No. 1 Baylor survives No. 6 Tennessee, Griner fuels second-half surge

No. 1 Baylor escaped Knoxville with a 76-67 win  over No. 6 Tennessee, extending their win streak to three in the series between the two teams. The Lady Bears ended the Lady Vols’ 38-game home winning streak and garnered their third victory over a ranked opponent this season.

The victory did not come easy for Baylor who trailed for most of the game. Tennessee senior guard Shekinna Stricklen was the key to her team’s offense and finished the game as the leading scorer for the Lady Vols with 25 points plus 11 rebounds.

Tennessee led at the half 33-31.

While the Lady Vols came out scoring to build a six-point lead early in the second half, their advantage was short-lived as 6-8 junior center Brittney Griner made her presence felt in the paint offensively and defensively, scoring and blocking shots. In the final minutes, Baylor began to pull away and Griner finished with 26 points, six rebounds and seven blocks.

Other Lady Bears in double figures included sophomore point guard Odyssey Sims with 23 and sophomore guard Jordan Madden with 11.

Tennessee hosts Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday in Knoxville. Baylor faces Texas Southern at home in Waco on Wednesday.

During halftime, Tyler Summitt, son of the Lady Vols head coach, introduced the crowd to the Pat Summitt Foundation. The organization, named in honor of the coach, will raise funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. In late August, Summitt publicly revealed a diagnosis of early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.