(updated 4/2/12)
Baylor University (BU) and Notre Dame (ND)won semi-final games April 1 to set the title match-up for the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s championship game April 3.
Junior center Brittney Griner scored 13 points with nine rebounds and two blocks, leading No. 1 seed Baylor University to a 59-47 win over fellow No. 1 seed Stanford in the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on April 1 at the Pepsi Center in Colorado Springs.
Griner, named the NCAA Women’s Player of the Year, led two other Baylor players who scored double-digits in points on Sunday. Sophomore guard Odyssey Sims scored 11 points and junior guard Kimetria Hayden added 13 points off the bench. Stanford senior forward Nneka Ogwumike led the game with 22 points, along with nine rebounds.
Baylor remains undefeated this season with a 39 overall record, 18-0 against Big 12 Conference opponents. BU will face another No. 1 seed Notre Dame (35-3 overall, 15-1 vs. Big East Conference) in the National Championship.
Notre Dame reached the title game after taking out No. 1 seed Connecticut, 83-75, on Sunday in the Final Four. Three different ND players scored at least 17 points, including senior guard Natalie Novosel with 20 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Skyler Diggins followed with 19 points while senior forward Devereaux Peters added 17.
Notre Dame has now reached the National Championship for the second consecutive year. ND beat UCONN in last year’s Final Four, but went on to lose to Texas A&M in the 2011 championship.