Aggies squander chance to go unbeaten in WAC
No. 1 UConn rolls in AAC tourney
LAS CRUCES — It could have been a showcase Saturday for New Mexico State women’s basketball. Instead, the Aggies were shown they aren’t invincible.
Shawnte Goff scored a game-high 20 points for UT Rio Grande Valley (17-12, 9-5), which hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter and stunned the Aggies 66-55.
On Senior Day before an announced Pan Am Center turnout of 1,618, New Mexico State (24-4, 13-1) lost an opportunity to finish the Western Athletic Conference season unbeaten and set a school-record winning streak. Instead, the streak ended at 15 games to tie the record set by the 1987-88 squad.
Shanice Davis had 15 points and eight rebounds, both team highs, for the Aggies, who shot 33 percent from the field and led for only 17 seconds. UTRGV’s Hild Kjartansdottir had 17 points and 15 rebounds.
The Aggies, who are regular season champions and draw a bye in next week’s WAC Tournament, play in a 1 p.m. semifinal Friday against the Utah Valley-UMKC quarterfinal winner.
No. 1 UCONN 92, EAST CAROLINA 51: In Uncasville, Conn., Morgan Tuck and Katie Lou Samuelson each scored 16 points and UConn romped in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament Saturday.
Breanna Stewart added 15 points and eight rebounds to a balanced scoring attack that had five Huskies (30-0) reach double figures. The win gives the Huskies their 11th straight 30-win season and 21st in program history.
NO. 2 NOTRE DAME 78, NO. 21 MIAMI 67: In Greensboro, N.C., Brianna Turner scored 17 points and Notre Dame (30-1) took over late in the third quarter to beat Miami the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Jessica Thomas scored 17 points for Miami (24-8).
NO. 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 93, NO. 13 KENTUCKY 63: In Jacksonville, Fla., Tiffany Mitchell scored 20 points, leading five South Carolina players in double figures, and the Gamecocks (30-1) advanced to their second straight SEC title game and will face Mississippi State. Makayla Epps led the fifth-seeded Wildcats
(23-7) with 16 points.
NO. 4 BAYLOR 82, TEXAS TECH 51: In Oklahoma City in the Big 12 tournament, Kalani Brown scored 17 points and Kristy Wallace added 15 to help Baylor (31-1) win its their 18th straight.
NO. 5 MARYLAND 83, NORTHWESTERN 62: In Indianapolis, Brionna Jones had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Maryland (29-3), who advanced to the Big Ten tournament championship game for the second year in a row since joining the conference last season. They will face No. 19 Michigan State.
No. 6 TEXAS 66, KANSAS 50: In the Big 12 tourney quarterfinals in Oklahoma City, Celina Rodrigo scored 13 points to lead the Longhorns (27-3).
No. 12 UCLA 73, CAL 67 (OT): In Seattle, Jordin Canada scored eight of her 26 points in overtime, Monique Billings added 22 points, and UCLA won in the Pac-12 semifinals. Pac-12 freshman of the year Kristine Anigwe led California (15-17) with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
No. 16 MISSISSIPPI STATE 58, TENNESSEE 48: In Jacksonville, Victoria Vivians scored 30 points, her most since mid-December, and Mississippi State (26-6) won their fifth in a row and advanced to the SEC title game against topseeded South Carolina.
NO. 17 SYRACUSE 80, NO. 7 LOUISVILLE 75: In Greensboro, N.C., Cornelia Fondren matched her career high of 18 points and hit two critical free throws with 18.1 seconds left for the third-seeded Orange (25-6), who outlasted the second-seeded Cardinals (25-7) in a tight finish to earn their first trip to the ACC title game and a date with No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday.
NO. 19 MICHIGAN STATE 82, NO. 9 OHIO STATE 63: In Indianapolis, Aerial Powers scored 31 points and Tori Jankoska added 23 for the Spartans (24-7) won their sixth straight game. Ohio State (247) was led by Kelsey Mitchell with 20 points.
NO. 20 SOUTH FLORIDA 73, SMU 60: In Uncasville, Conn., Courtney Williams scored 29 points and South Florida (22-8) advanced to the AAC semifinals.
No. 22 WEST VIRGINIA 74, KANSAS STATE 65: In Oklahoma City, Tynice Martin had 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and West Virginia won in the Big 12 quarterfinals.
NO. 24 OKLAHOMA 61, OKLAHOMA STATE 43: In Oklahoma City, Vionise Pierre-Louis scored 16 points with a career-high 15 rebounds for her first double-double and Oklahoma (21-9) pulled away in the second half in the Big 12 quarterfinals.