No. 1 Gamecocks fend off No. 5 UConn
Aliyah Boston scored 23 of her 26 points in the second half, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to help No. 1 South Carolina beat fifth-ranked Connecticut 81-77 Sunday in Hartford.
The Gamecocks have won 29 consecutive games since losing to Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game last year. They’ve won four of the past five against the Huskies, including a victory in the NCAA championship game last season. That ended UConn’s 11-0 record in title games. Aaliyah Edwards led UConn (21-3) with 25 points.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma received a technical foul for spiking a water bottle onto the court late in the fourth quarter after getting frustrated by the officiating.
Boston finished with 11 rebounds for the 76th double-double of her career. Kamilla Cardoso, 6-foot-7, added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
STATE Christopher Newport 73, UC Santa Cruz 62:
The Captains (22-0) withstood a challenge to their No. 1 ranking in the Division III coaches poll, rallying from a 42-37 halftime deficit at Freeman Center to defeat the Banana Slugs (16-5) in the C2C Classic.
Sondra Fan matched her career high with 27 points, and fellow preseason All-American Anaya Simmons had 10 rebounds and 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting. CNU outscored Santa Cruz 15-4 in the third quarter and led throughout the fourth during the Captains’ 37th straight home victory.
William & Mary 73, Monmouth 68:
With many former Tribe players in the stands for a “Golden Game” at Kaplan Arena, W&M (12-10, 7-4 Colonial Athletic Association) won for the sixth time in its last seven games. Riley Casey scored 27 points, hitting all seven of her free throws against the Hawks (11-12, 6-6), and Sydney Wagner scored 22. Alexa Mikeska hit two free throws for a 71-68 lead, and Bre Bellamy’s defensive rebound virtually clinched the game.
The host Panthers (8-15, 1-11 ACC) ended a 20-game conference losing streak at the expense of the Cavaliers (14-10, 3-10).
Dayshanette Harris scored 14 for Pitt, which broke away from a third-quarter tie game with a 14-2 run. Camryn Taylor had 14 points and nine rebounds for UVA, which shot a season-low 27%.
Pittsburgh 60, Virginia 51: MORE ACC No. 16 Duke 57, No. 9 Notre Dame 52:
Celeste Taylor scored 14 points for the Blue Devils (20-3, 10-2) in their come-from-behind road victory that knocked the Irish (18-4, 9-3) out of a first-place tie with Duke in the ACC.
Trailing for most of the first 28 minutes before a sellout crowd of 9,149, the Blue Devils took the lead for good in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Louisville 62, No. 11 North Carolina 55:
Chrislyn Carr scored 11 of her 17 points in the third quarter as the host Cardinals (17-8, 8-4 ACC) ended an eight-game winning streak by UNC (17-6, 8-4).
MORE TOP 2 5 Washington 72, No. 2 Stanford 67:
Elle Ladine scored 21 points and Dalayah Daniels made two key free throws with eight seconds left in Seattle. Washington (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) closed the game with a 9-2 run against the Cardinal (22-3, 10-2).
No. 3 LSU 72, Texas A&M 66:
Angel Reese had 26 points and 22 rebounds, and Alexis Morris added 22 points before fouling out to help LSU (23-0, 11-0 SEC) remain undefeated ahead of next week’s showdown with South Carolina. Reese had her 23rd consecutive double-double. Sahara Jones scored 14 points for the host Aggies (6-15, 1-10).
No. 4 Indiana 69, Purdue 46: Sydney Parrish and Mackenzie Holmes each scored 15 points as Indiana (22-1, 12-1 Big Ten) won its 10th straight game, pulling away in front of a record crowd of 14,876 for the Boilermakers (15-7, 6-6).
No. 6 Iowa 95, Penn State 51: Caitlin Clark had 23 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the visiting Hawkeyes (19-4, 11-1 Big Ten), who won their eighth straight game.
No. 7 Utah 100, Oregon 92: Alissa Pili scored a season-high 30 points as Utah (20-2, 10-2) earned a road win to move into a tie for first place in the Pac-12. Endyia Rogers scored 35 points for the Ducks (14-9, 5-7).
No. 8 Maryland 90, No. 10 Ohio State 54: Diamond Miller scored 16 of her 29 points in the third quarter for Maryland (19-5, 10-3 Big Ten) in the host Terrapins’ most lopsided win over a top-10 opponent. Taylor Thierry scored 21 for the Buckeyes (20-4, 9-4), who have dropped four of five.
Late Saturday No. 20 Oklahoma 93, West Virginia 68:
Skylar Vann came off the bench to score 16 points for the host Sooners (18-4, 8-3 Big 12). Lake Taylor High alumna JJ Quinerly scored 24 points for the Mountaineers (14-7, 5-5).
Bryant & Stratton 84, Patrick & Henry Community College 72:
Ashanti Broughton and Joscelyne Meyers scored 25 points apiece as the Bobcats (17-2, 12-0 in NJCAA Region 10) won in Martinsville. The Bobcats shot 60% from the field.