MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Brittney Griner recorded her first triple-double in more than two years and No. 1 Baylor cruised past West Virginia 80-49 on Saturday night.
The largest crowd ever for a women’s game at West Virginia — an announced 13,447 fans — saw Griner compile 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. It was her fifth career triple-double, and the first since November 2010.
In the first meeting this season in Waco, Texas, Griner finished one block shy of a triple-double.
Baylor (28-1, 17-0 Big 12) scored the first 14 points of the rematch and built a 38-22 halftime lead.
“I thought we played scared in the beginning,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “This was an opportunity. I like those types of opportunities and we like our team to have those types of opportunities. I’d love to play Baylor again next week. They put it to us here, but I thought there was a stretch there where we got a little confidence, so we just need to build on that.”
Odyssey Sims added 10 points for the Lady Bears, who shot 56 percent from the floor and outrebounded WVU 44-29.
Christal Caldwell scored 14 points to lead West Virginia (17-11, 9-8), which shot only 22 percent from the floor and saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
The Mountaineers drew to within 42-34 after opening the second half on a 12-4 run, which included a 3 by senior Ayana Dunning, who finished with nine points in her final regular-season game at the Coliseum.
“Fantastic crowd — unbelievable. I want to thank everyone for coming. I’m just a little embarrassed we didn’t play better,” Carey said. “Yaya, it’s her last home game here and she’s been a great player for us. She is a great young lady and graduated already and is on her master’s. I’m really proud of her and just wish her the best.”
The Mountaineers conclude the regular season at Texas on Tuesday night before beginning play in the Big 12 Tournament.