No. 8 A&M fends off second-half comeback
N’dea Jones put together a strong performance with 14 points and a game-high 18 rebounds as No. 8 Texas A&M held off Missouri on Sunday in Columbia, Mo.
Ciera Johnson also finished with 14 points for the Aggies (14-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference), who trailed after the first quarter but held a 38-30 lead at halftime. Destiny Pitts and Aaliyah Wilson had 12 and 11 points, respectively, and Wilson led A&M with seven assists.
Ladazhia Williams led Mizzou (5-5, 1-4) with 20 points, while Aijha Blackwell finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
NO. 4 SOUTH CAROLINA 69 LSU 65
Aliyah Boston scored 11 of her 20 points in the final 14½ minutes and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the visiting Gamecocks secure a victory over the Tigers.
Destanni Henderson added 16 points and eight assists while Zia Cooke had 11 points for South Carolina (12-1, 7-0 SEC), which won its 26th consecutive game against conference competition.
Khayla Pointer scored 18 and Tiara Young 16 for the Tigers (6-7, 4-3).
NO. 1 LOUISVILLE 65 WAKE FOREST 63
Dana Evans hit a driving shot for the go-ahead
three-point play with 8.0 seconds left to help the visiting Cardinals barely avoid a huge upset by holding off the Deamon Deacons.
Evans scored 25 points for Louisville (14-0, 7-0 ACC).
Gina Conti scored 13 points while Ivana Raca had 12 to lead the Demon Deacons (7-6, 4-5).
NO. 25 TENNESSEE 70 NO. 12 KENTUCKY 53
Tamari Key scored a
career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, Rennia Davis added 15 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, and the host Lady Vols throttled the Wildcats.
Rae Burrell scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lady Vols (10-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) and played sterling defense on Kentucky star Rhyne Howard.
Chasity Patterson led Kentucky (11-4, 4-3) with 15 points and Howard added 14, six below her average, but was 3 of 16 shooting.
CLEMSON 86
NO. 23 SYRACUSE 77 (OT)
Kendall Spray scored 24 points with seven 3-pointers, Amari Robinson added 23 points and the shorthanded Tigers upended the visiting Orange after blowing a 25-point halftime lead.
Delicia Washington scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Clemson (9-5, 4-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), and Hannah Hank matched her career-high with 15 points, plus eight rebounds.
Kiara Lewis scored 25 points with eight rebounds and Emily Engstler added 17 and nine for the Orange (7-3, 4-3).
NO. 2 N.C. STATE 89 VIRGINIA TECH 87
Kai Crutchfield scored 10 of her 20 points in the last 4½ minutes, Jakia Brown-turner finished with 23 points and the host Wolfpack rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated, beating the Hokies.
Kayla Jones, who made two free throws at the 15-second mark, tallied 22 points for N.C. State (11-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Sophomore center Elizabeth Kitley matched a career high with 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Aisha Sheppard added 24 points for Virginia Tech (7-7, 2-7).
NO. 16 INDIANA 74
NO. 21 NORTHWESTERN 61
Mackenzie Holmes scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the visiting Hoosiers took over after trailing by 13 midway through the fourth quarter to defeat the Wildcats.
Grace Berger added 14 points for Indiana (9-3, 7-1 Big Ten Conference), which had its previous two games postponed with opponents’ COVID-19 concerns. Jaelyn Penn scored 12.
Veronica Burton scored 17 for Northwestern (8-3, 6-3).
NO. 13 OREGON 69 WASHINGTON 52
Sedona Prince scored 16 points and blocked five shots, Lydia Giomi added a double-double off the bench and the host Ducksdefeated the Huskies.
Giomi had 11 points and 10 rebounds and fellow reserve Sydney Parrish added 12 points for the short-handed Ducks (11-3, 9-3 Pac-12 Conference).
Haley Van Dyke scored 13 to lead the Huskies (4-5, 1-5).
VIRUS PAUSES MICHIGAN
In a statement released late Saturday evening, the University of Michigan announced a pause of up to 14 days in all endeavors in all ongoing sports, “including games, team and individual training sessions.”
It came as a directive from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The decision stems from positive test results for SARS-COV-2 B.1.1.7, a variant seen as anywhere from 30 to 80 percent more transmissible than the original strain of the virus.
The most visible teams affected are the Michigan basketball teams, which have soared early this season.
The men are ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press poll after opening 13-1, including lopsided wins over three ranked Big Ten teams since New Year’s Day.
The women are ranked No. 11, taking their first loss Thursday (at No. 17 Ohio State) after 10 wins to start the season.
The suspension of athletic activities left the men with four upcoming games listed as postponed. The next game would be a home matchup with Illinois on Feb. 11.
It left the women with six games postponed. The women have a game at Purdue for Feb. 11 as next on their schedule.