Hidalgo helps No. 17 Irish top No. 5 Virginia Tech
SOUTH BEND, IND.>> Freshman Hannah Hidalgo had 23 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 17 Notre Dame beat fifth-ranked Virginia Tech 71-58 on Thursday night.
Virginia Tech (23-5, 14-3 ACC) had its 10-game winning streak snapped, but ended up claiming its first ACC regular-season championship outright as No. 12 North Carolina State defeated No. 19 Syracuse 75-71 in overtime on Thursday. The Hokies won the ACC Tournament crown last season and reached the Final Four.
NO. 7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 95, ARIZONA 93, 2 OT>> Kayla Padilla hit a tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation and made another key 3 in the second overtime, lifting No. 7 Southern California over Arizona in Tucson.
The Wildcats (16-13, 8-9 Pac12) were blown out by USC less than a month ago, but used a big run to take a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Trojans (22-5, 12-5) fought back despite star freshman sensation Juju Watkins fouling out, scoring five points in the final 16 seconds to force overtime. Kaitlyn Davis hit a jumper after an offensive rebound and Padilla hit a tying 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left after two more offensive boards.
Neither team could take control until Padilla hit a corner 3 to put USC up 92-89 in the second overtime.
NO. 8 UCLA 70, ARIZON STATE 41>> Lauren Betts had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Kiki Rice added 14 points when No. 8 UCLA beat Arizona State 70-41 on Thursday night in Tempe.
Betts had her ninth doubledouble and Rice added seven assists and seven rebounds for the Bruins (23-5, 12-5 Pac-12), who will finish the series between the teams with a 16-game winning streak.
NO. 9 LSU 80, GEORGIA 54>> Angel Reese added another double-double to her season-long list with 17 points and 15 rebounds and No. 9 Louisiana State beat Georgia 80-54 for its seventh straight win Thursday in Athens, Ga.
LSU was dominant in the matchup of the Southeastern Conference’s No. 1 and No. 14 scoring offenses. The Tigers, who average 88.5 points per game, stretched their lead to 20 points late in the first half over Georgia, which averages 64.3 points.
Hailey Van Lith sank four 3-pointers and led the Tigers with 18 points. LSU clinched the No. 2 seed, behind top-ranked South Carolina, in the SEC Tournament.
NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA STATE
75, NO. 19 SYRACUSE 71, OT>> Saniya Rivers scored 22 points, including the clinching free throws with 10.9 seconds left in overtime and North Carolina State defeated Syracuse 75-71 in Raleigh, N.C.
The win gave the Wolfpack a shot at the No. 2 seed in the ACC tournament next week and handed Virginia Tech the outright title. The Orange are assured a top four seed, which means a double-bye in the tournament.
Syracuse finishes the regular season at 13-5, a half-game ahead of the Wolfpack, who have the tiebreaker. The Wolfpack get the second seed with a win over Wake Forest on Sunday.
Mimi Collins had 15 points for the Wolfpack (24-5), now 7-2 in Top 25 games, and River Baldwin had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 98, ARKANSAS 61>> Ashlyn Watkins had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead South Carolina to a road win over Arkansas in Fayetteville.
South Carolina (28-0, 15-0 SEC) stayed unbeaten with just one game to play in the regular season. The Gamecocks have beaten all but three opponents this season by double-figures. They lost just once - in the Final Four last year to Iowa - in the last 358 days.
South Carolina took control in the second quarter, starting the period on a 14-0 run to build its lead to 17 points. Arkansas (1812, 6-9) was wholly ineffective offensively, missing its first eight shots from the floor in the quarter, seven from 3-point range, and committing five turnovers in those 10 minutes.
NO. 18 UTAH 82, WASHINGTON STATE 67>> Kennady Mcqueen scored 22 points to tie a career high, Alissa Pili had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Utah beat Washington State in Salt Lake City.
Mcqueen made Utah’s fourth 3-pointer of the opening six minutes to take a 21-8 lead. The Utes led by 16 points, 38-22, midway through the second quarter before Washington State scored 12 of the next 14. But Mcqueen scored the final five points of the half to regain a double-digit lead.
Ines Vieira had 13 points, six assists, and just two turnovers for Utah (21-8, 11-6).
NO. 22 LOUISVILLE 70, FLORIDA STATE 55>> Sydney Taylor scored 10 of her 16 points in a gamechanging run in the second quarter, Olivia Cochran and Nyla Harris each had a double-double and No. 22 Louisville defeated Florida State 70-55 at home.
Kiki Jefferson broke a tie at 24 with consecutive baskets before Taylor hit a free throw and drilled three straight 3-pointers. By the half, the Cardinals led 43-26 after a 19-2 run.. Cochran had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Louisville and Harris had 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Ta’niya Latson had 18 points for the Seminoles. Florida State missed five-straight shots before Timpson ended Taylor’s run with a jumper that made it 38-26.
The Seminoles missed four more shots to end the second quarter and their first eight of the third quarter.
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Pios fall at home to UMKC despite Bruner’s 31 points
DENVER>> Jamar Brown scored 19 points as UMKC beat Denver 8469 on Thursday night.
Brown had 11 rebounds for the Roos (15-15, 9-6 Summit League). Allen David Mukeba Jr. scored 15 points while finishing 7 of 8 from the floor, and added eight rebounds. Tyler Andrews had 15 points and shot 5 for 7, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc.
The Pioneers (15-15, 6-9) were led in scoring by Tommy Bruner, who finished with 31 points and two steals. Pedro Lopez-sanvicente added 15 points for Denver.