By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big12Sports.com Correspondent

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – They all start out with a game plan crafted to create a victory. Most start the game with confidence that they will be the David that takes down Goliath.

But as Mike Tyson once said, everybody has a good strategy until they get punched in the nose.

Figuratively, Baylor keeps punching foes in the nose. The top-seeded Lady Bears (33-0) rolled into the title game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Championship with an 86-65 victory over No. 5 seed Kansas State.

Baylor will face No. 3 seed Texas A&M, a 79-66 winner over No. 2 seed Oklahoma, in the championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday in Municipal Auditorium.

Six days after setting her career high with 41, Brittney Griner surpassed that with a Big 12 Championship record of 45. The 6-8 Griner surpassed 5-5 Andrea Riley of Oklahoma State, who had the record of 43.

"The (assistant) coaches told me she was five away so I left her in the game," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey. "We're not about records, but why not? She might never get this close again."

Kansas State (19-13) opted to cover Griner one-on-one with some double team help. With 14 minutes remaining, Griner had scored 31 … and the Wildcats had scored 31.

"The kid had a phenomenal start," said Baylor's Destiny Williams, who had 12 points and 14 rebounds. "Our guards did a great job of passing her the ball. As as long as BG finishes, they'll be happy with getting the assists. And she did a great job of finishing."

In three games against Kansas State, Griner made 40-of-59 shots (66.7 percent) and scored 96 points (32 per game).

"She really is just an unbelievable player," said Kansas State's Brittany Chambers, who led the Wildcats with 18 points. "It's fun to be on the court with her … just not when it's happening. We tried to push her out but when you do that, her mid-range game has improved and when she's making shots, there's not much you can do."

In pre-game warm ups, Griner missed a number of shots.

"I hoped it wasn't a sign," Griner said. "And it wasn't."

The only other glitch in Griner's game came as she was approaching the scoring record. She missed her last four shots and also missed a dunk with 12 minutes remaining. Griner elevated from outside the lane but clanked it.

"Something just sparked, and I thought, 'I'm going up, no matter what,'" she said. "I thought I was Blake Griffin."

In its two regular-season losses to the Lady Bears, Kansas State made 25 percent of its shots and scored 41 points in both games. The Wildcats improved their point total and shot 37.3 percent while making 9-of-25 3-pointers (they made a total of eight in the two losses).

Only those wearing green and gold are bored by watching the same script for the 33rd time. Opponents hit a few shots, keep within striking distance for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, sometimes even 30 minutes. But inevitably Baylor's defense takes control, the foe's basket becomes thimble-sized and all hope is lost.

One apt analogy: Baylor is like an anaconda whose unsuspecting victim winds up in the snake's coils before getting squeezed to extinction.

And if Griner is going to take 28 shots and make 19 – while blocking seven shots, handing out four assists and grabbing 10 rebounds – all game plans and strategies are destined for the shredder.