Cavaliers fall short in opener of ACC tournament
WAKE FOREST 68, VIRGINIA 57
Jewel Spear scored 19 points, and 12th-seeded Wake Forest turned back 13th-seeded Virginia, 68-57, on Wednesday in the first game of the ACC women’s basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
The Demon Deacons (15-15), who led by 18 when Olivia Summiel opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, earned a meeting with fifth-seeded Florida State on Thursday morning.
The Cavaliers didn’t score after a basket by Mckenna Dale pulled them within 62-57. They had two possessions to get closer but missed their last seven shots.
Elise Williams added 16 points for Wake Forest, which snapped a five-game losing streak. Senior guard Kaia Harrison left the game late in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.
Camryn Taylor had 19 points and Alexia Smith 14 for Virginia (15-15), which lost 12 of its last 15 games after starting the season 12-0. The Cavaliers won the only regular season meeting with the Demon Deacons, 72-52, on Nov. 13.
The Demon Deacons had an early 16-0 run to lead 16-4, but the Cavaliers had a 13-4 run in the last four minutes of the second quarter to trail 28-25 at the half.
Wake Forest led 49-28 after a 21-1 run in the third quarter, but an immediate 11-1 answer gave Virginia hope. Early in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers went on a 14-2 run, and there was plenty of time, but they went cold again.
• BUCKNELL 69, AMERI
CAN 66: Ivy Bales finished with 17 points as the Eagles (8-21, 7-11 Patriot League) lost their regular season finale to the Bison (13-16, 9-9) in Lewisburg, Pa.
American is the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament and will host Navy in a first-round game Saturday at Bender Arena.
• LAFAYETTE 74, NAVY 64: The Midshipmen fell to 1-28 (1-17 Patriot League) with the loss to the Leopards (10-18, 7-11) in Annapolis. Kate Samson scored 15 points to lead Navy.
• BAYTON 67, VCU 61: Sarah Te-biasu scored 13 points as the Rams (7-22) were eliminated in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament by the Flyers (7-20) in Wilmington, Del.
Oklahoma edges Kansas St.
Skylar Vann scored a careerhigh 23 points, Madi Williams scored 19, and No. 16 Oklahoma beat Kansas State, 90-86, in overtime in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma (23-5, 13-4 Big 12) moved into a first-place tie in the conference with Texas.
Taylor Robertson scored 15 points with five three-pointers, Liz Scott scored 11 and Ana Llanusa 10 for the Sooners.
Serena Sundell scored a careerhigh 33 points, Jaelyn Glenn 21, Gabby Gregory 16 and Eliza Maupin 14 for Kansas State (16-14, 5-12).
Oklahoma squandered a 22-point second-quarter lead while committing 26 turnovers overall. Kansas State missed 3 of 4 free throws in the final six seconds with a two-point lead at the end of regulation. The Wildcats were 18 for 30 overall from the line.
• KANSAS 98, IOWA STATE 93: Offsetting a milestone night from the Cyclones’ Ashley Joens, Zakiyah Franklin scored a careerhigh 31 points and Wyvette Mayberry added 22 in Lawrence, Kan., as the Jayhawks ended a 16-game losing streak against No. 23 Iowa State.
Joens scored 33 points to jump two spots to 16th place on the Division I all-time scoring list with 2,935. Joens moved past LSU’S Joyce Walker (2,906) and Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante (2,919).
Franklin shot 12 for 20, including 3 for 4 from three-point range, and made all four of her free throws for the Jayhawks (18-10, 8-9 Big 12).
Freshman Denae Fritz scored a career-high 26 points — 12 more than her previous high — and made 9 of 10 shots with four threepointers for the Cyclones (18-9, 10-7).
• UCLA 81, ARIZONA STATE 70: Emily Bessoir scored 17 points, including two critical three-pointers in overtime, as the fifth-seeded Bruins, who had a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter, turned back the 12th-seeded Sun Devils in a Pac-12 tournament first-round game in Las Vegas.
The 19th-ranked Bruins (23-8) face fourth-seeded Arizona, ranked 21st, in a quarterfinal Thursday.
Charisma Osborne added 16 points, eight in overtime, for UCLA, which has won 14 straight over ASU. Kiki Rice (Sidwell Friends) had 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, and Londynn Jones scored 12 points.
Osborne has 1,687 points, passing Ann Meyers for 13th on UCLA’S scoring list.
Tyi Skinner scored 26 points for the Sun Devils (8-20), and Jaddan Simmons had 17 with 10 rebounds.
• SOUTH FLORIDA 85, CINCINNATI 55: Elena Tsineke scored 28 points, Sammie Puisis added 21, and the No. 25 Bulls closed out the regular season with a rout in Cincinnati.
Tsineke made 10 of 14 shots and went 6 for 7 from the free throw line. Puisis scored all of her points on 7-for-11 three-point shooting. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls (26-5, 15-1 American Athletic Conference).
Jillian Hayes led the Bearcats (9-20, 2-14) with 20 points.
The Bulls will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament that begins Monday in Fort Worth.