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It takes a pretty special team to play poorly, win by 19, and be disappointed in the outcome of the game, but fans of the Baylor Lady Bears basketball team already knew that ours is a special team. In a game that was far closer than some predicted until midway through the second half, the top-seeded and undefeated Lady Bears finally put away a pesky Florida Gators team that used consistent three-point shooting and the Bears' own poor offensive performance to keep the game close.
Brittney Griner led the Lady Bears as she typically does with 25 points on 8-14 shooting, 9 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and added what would become the #1 play on SportsCenters' Top 10 last night with a drop-step dunk, the first of Griner's junior season, if you can believe that. With another dunk, Griner will tie former Tennessee Volunteer Candace Parker for the most in the history of the Women's NCAA Tournament with 7.
The Lady Bears' victory sets up a matchup Saturday night in Des Moines, Iowa between Baylor and #4-seed Georgia Tech for the chance to go to the Elite 8. The Lady Yellowjackets (I'm assuming that's what they're called?) beat #5-seed Georgetown to earn their first-ever trip to the Sweet 16.
Head below the jump for a link to a video of Griner's dunk, the box score from the Baylor game, and links to reactions around the web.
 57FLORIDA (20-13) Rank: NR/NR |
Box Score | Notes | Quotes | Photo Gallery NCAA Championship • Second Round |
 76BAYLOR (36-0) Rank: #1/1 |
| Griner Dunks, Women's Hoops Headed Back to Sweet 16 - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Brittney Griner became the second woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game Tuesday night, slamming one down with her right hand early in the second half of top-seeded Baylor's 76-57 win over ninth-seeded Florida.
2012 women's NCAA tournament -- Brittney Griner dunk jump-starts Baylor Lady Bears - ESPN
Brittney Griner, just the second woman to dunk in the NCAA tourney, was nonchalant about her second-half dunk Tuesday. And while Baylor's star is more focused on big blocks, the one-handed jam jump-started the Lady Bears, who took a double-digit lead and never looked back. (VIDEO OF THE DUNK AVAILABLE IN THIS LINK).
Florida Gators vs. Baylor Lady Bears - Recap - March 20, 2012 - ESPN
The Florida Gators were prepared for Brittney Griner's dunk -- and they reacted reasonably well to it. But by that point, they were too far behind to mount much of a push against Griner's powerful Baylor team.