Nurse, UConn rout Temple
PHILADELPHIA » After a lackluster effort in their previous game, Geno Auriemma was pleased with the way his UConn Huskies responded.
Kia Nurse scored 24 points and freshman Megan Walker added a career-best 22 to help No. 1 UConn rout Temple 113-57 on Sunday.
The Huskies (18-0, 7-0 American) came into the game off an 18-point win over Tulsa that left Auriemma extremely annoyed with his team, calling that game one of the worst performances he’s seen in his 32 years of coaching.
Sunday’s game didn’t get off to a good start for UConn with Temple (9-9, 1-5) scoring the first six points of the game.
Then UConn got going. Nurse and Walker helped UConn to a 28-18 advantage after one quarter and a 24-point lead at the half, much to the delight of the sellout crowd, which was mostly pro-UConn and included Auriemma’s mother.
“Once we got settled in, our defense became a lot more solid and we were able to get out in transition a little more and things opened up for us a little bit,” Auriemma said. “I thought the offense looked really, really good at times.”
Gabby Williams added 12 points and 11 assists for the Huskies.
“This game showed growth and maturity and that we can continue to grow,” Williams said.
UConn put up a season high for points without junior forward Katie Lou Samuelson, who missed the game with a left ankle injury she suffered in the Tulsa loss. She was still sporting a blackened left eye after taking an elbow to the face against Texas on Monday.
Men’s Top 25
NO. 2 VIRGINIA 59, WAKE FOREST 49 » Kyle Guy scored 17 points, and Virginia beat Wake Forest for its 10th straight win.
De’Andre Hunter added 16 points to help the firstplace Cavaliers (18-1, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) extend their longest winning streak since 2015-16 and open league play with seven victories for the second time in four years. Virginia shot nearly 46 percent in the second half while holding Wake Forest to 30 percent shooting after halftime.
Bryant Crawford scored 11 points, and Mitchell Wilbekin and Brandon Childress added 10 apiece for the Demon Deacons (8-11, 1-6), who kept it close against a highlyranked Virginia team for the second time in three years but still managed their fifth straight.
Devon Hall added 12 points to help the Cavaliers win a tight one in which there were nine lead changes and five ties. NO. 23 MICHIGAN 62, RUTGERS 47» Moe Wagner scored 16 points and Duncan Robinson added 12 to lift Michigan over Rutgers.
The Wolverines (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) rebounded from a 20-point loss at Nebraska on Thursday, taking the lead for good with a 13-0 run in the first half. Both teams shot well under 50 percent from the field, but this Michigan team is more capable of winning with defense than in the past.
Corey Sanders scored 12 points for Rutgers (129, 2-6), and Deshawn Freeman added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Freeman also had to lose the only assist of the game for Rutgers, which finished with 13 turnovers. NO. 25 MIAMI 86, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 81 » Bruce Brown Jr. scored 19 points and Miami shot 58 percent from the field.
Anthony Lawrence II and Ebuka Izundu each had 15 points for the Hurricanes (144, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Miami led the entire second half but struggled to put the Wolfpack away in a game that came down to the final seconds.
Miami came into Raleigh as one the ACC’s worst 3-point shooting teams, but made 10 of 19 tries from behind the arc for its best output in a league game.
Omer Yurtseven had 28 points for the Wolfpack (137, 3-4), who shot 63 percent after halftime and 54 percent for the game.