No. 1 Gamecocks nip No. 9 Bulldogs
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 81, NO. 9 MISSISSIPPI STATE 79
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tyasha Harris scored a season-high 23 points including the go-ahead basket with 2:01 left, as No. 1 South Carolina rallied from nine-points down in the final quarter to outlast No. 9 Mississippi State 81-79 on Monday night.
Mississippi State (17-3, 4-1 SEC) had several chances to go in front, but could not.
Rickea Jackson and Jordan Danberry (Conway) both missed shots to put the Bulldogs back in front in the final two minutes. And South Carolina freshman Zia Cooke stole Mississippi State’s last inbound pass with four seconds left and ran out the clock.
Harris scored the final five points for the Gamecocks (181, 6-0), who won their 12th consecutive and got a sixth victory in seven meetings with a Top-25 opponent this season.
South Carolina freshman Aliyah Boston had 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Mississippi State looked like it might beat its second consecutive No. 1 opponent — the first came when it famously ended UConn’s 111game win streak at the 2017 national semifinals — as it went ahead 71-62 early in the final period.
But the Gamecocks used a 12-2 run to move back in front on Cooke’s three-point play and set up the final dramatic moments.
Jackson and Danberry had 16 points each to lead the Bulldogs, who saw their eightgame win streak snapped.
The Bulldogs did not score in the final 3:28 as they missed their final five shots.
South Carolina came out fast, as it has all season, with seniors Harris and Herbert Harrigan steadily helping the team to a 33-21 lead with less than seven minutes left to the half.
That’s when the defending SEC champion Bulldogs dug in to tighten things up with a 21-10 surge to cut South Carolina’s double-digit lead to 4342 at the break.
Xaria Wiggins scored all eight of her first-half points in that stretch while Jackson had a three-point play and another bucket.
By the time Danberry shoveled a pass to 6-foot-5 Promise Taylor for a closein basket with 3.2 seconds to go, the Bulldogs were within a point and running into the locker room with cheers and smiles.
NO. 20 MARYLAND 76, NO. 17 INDIANA 62
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Shakira Austin scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half, Taylor Mikesell had 16 points and eight assists and No. 20 Maryland beat 17th-ranked Indiana.
Kaila Charles and Stephanie Jones each added 12 points for Maryland (14-4. 5-2 Big Ten). Charles had nine rebounds, Austin made 10 of 13 free throws and Mikesell hit four three-pointers. The Terrapins have won all eight meetings in the series.
Maryland started the game on an 8-0 run and its 18-3 spurt to close the second quarter made it 34-21. The Terrapins’ 9-0 run in the third quarter extended their lead to 22 points.
Grace Berger scored 21 points on 10of-13 shooting for Indiana (14-5, 4-3). Ali Patberg had 15 points, 6 assists and four steals.
NO. 23 TENNESSEE 65, ALABAMA 63
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rennia Davis sank a long go-ahead three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left and No. 23 Tennessee beat Alabama to snap a five-game losing streak in the series.
Tennessee was ahead for most of the game until Alabama took its first lead since the opening minutes at 59-58 on Jordan Lewis’ basket for the Crimson Tide’s third three-pointer in four possessions.
Rae Burrell was fouled on a drive to the basket and made two free throws as the Lady Vols regained the lead at 62-61. Cierra Johnson answered with two free throws at the other end for an Alabama lead, and Tennessee struggled to set up a play without a timeout until Davis’ high-arching three-pointer just before the buzzer.
Jordan Horston scored 16 of her 19 points in the second half and Davis finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee (15-3, 5-1 SEC). Tamari Key had six of Tennessee’s 13 blocked shots and Kellie Harper won her 300th game during her 16-year head coaching career.
Lewis scored 17 points and Jasmine Walker had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Alabama (11-7, 1-4).