At 6 feet, 8 inches with an 88-inch wingspan, national player of the year candidate Brittney Griner dwarfs her opponents on the basketball floor. Combined with athleticism rarely seen in the women’s game, she is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.
Just ask the Missouri Tigers.
Baylor’s star center is averaging 22.5 points per game, 5.3 blocks per game and 9.7 rebounds per game to lead the undefeated and No. 1 Baylor Lady Bears (22-0).
Missouri fans were able to see Griner firsthand Wednesday at Mizzou Arena. She did not disappoint, scoring 18 points to lead the Bears to a 71-41 victory over the Tigers, despite playing only 26 minutes because of Baylor’s commanding lead.
The Tigers double- and even triple-teamed Griner throughout the game to no avail. She was able to use her size to acquire the ball in the low post and simply turn and shoot over defenders’ outstretched arms.
Senior forward BreAnna Brock drew the challenge of trying to defend Griner for much of the game.
“It’s a tough task,” Brock said. “Her wingspan just adds to that height. But I go out there with a mindset that, ‘Yes, I’m guarding someone that’s really tall, but I know what I have to do to contain her.’ I don’t think about her being that size; I’m her size in my mind when I’m guarding her.”
The Tigers were able to prevent Griner from dunking, something she did routinely during pre-game warm-ups.
“I don’t have the opportunity (to dunk) sometimes,” Griner said. “Everyone says, ‘You’re 6-foot-8, you should be able to dunk,’ but it’s really not that easy. It’s hard dunking with three people on you.”
Griner is one of only seven women to dunk in a collegiate game. She and former Tennessee star Candace Parker, who currently plays for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, are the only players to dunk twice in a college game.
Griner’s influence on games doesn’t stop on the offensive end. She has compiled a Big 12 record 510 blocks, a total already good enough for No. 2 in NCAA history.
“You play against Baylor different than anybody else in the conference,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “You adjust so much to what you typically do, and I think a large part of that is because of Brittney Griner.”
Missouri tried to spread the floor by using senior forwards Brock and Christine Flores on the perimeter, but were largely unsuccessful for one of the first times this season. The two players entered the game averaging 33.6 combined points per game. The Bears held them to 15.
Griner’s greatness sometimes overshadows the other catalysts in Baylor’s undefeated season. Sophomore guard Odyssey Sims is seventh in the Big 12 in scoring and joins Griner as one of 20 midseason finalists for the Wooden Award, and junior forward Destiny Williams averages nearly a double-double per game.
“A lot of people talk about Sims and Griner, but they have an awfully strong supporting cast around them as well,” Pingeton said.