No. 3 UConn beats No. 23 Tennessee in rare clash
No. 3 UConn 60, No. 23 Tennessee 45: Crystal Dangerfield scored 14 points and UConn used a dominant third quarter to beat Tennessee in the first matchup in 13 years between the teams whose rivalry dominated the sport for over a decade.
Trailing by three at the half, the Huskies (17-1) scored 17 of the first 19 points in the third quarter, taking a 45-33 lead on Dangerfield’s 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the period.
UConn led by 11 after three and Tennessee could get no closer in the fourth quarter.
Rennia Davis scored 16 points to lead the Lady Vols (15-4).
Thursday night provided a little bit of nostalgia for those who remembered how these two teams carried women’s basketball for over a decade since their first historic meeting in 1995 that was a 1 vs 2 showdown.
They played 22 times over a 12-year span, with each one being a circle-the-calendar game whether it was in Tennessee, Connecticut or the NCAA Tournament.
The series ended after the 2007 season when then-Tennessee coach Pat Summitt called it off.
Geno Auriemma said at the time that Summitt had accused the Huskies of a recruiting violation.
Summitt never went public into specifics about why she ended the series. She died in 2016 at age 64 of Alzheimer’s disease.
Former Tennessee coach Holly Warlick, a longtime assistant of Summitt’s who helped set up Thursday’s game, told The AP that the reason she agreed to restart the series was because it will benefit the Pat Summitt Foundation. The two teams will play in Knoxville next season.
No. 5 Louisville 71, Virginia 56: Dana Evans scored 21 points and Louisville beat Virginia for their 11th straight win. The Cardinals (19-1, 8-0 ACC) used a 16-2 run over a nearly seven-minute stretch in the first half to take control. No. 8 N.C. State 88, Pittsburgh 44: Jakia Brown-Turner scored 13 points and North Carolina State used a 30-4 scoring outburst in the third quarter to beat Pittsburgh.
The Wolfpack (18-1, 7-1 in ACC) had a 28-2 run around the halftime break in the rout of Pitt (3-15, 0-7).
Men
Grand Canyon 80, Seattle 77: Carlos Johnson scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures and added nine rebounds to help Grand Canyon hold off Seattle in Phoenix.
Johnson made 7 of 14 shots from the floor for the Antelopes (8-11, 3-2 Western Athletic Conference). Alessandro Lever added 16 points and hit the only 3-pointer of the game as Lorenzo Jenkins contributed 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. Mikey Dixon and reserve Isiah Brown scored 11 and 10, respectively.
Terrell Brown matched his career high with 31 points to pace the Redhawks (1011, 3-3).
Indiana 67, No. 11 Michigan State 63:
Joey Brunk scored 14 points, including a key layup with 1 minute left to play, and Jerome Hunter made two late free throws to close out Indiana’s victory over Michigan State.
The Hoosiers (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) have won two straight and four of their last five.
Cassius Winston had 13 of his 17 points in the second half to lead the Spartans (14-5, 6-2).