ ST. JOHN'S ESCAPES -- At Norman, Okla., Nadirah McKenith scored on an end-to-end layup with 0.1 seconds left, lifting third-seeded St. John's (23-9) to a dramatic 69-67 victory over 14th-seeded Creighton (20-13) in the Fresno Region.