Brittney Griner Dunks, Powers Baylor Past Florida [Video]

Brittney Griner doesn’t dunk often but that’s something her coach would like to change. Mulkey is encouraging Griner to use her dunking ability more often because it sends a message to the other team.

Well, Griner finally sent that message last night as Griner became the second woman in NCAA history to dunk during a tournament game.

Mulkey said:

“I think she’s gotten away from trying to be monstrous with her going to the rim… I told her about two weeks ago — I said: ‘Even if you miss it, it sends a message.'”

Griner said that the dunk definitely fired up her team, who ran away with a 76-57 victory over Florida.

Griner said:

“I think my team got fired up a little bit more than me. I got a little bit more fired up, I think, on one of the blocks I had. But it definitely felt good throwing it down.”

The Chicago Suntimes reports that Griner’s dunk last night was the first in over a year for the 6-foot-8 phenom.

Mulkey added:

“That wasn’t just a barely-over-the-rim type of dunk. That was a monster dunk. I think Brittney is so conscious of people writing good or bad about the dunk, that she’s scared to get excited sometimes and celebrate a dunk, because she’s been written about in a negative way. I said, ‘Honey, if I could dunk it, I’d do backflips down the floor.'”

Candace Parker is the only other woman to dunk during an NCAA tournament game. Parker, who played for Tennessee, dunked twice against Army in 2006.

Baylor, who hasn’t lost since they were eliminated from the final four in 2011, will now go up against Georgia Tech in the sweet 16 this Saturday.