Connecticut puts on show, takes out strong S. Carolina

NO. 1 CONNECTICUT 83, NO. 7 SOUTH CAROLINA 58

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kia Nurse scored 23 points and Katie Lou Samuelson added 20 as No. 1 Connecticut powered past defending national champ South Carolina 83-58 on Thursday night.

The Huskies opened things up early to lead 53-24 at the half on their way to a 21-0 start for the fourth time in five seasons. They extended their NCAA mark with their 48th consecutive road victory and, if anyone needed more evidence, marked themselves the clear favorite for another NCAA title.

No. 7 South Carolina (184) fell to 0-6 all-time against UConn and 0-15 in program history against No. 1 teams.

The Gamecocks had hoped All-American A’ja Wilson, a sellout crowd and a super-charged atmosphere at Colonial Life Arena might rattle the Huskies. Instead it was UConn showing it was more than up to the challenge. Nurse hit two consecutive threes and Samuelson added one of her own as UConn broke on top 13-4 in the first four minutes.

The Huskies poured it on with a 19-2 start to the second quarter that ended any hopes of a South Carolina surprise.

A brief Gamecocks rally cut a 33-point lead down to 21 in the third quarter, but it was nowhere near enough.

Napheesa Collier had 19 points and five blocks while Gabby Williams had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Wilson, the two-time defending SEC player of the year, struggled from the field, going 4 of 18 for 14 points. She also had 16 rebounds and six blocks. Wilson was recruited hard by UConn before picking the Gamecocks and lost to the Huskies all four of her college seasons.

Freshman Bianca Jackson had a career-high 20 points for the Gamecocks.

In other top 25 and SEC women’s games Thursday, Asia Durr scored 21 points and No. 4 Louisville broke open a tight game with 16 consecutive points in the third quarter and beat Virginia 77-41. Bionca Dunham added 13 points and Arica Carter 12 for the Cardinals (23-1, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Cavaliers (15-8, 8-2) were led by Aliyah Huland El with nine points, including the 1,000th of her career in the final minute. ... Marina Mabrey scored a season-high 25 points and fellow guard Arike Ogunbowale added 24 as No. 5 Notre Dame rolled past North Carolina 94-62 for its sixth consecutive victory. Kristina Nelson added 11 points for the Irish (21-2, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had a season-high 28 assists on their 37 baskets. Jamie Cherry led the Tar Heels (14-8, 4-5 ACC) with 15 points, Paris Kea scored 13 and Janelle Bailey had 11 points and 10 rebounds. ... Akela Maize scored eight of her 18 points in the final five minutes as North Carolina State beat No. 10 Florida State 65-56. Kiara Leslie added 16 points for the Wolfpack (18-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Imani Wright scored 13 points to lead Florida State (18-4, 6-3). ... Kaila Charles and Eleanna Christinaki combined for 42 points on 17-of-26 shooting and No. 11 Maryland rolled to an 88-60 victory over Rutgers. Stephanie Jones added 16 points for the Terrapins (19-3, 8-1 Big Ten). Khadaizha Sanders had 12 points for Rutgers (17-7, 5-5), which has lost four consecutive. ... Jaime Nared scored 23 points and Mercedes Russell had a double-double as No. 12 Tennessee dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for an 87-62 victory over No. 14 Texas A&M. Anastasia Hayes scored 16 points, Rennia Davis had 11 and Meme Jackson added 10 for Tennessee (184, 6-3 SEC). Chennedy Carter scored 25 points and Jasmine Lumpkin had a career-high 22 points for the Aggies (17-7, 6-3). ... Lexie Brown scored 24 points with six rebounds and six assists and No. 19 Duke tied the school record with its 30th consecutive regular-season home victory, topping Georgia Tech 7759. Rebecca Greenwell had 18 points for Duke (18-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), giving her 1,718 for her career. Antonia Peresson had 17 on five threes and Kaylan Pugh 16 for Georgia Tech (13-10, 2-8).