South Carolina women win showdown

Aliyah Boston didn’t miss this time, her layup with 1:05 to go giving the No. 1 South Carolina women a 65-61 victory over No. 2 Stanford on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C.

Boston had 18 points and 11 rebounds, her fifth consecutive double-double and 36th of her career.

It was Boston who couldn’t convert in April at the Final Four in the closing seconds to send the Cardinal to a 66-65 victory en route to the national championship.

This time, the 6-foot-5 All-American set herself up down low, got the ball from Destanni Henderson and put it in for the game-winning basket as the Gamecocks (12-0) rallied from 18 points down in the first half to keep alive their best start in six years.

“It shows our power,” Henderson said. “It’s hard to compete with us.”

Stanford (8-3) had a chance to go in front, but Cameron Brink’s jump shot bounced off the rim.

No. 10 Tide men fall

Luka Brajkovic scored 22 points and made a late three-pointer and Michael Jones had 21 points to help lift visiting Davidson to a 7978 victory over No. 10 Alabama.

The Wildcats (9-2) rolled to a 13-point second-half lead and held on for their eighth straight win in a game scheduled to fill sudden voids in the teams’ schedules because of COVID-19. The Crimson Tide (9-3) have lost two of three.

at No. 23 Villanova 71, No. 18 Xavier 58: Justin Moore scored 12 of his 17 points after halftime to lead the Wildcats (8-4, 1-1 Big East Conference) past the Musketeeers (11-2, 1-1).

at No. 9 Iowa State 79, Chicago State 48: Izaiah Brockington had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lift the Cyclones (12-0) over the Cougars (4-8).

No. 11 Michigan State 90, Oakland 78: Marcus Bingham had 17 points for the Spartans (10-2) in a victory over the Golden Grizzlies (7-4) in Detroit.