Spartans rout top team in MEAC
Norfolk State’s women came through with their most notable MEAC victory, dusting first-place Morgan State 74-37 Saturday before 2,353 at Echols Hall to end the Bears’ ninegame winning streak.
Deja Francis came off the bench to score 16 points for the Spartans (20-5, 8-2), hitting 5 of 7 from the field and all six of her free throws. Camille Downs had 12 points and Makoye Diawara for 10 for NSU, which shot 56% (28 of 50) from the floor, scoring all but two of its baskets from inside the arc.
Avenging a 57-46 loss in Baltimore, NSU outscored Morgan State 22-5 in the second quarter for a 38-13 halftime edge and split the season series.
Both teams have four regular-season contests to go, and Norfolk State’s next one is its home finale at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Coppin State.
Hollins 59, Virginia Wesleyan 49: The Marlins (6-18, 2-16 ODAC) fell behind 22-7 in the first quarter in Salem and couldn’t catch up, though VWU closed the margin to five.
Hollins (7-18, 3-15) got 19 points, 14 rebounds, six steals and four blocks from Cabria Mutz, 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds from Noelani Carter and 12 points from Ariana Gutierrez.
For VWU, Meadow Dyke had 15 points, Nat Collier scored 10, Adaje Williams had nine points and eight rebounds and Sarah Ellis had eight points and 13 rebounds.
Neither team qualified for the 10-team ODAC Tournament.
No. 6 Connecticut 60, No. 14 Villanova 51: Lou Lopez Sénéchal scored 22 points, including a crucial jumper late in the fourth quarter, as the visiting Huskies (24-4, 16-1 Big East) took control of the league race.
No. 7 Iowa 80, Nebraska 60: Caitlin Clark scored 30 points, Monika Czinano added 20 and Iowa pulled away in the second half before a Nebraska-record 14,289 fans in Lincoln. The Hawkeyes moved a game behind Big Ten-leading Indiana with two regular-season games left.
No. 8 Maryland 66, Michigan State 61:
Michigan State’s players wiped away tears as they stood shoulder to shoulder during a moment of silence before their home loss, less than a week after three students were killed in a shooting on campus in East Lansing.
Diamond Miller scored 29 points and helped the Terrapins (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) hold on for the win after leading by 16 points in the second half. The Spartans (13-13, 5-10) rallied, coming up short after DeeDee Hagerman missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.
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Hampton 63, UNC Wilmington 53:
Nylah Young had 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals off the bench as Hampton surged in the second half to defeat host UNCW.
The Pirates (9-14, 6-7 Colonial Athletic Association) trailed 27-20 at halftime to lastplace UNCW (4-20, 1-12), but outscored the Seahawks 23-11 in the third quarter and 20-15 in the final 10 minutes.
Towson 66, William & Mary 59:
The Tigers (15-9, 9-4) cooled off the Tribe in a streaky game before 626 at Kaplan Arena, moving past W&M and into a three-way tie for second place in the CAA along with North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook.
Sydney Wagner led the Tribe (14-11, 9-5) with 20 points on 8-of-18 field-goal shooting and Riley Casey added 16 points, but W&M fell to fifth in the 13-team conference.
No. 3 Stanford 50, No. 25 Southern California 47: Cameron Brink became Stanford’s career leader in blocked shots with six more and scored 12 points, including a key putback with 1:04 left, during a home win by the Cardinals (25-3, 13-2) to take sole possession of the Pac-12 lead.
No. 18 Arizona 82, No. 4 Utah 72: Shaina Pellington made 11 straight shots on her way to scoring a career-high 35 points, leading the Wildcats (20-6, 10-5 Pac-12) past the Utes (22-3, 12-3) in Tucson.