No. 1 Connecticut heads to NCAAS still unbeaten
Williams leads Huskies to conference title
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Gabby Williams scored 19 points to lead
No. 1 Connecticut to a 70-54 victory over 19th-ranked South Florida on Tuesday in the American Athletic Conference championship.
Williams returned to the Huskies’ lineup after sitting out the semifinals to rest a hip injury she tweaked on Sunday. The senior forward has been dealing with the hip injury all season. She had Uconn’s first basket after stealing the ball near midcourt. Williams also had seven rebounds, six assists and five steals before exiting the game for good with just under 6 minutes left. Just before she left, Williams landed hard after scoring a basket.
This was the fourth straight year that these teams met for the AAC title. South Florida had lost the first three meetings by an average of 32 points and has never beaten Uconn in 26 all-time meetings. Then again, no one has beaten the Huskies in the conference since league play began in 2013. The Huskies are 101-0.
Tournament MVP Azura Stevens added 13 points for the Huskies (32-0).
Kitija Laksa scored 26 points to lead South Florida (26-7).
Uconn led 23-20 early in the second quarter as the Bulls were able to slow down the game, but the Huskies only allowed South Florida to score three more points for the rest of the half. Katie Lou Samuelson’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer gave Uconn a 37-23 advantage at the break.
Horizon League (Men’s) Wright State 74, Cleveland State 57 —
Grant Benzinger had 19 points and nine rebounds to help second-seeded Wright State (25-9) beat eighth-seeded Cleveland State (12-23) to win the Horizon League Tournament title and earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
Colonial Athletic Association (Men’s) College of Charleston 83, Northeastern 76, OT —
At North Charleston, S.C., Joe Chealey had 32 points and the College of Charleston (26-7) beat Northeastern (23-10) in overtime to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in 19 years.
Northeast Conference (Men’s) LIU Brooklyn 71, Wagner 61 —
At New York, Joel Hernandez had 32 points and seven rebounds, and LIU Brooklyn (18-16) shocked New York City rival Wagner (23-9) to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid in five years.
Summit League (Men’s) South Dakota State 97, South Dakota 87 —
At Sioux Falls, S.D., David Jenkins scored 29 points and South Dakota State (28-6) beat South Dakota (26-8) to clinch a third straight NCAA Tournament berth.