GAMECOCKS TOP HUSKIES
Dawn Staley’s top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks turned up their defense in the fourth quarter to turn away UConn.
Aliyah Boston had 22 points and 15 rebounds and the Gamecocks held the No. 2 Huskies to three points in the final 10 minutes of a 73-57 victory in the championship game of the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
“Our players are determined. They are resilient,” said Staley, South Carolina’s Hall of Fame coach.
“We knew exactly what we had to do especially on the defensive side of the ball. We had to disrupt. UConn’s a team that’s a well-oiled machine. If you allow them to run their stuff, they’ve made teams look stupid. We had the personnel to disrupt and force them into contested shots.“
This was the 61st meeting between the top two teams in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll and the sixth time it has happened in November. The No. 1 team holds a 38-23 advantage. The last meeting of the top two teams before Monday was between these same squads back in February. UConn was the No. 2 team and won 63-59 in overtime.
The Gamecocks (6-0) wouldn’t let the Huskies (3-1) beat them in the Bahamas, outscoring them 16-3 in the final quarter, setting off a postgame celebration that had South Carolina swaying alongside a Bahamian dance group.
Destiny Littleton (Bishop’s) quickly answered with a 3 on the other end to restore the comfortable margin. The Texas transfer had hit a 3-pointer late in the third period to give the Gamecocks a 57-54 advantage heading into the fourth.
Men
No. 2 UCLA 75, Bellarmine 62: Peyton Watson had 19 points, Johnny Juzang added 13 and UCLA (5-0) beat Bellarmine (0-5) in the Empire Classic in Las Vegas. Watson shot 9 of 12 and had four rebounds.
No. 5 Duke 107, The Citadel 81: Host Duke (6-0) beat The Citadel after Bulldogs coach Duggar Baucom collapsed on the court early in the first half and was taken to a hospital. Baucom fell along the sideline barely a minute into the game and was taken to Duke University Hospital. The 61-year-old Baucom was conscious as he was helped out of the gym.
No. 10 Kentucky 86, Albany 61: TyTy Washington Jr. scored 20 points for the second straight game, Keion Brooks Jr. added 17 points and host Kentucky (4-1) beat Albany (0-5) for its fourth consecutive victory.
No. 12 Houston 70, Butler 52: Fabian White Jr. scored 21 points and Houston (4-0) rode a dominant first half to a win over Butler (3-2) in the opening round of the Maui Invitational in Las Vegas.
No. 13 Arkansas 72, Kansas State 64: Connor Vanover scored 14 points, Chris Lykes was perfect from the foul line down the stretch and Arkansas (4-0) survived after blowing most of an 18point lead to beat Kansas State (2-1) in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Cincinnati 71, No. 14 Illinois 51: Mike Saunders Jr. scored 20 points, Jeremiah Davenport added 19 and Cincinnati (5-0) overcame an early 15-point deficit to blow out Illinois (2-2) in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo.
Ohio State 79, No. 21 Seton Hall 76: Meechie Johnson Jr. made a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left and Ohio State (4-1) beat Seton Hall (3-1) in the Fort Myers (Fla.) TipOff.
No. 23 Florida 80, Cal 60: Colin Castleton scored 16 points, Tyree Appleby added 15 and Florida (5-0) handled California (2-3) in an opening game of the Fort Myers TipOff.
West
Colorado State 71, Northeastern 61: David Roddy had 27 points, 19 in the second half, as Colorado State (6-0) rallied past Northeastern (3-3) in the championship game of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
Wyoming 68, Grand Canyon 61: Hunter Maldonado had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as visiting Wyoming (4-0) beat Grand Canyon (3-1).
Washington State 92, Winthrop 86: Michael Flowers and Noah Williams combined for 39 points and the Cougars (5-0) survived a second-half 3-point barrage from Winthrop (2-3).