No. 6 South Carolina earns SEC title share with 78-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky

By Canadian Press on March 2, 2025.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tessa Johnson scored 16 points, and No. 6 South Carolina claimed at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a 78-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday.

If Texas beats Florida on Sunday, the Longhorns will match the Gamecocks with a 15-1 record in conference play. They split the season series, so a coin flip later Sunday would determine the No. 1 seed for this week’s SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

Te-Hina Paopao added 13 points and Chloe Kitts had 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (27-3), which has won at least a share of the regular-season title for the past four seasons.

Carla Strack scored 23 points and Georgia Amoore had 16 points for Kentucky (22-6, 11-5), which failed to build on the momentum of its 82-58 home win over No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night.

South Carolina led 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky closed to 63-62 with seven minutes left on a driving layup by Amoore. The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but Milaysia Fulwiley blocked Teonni Key’s shot under the basket and drove the length of the floor for a layup, igniting an 12-2 run.

The Gamecocks outscored the Wildcats 13-2 in the final six minutes.

NO. 1 TEXAS 72, FLORIDA 46

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kyla Oldacre scored 18 points and No. 1 Texas beat Florida to earn a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season championship with South Carolina.

The Longhorns, who are in their first season in the league, have now won 13 straight games.

Texas (29-2, 15-1 SEC) celebrated coach Vic Schaefer’s 64th birthday by extending its home winning streak to 22 games, including 15 this season.

All-American Madison Booker scored 14 for Texas despite missing most of the second half with foul trouble. Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored 11, and point guard Rori Harmon had nine rebounds and seven assists.

Ra Shaya Kyle led Florida (14-16, 5-11) with 12 points. Live McGill scored nine — seven below her team-best average. The Gators shot just 33% from the field.

NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 72, NO. 25 LOUISVILLE 59

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 20 points and No. 3 Notre Dame bounced back from consecutive losses to clinch a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season women’s basketball title with a victory against No. 25 Louisville.

Notre Dame (25-4 overall, 16-2 ACC) has won or shared the ACC title eight times since joining the league in the 2013-2014 season. The Fighting Irish shared the title with N.C. State, a 69-45 winner over SMU on Sunday.

Olivia Miles scored 15 points as Notre Dame shook off losses to No. 9 N.C. State and No. 24 Florida State in the past week.

Jayda Curry scored 19 points for Louisville (20-9 overall, 13-5 ACC).

NO. 5 UCONN 92, MARQUETTE 57

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Paige Bueckers had 19 points, seven assists and three steals in her final regular-season game to lead No. 5 UConn to a win over Marquette.

Sarah Strong had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots for UConn (28-3, 18-0 in the Big East). Azzi Fudd added 12 points while Aubrey Griffin finished with 11 points and four rebounds as UConn won its 38th straight regular-season Big East game.

Jaidynn Mason had 13 points, Skylar Forbes had 12 points and Lee Volker added 10 points for Marquette (20-9, 12-6).

UConn had already clinched the top seed for the Big East tournament. The Huskies wrapped up a perfect run through the Big East for the 11th time. The Huskies also accomplished the feat in each of their seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference.

MISSISSIPPI 85, NO. 7 LSU 77

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Tameiya Sadler scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and Ole Miss rallied from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to stun No. 7 LSU.

Starr Jacobs had 17, Kirsten Dean scored 15 of her 16 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers, and Christie Iwuala 11 for the Rebels (19-9, 10-5 SEC).

LSU played without first team All-SEC guard Flau’Jae Johnson because of inflammation in her shin.

The Tigers (27-4, 12-4) were led by Aneesah Morrow’s 30 points and 12 rebounds. It was her 100th career double-double as she became only the second player in NCAA history to reach that milestone, joining Courtney Paris. Mikaylah Williams added 25 points and Kailyn Gilbert had 11.

VIRGINIA 78, NO. 8 NORTH CAROLINA 75

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Paris Clark and Kymora Johnson each hit two late foul shots to help Virginia beat No. 8 North Carolina.

Latasha Lattimore had 23 points for Virginia (16-14, 8-10 ACC) in its third consecutive win. Clark scored 17 points, and Johnson had 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Clark was fouled by Indya Nivar with 13.1 seconds left. She made two free throws to give her team a 76-75 lead. Johnson added two more foul shots with 3 seconds to go.

The Tar Heels had a chance to tie, but Lexi Donarski misfired on a 3-point attempt before time expired.

Virginia trailed by as many as 18 points before rallying. It outscored North Carolina 22-15 in the fourth quarter.

Maria Gakdeng led the short-handed Tar Heels (25-6, 13-5) with a career-high 25 points. She also had nine rebounds and five assists. Donarski added 18 points, and Nivar scored 12.

NO. 9 N.C. STATE 69, SMU 45

DALLAS (AP) — Aziaha James had 19 points and nine rebounds while Zoe Brooks also scored 19 as No. 9 N.C. State beat SMU to claim the top seed in the ACC Tournament.

Madison Hayes had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolfpack (24-5, 16-2), who shared the regular-season conference title with No. 3 Notre Dame. They closed the regular season winning four straight and 20 of the last 22.

Zanai Jones scored 17 to lead the Mustangs (10-20, 2-16), who finished their inaugural ACC season with 14 consecutive losses.

SMU was missing leading scorer Nya Robertson, averaging 18.5 points per game, out with an illness.

NO. 10 TCU 51, NO 17 BAYLOR 48

WACO, Texas (AP) — Sedona Prince had 16 points and 19 rebounds as 10th-ranked TCU won its first Big 12 regular-season title, holding on to beat No. 17 Baylor in the conference’s first winner-take-all on the final day in its 29-season history.

Hailey Van Lith added 14 points as the Horned Frogs (28-3, 16-2 Big 12), under second-year coach Mark Campbell, wrapped up their best regular season ever. They were a combined 7-47 in Big 12 games in the three seasons before the coach’s arrival.

Aaronette Vonleh had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Baylor (25-6, 15-3), the 13-time Big 12 champion that had its nine-game winning streak snapped with its lowest-scoring game this season. Yaya Fielder also had 17 points, but missed a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left.

GEORGIA 72, NO. 11 TENNESSEE 69

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mia Woolfolk scored 20 points, De’Mauri Flournoy had 18 points and Georgia defeated No. 11 Tennessee.

A 3-pointer and a layup by Samara Spencer helped Tennessee take a 60-57 lead inside of five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Vols went cold and didn’t make a field goal in the next 3 1/2 minutes.

With 2 1/2 minutes remaining, Woolfolk tied it with a jumper and Roxane Makolo’s layup on the next possession gave Georgia a 64-62 lead. After Tennessee missed in the paint, Woolfork made two free throws for a 66-62 lead with 1:09 to go.

The Lady Bulldogs sealed the win by making 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute.

Asia Avinger and Trinity Turner scored 11 points each and Makolo added 10 points for Georgia (12-18, 4-12 SEC).

Jewel Spear scored 20 points, Zee Spearman 19 and Spencer 11 for Tennessee (21-8, 8-8). Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee’s leading scorer, injured her right ankle late in the second quarter and did not return to the game.

NO. 19 MARYLAND 93 NO. 12 OHIO STATE 90, OT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Sarah Te-Biasu drilled a running 3-pointer with a second left in overtime to give No. 19 Maryland a win over No. 12 Ohio State in a regular season Big Ten Conference finale.

The win pulls the Terrapins (23-6, 13-5) into a third-place tie in the final Big Ten Conference standings, tied with Ohio State (24-5, 13-5). Maryland (No. 4 seed) and Ohio State (No. 3) both have a bye into quarterfinal round of the conference tournament on Thursday.

Cotie McMahon’s layup for the Buckeyes tied the game at 78-78 with 29 seconds left in regulation and the Buckeyes took a quick five-point lead in overtime.

The Terrapins got a jumper from Te-Biasu and a layup from Shyanne Sellers to get back within a point with under three minutes left. Kaylene Smickle hit two free throws and after McMahon scored her second field goal of overtime, drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game at 87-87 with 1:25 left. McMahon hit the first of two free throws to put Ohio State in front, but Te-Biasu saw an opening and drove for a go-ahead layup seconds later and Allie Kubek hit the second of two free throws to make it 90-88. Madison Greene tied the game for Ohio State with seven seconds left and Te-Biasu took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the floor to launch her winner from the 3-point line.

Smikle finished with 26 points and eight rebounds to lead Maryland and Sellers added 21 points and eight assists. Kubek finished with 17 points and Te-Biasu 15. Christina Dalce had 11 rebounds before fouling out late.

NO. 13 OKLAHOMA 91, NO. 20 ALABAMA 84

Norman, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and battled through a third-quarter injury to lead No. 13 Oklahoma to a win over No. 20 Alabama to clinch the No. 5 seed into the Southeastern Conference tournament.

The Sooners (23-6, 11-5) finished their first season in the SEC on a seven-game win streak. Both teams will have a bye through the first round of the SEC that begins Wednesday in Greenville, S.C. Oklahoma, the No. 5 seed, and Alabama (23-7, 10-6), the No. 6 each play a second-round game Thursday.

The teams battled to a 45-45 tie at intermission, but Oklahoma took the lead after Beers, a transfer from Oregon State, tipped in a Lexy Keys miss and added a free throw to make it 54-53 with seven minutes left and start a 9-0 run. Beers went down while battling for an offensive rebound with more than three minutes left in the quarter, clutching her knee and wincing in pain while the game continued. She got up gingerly and continued, grabbing three rebounds as she worked through the discomfort.

Alabama trailed by as many as 10 points late in the fourth quarter, but Sarah Ashlee Barker got to the line for two free throws and Karly Weathers scored at the basket then knocked down a 3 to get within five with under a minute left. Barker got to the basket for a layup to make 87-84 with :17 left but Payton Verhulst hit five straight free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

IOWA STATE 85 NO. 14 KANSAS STATE 63

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Audi Crooks put Iowa State on her shoulders in the third quarter, scoring 14 of her career-high 36 points as the Cyclones blew past No. 14 Kansas State in their regular season finale.

With a one-point lead to start the second half, Crooks, a 6-foot-3 sophomore center, was 6-for-6 from the floor plus two free throws in the third quarter as the Cyclones outscored K-State 27-15 to take over the game.

The loss scrambles the Big 12 Conference standings, knocking the Wildcats out of a tie with No. 21 Oklahoma State for the No. 3 seed into the tournament and into a three-way tie for fourth with No. 18 West Virginia and Utah. OSU knocked off Kansas Sunday to clinch the third seed and the Mountaineers, who beat Kansas State head-to-head, get the No. 4 seed and a bye into the semifinals. Kansas State is the No. 5 seed and the Utes the No. 6, and each will have a first-round bye. Iowa State (21-10, 12-6) is the No. 7 seed, also with a first-round tournament bye.

Crooks, the fastest Cyclone in program history to reach 1,000 career points, has now scored in double figures in 63 straight games, one shy of the Iowa State record held by Angie Welle. She was 14 of 18 from the field, 8 of 11 from the line and pulled down 10 rebounds. Senior Emily Ryan scored 17 points and dished 10 assists in her final regular-season game. Kelsey Joens added 10 points and Addy Brown pulled down 10 rebounds to go with her nine points.

Temira Poindexter scored 17 points and Serena Sundell added 10 points, six rebounds and six assists for Kansas State (25-6, 13-5).

NO. 16 DUKE 71, NO. 24 FLORIDA STATE 57

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Reserve Toby Fournier scored 10 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 16 Duke pull away late and beat No. 24 Florida State to clinch the No. 3 seed — and a double bye — at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Duke (23-7, 14-4 ACC) plays a quarterfinal game on Friday. Florida State will be the No. 5 seed and plays Thursday in a second-round game.

Fournier made 11 of 15 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line. Ashlon Jackson scored 14 points for Duke and Taina Mair added 10.

Makayla Timpson made a layup 12 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 49-all. Fournier scored eight points before Jackson’s layup about 3 1/2 minutes later capped a 12-0 run and the Blue Devils led by at least nine the rest of the way.

Timpson led the Seminoles (23-7, 13-5) with 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting. O’Mariah Gordon and Ta’Niya Latson added nine points apiece but combined to shoot 21% (7 of 33) from the field. Latson, who went in as the nation’s leading scorer at 26.0 per game, made 3 of 21 and 1 of 8 from behind the arc.

NO. 21 OKLAHOMA STATE 57, KANSAS 51

Lawrence, Kan. (AP) — Tenin Magassa matched her career high with 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Micah Gray hit some clutch 3-pointers and scored 17 and No. 21 Oklahoma State held off Kansas in a Big 12 Conference regular-season finale, earning the Cowgirls a third-place finish.

Magassa also blocked six shots for the Cowgirls (24-5, 14-4), who set a school record for conference victories in upping their win streak to four. Oklahoma State won’t play in the Big 12 Tournament until the quarterfinals as a top-4 team. The Cowgirls’s 24 victories are their most since winning 25 times in the 2013-14 season.

Gray sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Oklahoma State a 22-19 lead at halftime. She opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer for a two-possession lead. The Cowgirls upped their lead to eight before Kansas battled back to tie it twice — the final time at 51-all on a layup by S’Mya Nichols with 2:04 remaining. Gray answered with her final 3-pointer 40 seconds later and Oklahoma stayed in front from there.

Nichols scored 16 to lead the Jayhawks (16-13, 6-12), who finished 11th. All 16 teams will play for the Big 12 title. Placers five through eight receive a first-round bye.

NO. 22 CREIGHTON 70, VILLANOVA 55

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Seniors Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen combined to score 40 and both players topped 2,000 career points as No. 22 Creighton defeated Villanova to close out the Big East Conference regular season.

No. 2 seed Creighton has a bye until Saturday’s quarterfinals when it will play the winner of Friday’s game between No. 7 seed Providence and 10th-seeded Georgetown. No. 5 seed Villanova advances to a quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 seed Marquette on Saturday. Regular-season champion Connecticut will host the event.

Maly needed 15 points to reach the milestone and she scored 23 for the Bluejays (24-5, 16-2), who matched the team record for conference victories. Maly added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season and she made two 3-pointers to add to her school record with 324. Jensen needed six points and finished with 17, adding six assists. Molly Mogensen grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to go with seven points.

Freshman Jasmine Bascoe scored a season-high 27 on 11-for-20 shooting with four 3-pointers for the Wildcats (17-13, 11-7). She finished a rebound shy of a double-double. Maddie Webber scored 14.

The Associated Press

86
-85