Minnesota spoils record game by Iowa’s Gustafson
INDIANAPOLIS — Carlie Wagner and Kenisha Bell combined for 53 points and Minnesota defeated Iowa 90-89 on Friday despite a school and Big Ten tournamentrecord 48 points by the Hawkeyes’ Megan Gustafson.
Wagner had 27 points and Bell 26, but the fourth-seeded Golden Gophers (23-7) were not assured a semifinal date with top-seeded and 13thranked Ohio State on Saturday until Amanda Ollinger’s three-point attempt missed as time ran out.
Gustafson was 19 of 26 from the field and 10 of 12 from the foul line to surpass the 43 points Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell scored in 2016. Gustafson’s last points, a three-point play, put the fifthseeded Hawkeyes up 87-85 with 1:23 to play and broke the school record of 46 points set by Chrystal Smith on Nov. 11, 2005.
Destiny Pitts, who had 14 points, quickly answered with a threepointer for Minnesota and Gadiva Hubbard, who scored 15, made a steal and then two free throws at 52 seconds for a 90-87 lead.
Kathleen Doyle got a quick layup for Iowa (24-7) at 35 seconds and Ollinger got a steal with 10 seconds left but couldn’t connect after a timeout.
Kaila Charles scored 24 points, the trio of Channise Lewis, Stephanie Jones and Brianna Fraser added 10 points each, and No. 2 seed Maryland (24-6) defeated No. 7 seed Indiana (17-14) in a Big Ten quarterfinal. Maryland will meet Nebraska in a Saturday semifinal. Indiana closed to 54-51 on a pair of Amanda Cahill free throws with 4:34 remaining but the Terps scored the next six points to pull away.
Hannah Whitish scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 3 seed Nebraska (21-9) beat sixth-seeded Michigan (22-9) in a Big Ten quarterfinal. Hallie Thome scored 21 points and Katelynn Flaherty added 17 to lead Michigan.
Roshunda Johnson scored 20 points, and Mississippi State (31-0) routed Kentucky (15-17) in a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bulldogs will play No. 15 Texas A&M for a third consecutive spot in the final.
Myisha Hines-Allen had 21 points and 10 rebounds and topseeded Louisville (30-2) held off Virginia Tech (1813) in an Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal in Greensboro, North Carolina. Louisville will face No. 23 North Carolina State in a semifinal.
Chennedy Carter scored 27 points to help Texas A&M (24-8) defeat LSU (19-9) and reach the SEC semifinals. Ayana Mitchell had 17 points and 11 rebounds for LSU.