Reese returns as LSU tops Va. Tech
No. 1 South Carolina rallies over No. 10 North Carolina
BATON ROUGE, La. — Angel Reese had 19 points and nine rebounds in her return from a fourgame absence, and No. 7 LSU beat No. 9 Virginia Tech 82-64 on Thursday night to give Tigers coach Kim Mulkey her 700th career victory.
Reese’s two-week absence from the team stemmed from what Mulkey has described as “locker room issues.” She has declined to go into detail. But when the game was over, Reese and Mulkey shared a long hug.
Reese and Aneesah Morrow helped LSU (8-1) control the paint and limit the production of Virginia Tech star center Elizabeth Kitley in a rematch of a Final Four game in last season’s NCAA Tournament. LSU went on to win the national title.
Morrow had 19 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and three steals, and LSU outrebounded Virginia Tech 43-29.
Georgia Amoore scored 25 points for Virginia Tech (5-2). Kitley had 16 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 65, NO. 24 NORTH CAROLINA 58:
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Bree Hall scored 15 points and South Carolina rallied for the victory in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Te-Hina Paopao added 14 points for the Gamecocks (6-0), who ended up facing their toughest challenge in an early season slate of high-scoring blowouts — including against two ranked teams. South Carolina came in ranked second nationally in scoring offense at 100.4 points and leading the country with an average victory margin of 51.6 points.
Paopao hit three second-half 3-pointers, while Hall added a huge one from the left wing with 2:08 left that pushed the Gamecocks to their biggest lead at 60-52.
Deja Kelly scored 20 points for the Tar Heels (5-3). Alyssa Ustby added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 13 BAYLOR 85, SMU 61:
In Dallas, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had 24 points and 11 rebounds, leading Baylor to the victory.
Bella Fontleroy scored 17 points for the Bears (6-0). Dre’una Edwards had 10 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and three assists.
After SMU opened the second half with a basket, Littlepage-Buggs made a layup, Sarah Andrews connected on a 3 and the lead was in double figures the rest of the way.
Tamia Jones had 17 points for the Mustangs (3-4).
SMU was outrebounded 51-28, including 17-5 on the offensive end. Baylor had 17 second-chance points and 36 points in the paint.
ARKANSAS 71, NO. 15 FLORIDA STATE 58:
In Tallahassee, Fla., Taliah Scott scored 24 points, Saylor Poffenbarger had a double-double with a school-record 23 rebounds, and Arkansas raced past Florida State in the ACC-SEC Challenge.
Arkansas reeled off 11 straight points for a 44-28 lead early in the second half.
Samara Spencer scored 15 points for the Razorbacks (7-1) to surpass 1,000 for her career. Poffenbarger had 13 points and Makayia Daniels had 10 in her 130th game, the most ever in the program.
O’Mariah Gordon had 16 points for the Seminoles (6-2), Ta’Niya Latson had 14.
NO. 17 INDIANA 67, MAINE 59:
In Portland, Maine, Mackenzie Holmes scored 22 points in her homecoming game, and Indiana rallied for the win.
Holmes, a native of Gorham, Maine, was 9 of 11 from the field. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
Sydney Parrish had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Indiana (6-1), which has won five straight.
Parrish’s three-point play with 4:39 left put Indiana ahead for good at 57-54.
Anne Simon had 34 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for Maine (4-4). Adrianna Smith had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Men’s Top 25 NO. 13 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 83, LIBERTY 58:
In Boca Raton, Fla., Alijah Martin scored 20 points and Vlad Goldin added 18 points and seven rebounds as Florida Atlantic cruised past Liberty in the opening game of the Field of 68 Tipoff Classic.
The Owls extended a 15-point halftime lead to 29 in the second period and handed Liberty (6-1) its first loss of the season.
Playing at home for the first time since its Nov. 18 upset loss to Bryant, FAU (6-1) overcame a sluggish shooting start by pounding the ball inside — where Liberty had no answer for Goldin and Martin. The duo combined for 24 of the team’s 44 first-half points, with only one field goal — Martin’s 3-pointer — coming outside the lane.
NO. 25 OKLAHOMA 107, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 86:
In Norman, Okla., Otega Oweh scored 20 points to lead Oklahoma over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 95-year-old McCasland Field House.
The Sooners (7-0) returned to the AP Top 25 last week for the first time since the 2020-21 season and for the first time under third-year coach Porter Moser.
Jalen Moore connected on a 3-pointer with 11:56 left in the first half, putting Oklahoma up by 12. UAPB (4-5) didn’t get any closer the rest of the way.
NO. 16 TEXAS 77, TEXAS STATE 58:
In Austin, Texas, Max Abmas scored a season-best 26 points and Texas beat Texas State in game the Longhorns dominated early before falling behind.
Abmas made a season-high five 3-pointers, one of them completing a 13-0 push that gave the Longhorns a 12-point lead with 8:18 left after they trailed by four earlier in the half. He also had a season-high six assists.
Ithiel Horton added 12 points for Texas (6-1). Dylan Dawson led Texas State (3-5) with 15 points.