Confident DePaul slips by Kentucky

NO. 24 DePAUL 86, NO. 9 KENTUCKY 82

CHICAGO — DePaul wasn’t going to let its second shot at a top 10 team end the way its first did.

Sonya Morris scored 23 points and Deja Church added 18 to help No. 24 DePaul top ninth-ranked Kentucky 86-82 on Wednesday.

Both Morris and Church made a pair of free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the Blue Demons’ second consecutive victory and erase memories of a lopsided loss to No. 2 Louisville two weeks ago.

“We knew that was not going to happen again, ever,” Church said.

The Blue Demons ( 3-2) opened the fourth quarter with a 59-53 lead and made nine of their first 10 field-goal tries to keep the Wildcats at bay.

“We said it was a 0- 0 game,” Church said. “We just played hard.”

She added the experience of falling 116-75 to Louisville on Dec. 4 helped keep the Blue Demons focused as Kentucky never fell behind by more than two possessions in the final five minutes.

Chastity Patterson had 22 points to lead Kentucky (6-1), which was seeking its first win since administrators made Kyra Elzy the full-time head coach.

The Wildcats ended a turnover-filled first half — there were 25 in all between the teams — with a 37-35 lead thanks to Rhyne Howard’s layup off a steal in the closing seconds.

DePaul took the lead for good midway through the third quarter with an 8-0 run that featured a pair of baskets by Church.

Kentucky got a dominant performance from center Dre’una Edwards, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

NO. 7 BAYLOR 86, SOUTHERN 52

WACO, Texas — Queen Egbo posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, NaLyssa Smith scored 16 points with 8 boards and the No. 7 Baylor women took control in the second quarter.

Egbo and Smith scored six points apiece during an 18-2 run to finish the first half, turning a six-point lead into a 22-point margin at the break as the Bears (5-1) extended the nation’s longest active home winning streak to 59 games. Baylor outscored Southern 23-5 in the second quarter.

Trinity Oliver scored six of her 12 points — two off her career high — early in the third quarter to spark a 15-0 run that pushed the lead to 34 at 58-24. Freshman Hannah Gusters matched her season high with 13 points.

Tyneisha Metcalf had 10 points and Raven White scored nine while matching the team high of five rebounds for Southern (0-4).

NO. 23 SOUTH FLORIDA 66, MEMPHIS 58

MEMPHIS — Elisa Pinzan scored 19 points, Elena Tsineke added 14 and South Florida beat Memphis in an American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Bulls outscored Memphis 15-6 in the second quarter — with eight points from Pinzan — for a 31-26 lead, and USF started the third on an 8-0 run — with six points from Tsineke — for a 13-point advantage.

Memphis cut it to 61-58 on an Aerial Wilson layup with 58 seconds left, but Pinzan sealed it at the line.

Sydni Harvey scored 12 points and Bethy Mununga grabbed 10 rebounds for South Florida (4-1).

Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, averaging 16 points and 13.3 rebounds, led Memphis (2-3) with 20 points and 14 rebounds.