MEMPHIS, TENN. — In their fight for a spot in the Final Four, the Lady Bears held the lead over Duke for 45 seconds of the second half. It was all they needed, as a seemingly miraculous 51-48 comeback win punched Baylor’s ticket for San Antonio.
Brittney Griner scored the last of her 15 points with 45 seconds left, spinning and flipping the ball in for a 49-48 Baylor lead. The Blue Devils missed a 3-pointer on its next possession, and Melissa Jones sank two free throws on the Lady Bears’ end after an intentional foul. Duke’s last desperation 3-pointer did not fall, and Kelli Griffin dribbled the clock out to end the game.
“I knew I had to get the ball in the basket. I tried to get as close to the rim as I could, and make sure it went in,” Griner said.
Baylor faced a 48-42 deficit with 3:47 remaining, and with its sub-35 percent shooting on the night, the future appeared bleak. It looked worse when a Griner block became an offensive rebound for the Blue Devils, who finished with 19 offensive boards. But Duke could not convert and push the lead further.
Griner then fought for two free throws on the other end, fouling out 6-foot-4 Krystal Thomas in the process. Kimetria Hayden later drew two more driving to the rim and hit both. On the next Duke inbound play, Hayden stepped up to make what coach Kim Mulkey considered the game-changing play.
“In the last timeout, we lost a big offensive rebound,” Mulkey said about being unable to rebound Griner’s blocked ball. “I told those two freshmen (Hayden and Jordan Madden), remember that offensive rebound because it might have just cost you the game. And dang, if the one kid doesn’t come back and make the play of the game.”
Hayden lunged at Joy Cheek’s inbound pass and snatched it away from the Blue Devils. She found Jones open under the basket, and Jones nailed a one-foot jumper, pulling Baylor to within one. Jasmine Thomas missed a 3-pointer for Duke, and Griffin hauled in the rebound to set up Griner’s game-winner.
After cutting down the nets, Mulkey still could not believe that her team was Final Four bound.
“It was surreal,” Mulkey said. “I get to coach kids who believe in what we do. They allow me to get on them, they allow me to challenge them, and they never quit playing.”
For senior Morghan Medlock, who sat on the bench nauseated for much of the game, taking her piece of the net was a dream come true.
“I can’t believe it. These kids came through in the clutch, when nothing was going our way. It’s a great feeling right now,” Medlock said.
The teams began the half playing slow, ugly basketball. Duke failed to make any of its first nine shots, while Baylor was 2 of 7, getting both shots from Griner. A team averaging slightly more than 13.5 steals per game, Duke had one by the first half’s midway point and totaled two in the first 20 minutes.
Griner scored 10 of Baylor’s 21 first-half points and helped hinder Duke’s offense with four blocks, not including the ball pressure that both altered shots and forced the Blue Devils away from the basket.
Her nine-block performance increased her tournament total to 33 and broke the record for most blocked shots in a single NCAA tournament.