March 20, 2004

By PETE HERRERA
AP Sports Writer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Sophia Young scored 24 points, six of them on back-to-back three-point plays late in the game in Baylor's 71-60 win over Loyola Marymount Saturday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Fourth-seeded Baylor (25-8) will meet fifth-seeded Florida (19-10) in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Monday. Florida advanced with a 68-56 win over New Mexico.

Loyola Marymount (24-6) never led in its NCAA debut, but the Lions, who came into the tournament with a 15-game winning streak, stayed close behind senior guard Kate Murray's 27 points. Murray hit nine of 18 shots and had four of the Lions' nine 3-pointers.

A 3-pointer by Rachael Ziemann cut Baylor's lead to 59-55 with 4:23 left in the game. Young pushed the lead back to seven with a three-point play with 3:25 remaining. She scored on a baseline bank shot, was fouled by the Lions' Jacquelyn Woods, and added the free throw.

Murray, an 88 percent free throw shooter, had a chance to cut the deficit again moments later, but made just one of two free throws that left Baylor's lead at 62-56 with 3:14 left.

Young, who scored 15 points in the second half, put the Lions away with another three-point play with 1:59 remaining. She banked in another short jumper, again was fouled and again connected from the foul line.

Baylor scored the first seven points on baskets by Young and Dionne Brown and a 3-pointer by Jessika Stratton.

The Bears, the top-scoring team in the Big 12 this season, shot 50 percent in the first half. Freshman Emily Niemann's 3-pointer with 6 seconds left put Baylor up 37-25 at the half.

Brown added 15 points and Stratton had 10. The Bears played without Steffanie Blackmon, their second leading scorer at 15.6 points a game. Blackmon twisted her left knee in the Big 12 tournament and was on crutches Saturday.