Bruins score big win over Baylor
ANGELES» Monique Billings scored LOS
21 points, Jordin Canada added 20 and No. 8 UCLA defeated third-ranked Baylor 82-68 on Saturday for the Bruins’ first win over the Lady Bears since 1996.
Kennedy Burke had 19 points for the Bruins, who held the Lady Bears to 40 percent shooting. Baylor came in leading the nation in that category at 61 percent.
The victory extended UCLA’S home winning streak to 32 games, the secondlongest active stretch in the country behind top-ranked Uconn, which visits Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night.
Kalani Brown scored 33 points despite playing with four fouls for Baylor (3-1). Dekeiya Cohen had 14 rebounds.
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey wasn’t with the team after her daughter lost her baby, which had two life-threatening birth defects and would have been the coach’s first grandchild. Associate head coach Bill Brock ran the team in her absence.
Canada had 13 of UCLA’S 21 assists. Baylor managed just 16 after coming in as the nation’s leader with 29.0.
Baylor trailed 62-58 on a basket by Alexis Morris in the fourth quarter before UCLA dominated the game’s final 6:19.
Burke hit a 3-pointer, launching an 11-0 run. She scored on a layup off a bounce pass in the lane from Canada. Billings scored on a fastbreak layup and got fouled, making the free throw. Kelli Hayes tossed in a 3-pointer that extended UCLA’S lead to 72-58.
The Bruins also led by 14 in the third quarter on a basket by Canada, who fearlessly drove the lane. Billings, who gave up 3 inches to the 6-foot-7 Brown, helped shut down the Baylor star, who had her first career double-double in last year’s victory.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHT
Brecca Thomas scored 16 points and went 7-for-9 from the field as Colorado beat Miami 67-61.
Men
CONN.» Bryant Mcintosh UNCASVILLE, and his Northwestern teammates put forth a strong defensive effort in the first half to help them beat La Salle. Mcintosh scored 21 points and Scottie Lindsey added 20 to lead the No. 20 Wildcats to an 82-74 win over La Salle in the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament on Saturday.
“In the first half we came out ready to play,” said Mcintosh, who hit five 3pointers and had seven assists. “We really defended and held them to 24 points.”
The Wildcats advance to play Texas Tech in Sunday’s championship. Northwestern has not won an in-season tournament since the 2013 South Padre Island Invitational.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
Dakota Mathias scored 23 points as No. 19 Purdue routed Fairf ield 106-64. … Desi Rodriguez scored 19 points and No. 22 Seton Hall used an 18-2 secondhalf run to shake off NJIT and post an 82-53 victory. … Daxter Miles had a career-high 32 points to leading No. 24
West Virginia in a 111-48 victory over Morgan State.