Texas A&M’s defense stops Alabama cold
COLLEGE STATION — Ciera Johnson tied a career high with 18 points and added 11 rebounds, Shambria Washington added a career-high 14 points, and Texas A&M used its trademark stifling defense to defeat Alabama 70-43 on Sunday at Reed Arena.
Chennedy Carter scored 11 points, and N’dea Jones added 11 rebounds for the Aggies (13-4, 2-2 Southeastern Conference), who held Alabama to just 27 percent shooting from the field.
The Crimson Tide (9-8, 1-3) did not have a player score in double figures.
Marina Mabrey scored 18 points, and the No. 1 Fighting Irish dominated from start to finish in a win over the visiting Demon Deacons.
Jessica Shepard had 16 points while Brianna Turner had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (16-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who got a rare off-day from leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale, who had 30 points Thursday in Notre Dame's 82-68 win over No. 2 Louisville, saw her 37-game doubledigit scoring streak end. She scored just four points on 1-of-11 shooting from the field.
But roommate Mabrey hit seven of 11 shots, including 4 of 7 3pointers, and had seven rebounds and four assists. Shepard finished with six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
LOUISVILLE 61, GEORGIA 44
Asia Durr scored 21 points, and the No. 2 Cardinals bounced back nicely from its first loss of the season, topping the Yellow Jackets in Louisville, Ky.
The Cardinals (15-1, 3-1 ACC) shot 38 percent from the field in Thursday's 82-68 loss at topranked Notre Dame. But they put together a fast start against Georgia Tech and then used their defense to put away the Yellow Jackets (12-5, 2-2) after they made a charge in the third quarter.
Freshman Elizabeth Balogun led the Yellow Jackets with 13 points.
CONNECTICUT 63 SOUTH FLORIDA 46
Katie Lou Samuelson scored 19 points to reach the 2,000-point milestone, and the No. 3 Huskies overcame a sluggish start to beat the visiting Bulls.
Megan Walker added 14 points and Napheesa Collier had 12 for the Huskies (14-1, 3-0 American), who have never suffered a conference loss in the AAC.
Samuelson is the 10th UConn player to reach 2,000 points.
Enna Pehadzic had 17 points and 12 rebounds for injuryplagued USF (10-7, 1-2), which led for much of the first half and trailed by just six points at the half.
OREGON 72, UCLA 52
Ruthy Hebard had 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, Satou Sabally added 19 points, and the No. 5 Ducks routed the host Bruins for their eighth straight victory.
Hebard's double-double was her fourth in six career games against the Bruins (9-8, 2-3 Pac-12), who dropped their fifth in a row to the Ducks (15-1, 4-0).
Oregon never trailed and extended its lead to 28 points in a dominant fourth quarter. They opened the quarter on a 15-2 run, capped by Maite Cazorla's consecutive 3-pointers that made it 7244. The Bruins scored the game's final eight points.
Michaela Onyenware led the Bruins with 13 points, under her leading average of 16.8.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 66 VIRGINIA 38
Erika Cassell had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the No. 8 Wolfpack remained the only unbeaten Division I women's team with a victory over the host Cavaliers.
Kiara Leslie added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack (17-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Kai Crutchfield and Elissa Cunane each scored 11.
North Carolina State started the second quarter with a 15-3 run to open a 31-13 lead. Cassell, who was averaging 5.9 points coming into the day, had nine points during the key sequence.
Jocelyn Willoughby led Virginia (7-10, 1-3) with 15 points.
GEORGIA 66, TENNESSEE 62
Caliya Robinson had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two of her six blocks in a critical lastminute possession, and the host Bulldogs gave the No. 13 Lady Vols a three-game losing streak for the first time in 33 years.
Tennessee, which had never lost three-straight Southeastern Conference games, lost to Missouri, Kentucky and Georgia by a total of eight points. The first two games were at home, the first time they lost consecutive home games since December 1996.
Westbrook scored 23 points for Tennessee (12-4, 1-3).
In February of 1986, Tennessee lost at Mississippi and at home to Auburn and Louisiana Tech.
Gabby Connally added 13 points for the Bulldogs (12-5, 3-1).
MISSISSIPPI 55, KENTUCKY 49
Crystal Allen scored 16 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter, La'Karis Salter had a double-double, and the Rebels upset the No. 16 Wildcats in Lexington, Ky.
Salter had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Allen made six of her 10-for-10 performance at the foul line in the last 1:12 for the Rebels (7-11, 1-3 Southeastern Conference. It was the first road win over a ranked team since 2011.
Kentucky (15-3, 2-2), who was 11-0 at home, was without top scorer Maci Morris, a last-minute scratch due to illness. Freshman Rhyne Howard led Kentucky with 20 points and 11 rebounds for her fourth doubledouble.
ARIZONA STATE 62 CALIFORNIA 61
Kianna Ibis was 4-of-4 from 3point range and finished with 26 points, and Reili Richardson hit one of two free throws with five seconds left to help the No. 19 Sun Devils beat the No. 24 Golden Bears in Tempe, Ariz.
Ibis made shot 9 of 12 from the field and hit all her four freethrow attempts..
CLEMSON 57, FLORIDA SATE 45
Kobi Thornton scored 19 points with 10 rebounds, and the Tigers ended an 18-game losing streak against the 22nd-ranked Seminoles with a victory in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Tigers (12-5, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won three straight, had not won in Tallahassee in 17 years. Aliyah Collier added 11 points.