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Lady Bears survive scare, hold off WKU

Mar 23, 2014 - 1:19 AM Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Nina Davis tallied 32 points and 10 rebounds and Odyssey Sims netted 31 points, as the top-seeded Baylor Bears pulled away late to capture an 87-74 win over the 15th-seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Ferrell Center.

Davis shot 11-of-13 from the field overall and Sims drained 4-of-8 from 3- point range for the Lady Bears (30-4), who will play California in the second round. It was the first time a pair of teammates scored 30 or more in an NCAA Tournament game since 2011. Niya Johnson got the scorers involved by handing out nine assists.

For WKU (24-9), Chastity Gooch posted 23 points and nine rebounds, Kendall Noble stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, eight boards, seven assists and three steals, while Bianca McGee chipped in 18 points.

Baylor shot 54.8 percent from the field in the opening stanza to take a 47-41 lead into intermission. WKU made good on less than 42 percent of its field goal tries in the first half but kept the game within striking distance by shooting 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

The Hilltoppers hung around for most of the second half and trailed by just five, 70-65, with 6:32 remaining, but the Lady Bears finished the contest on a 17-9 run to secure the victory.

Baylor held a lopsided 43-24 advantage on the glass and outscored WKU at the free-throw line, 21-10.