OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Sarah Strong had 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals and Blanca Quiñonez came off the bench to score 15 points as top-ranked UConn routed Creighton 95-54 on Sunday.
The Huskies (17-0, 8-0 Big East) handed Creighton (7-9, 3-4) its most lopsided loss since a 44-point defeat to UConn two years ago.
Azzi Fudd had 14 points and five assists and Ashlynn Shade made four 3s for all 12 of her points.
Freshman Ava Zediker had 21 of her 24 points in the second half and Kennedy Townsend added 13 for the Bluejays.
UConn led Creighton’s annual Pink Out game 54-21 at half despite a bit of a sloppy start. The Huskies, who committed a season-low eight turnovers against St. John’s in their previous game, coughed it up eight times in the first quarter alone and finished with a season-high 21.
Creighton played the Huskies on even terms through six minutes and then wilted when UConn turned up its full-court defense another notch. The Huskies outscored Creighton 28-4 over a stretch of the first and second quarters, with the Bluejays turning over the ball 15 times and missing seven shots while going more than eight minutes without a field goal.
NO. 12 LSU 70, NO. 2 TEXAS 65
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Mikaylah Williams scored 20 points, capped by her 3 as the shot clock expired with 1:20 to go in the game, and LSU handed Texas its first loss this season.
After Williams’ late 3 made it 66-59, she jogged back toward the defensive end with both arms triumphantly held high as an announced sellout crowd in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center erupted. The Tigers (16-2, 2-2 SEC) never let Texas (18-1, 3-1) get closer than five points after that.
Madison Booker scored 24 points, 14 after committing her fourth foul just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter. Kyla Oldacre had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Jordan Lee added 12 points for the Longhorns.
Flau’jae Johnson, Milaysia Fulwiley, ZaKiyah Johnson and Jada Richard each scored 10 points for LSU, which led the entire second half and by as many as 13. The Tigers have now won two straight since falling out of the top 10 in the AP Top 25 with consecutive losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt to open SEC play.
Both teams scored far below their per game averages in a game defined by ramped-up and physical defensive play.
LSU came in averaging 101.8 points per game and Texas 91.9.
NO. 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 65, GEORGIA 43
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Madina Okot had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Joyce Edwards scored 14 as South Carolina won its 20th straight over Georgia.
It was was sluggish offense performance for the Gamecocks (17-1, 4-0 Southeastern), who overcame 38% shooting — they came in second in the SEC at 52.6% from the field — and hit just two of their 17 3-point attempts.
Still, South Carolina’s trademark defense played havoc on the Lady Bulldogs (15-3, 1-3), who had averaged almost 78 points a game this season but were held to their lowest total of the season.
Ta’Niya Latson, the Florida State transfer, returned to the court after missing the past three games with a left ankle sprain. She finished with nine points.
Okot had her 13th double-double this season.
Rylie Theuerkauf led Georgia with 16 points.
NO. 4 UCLA 83, NO. 25 NEBRASKA 61
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lauren Betts scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds to help UCLA to a win over Nebraska.
Betts also added four blocks and five steals for the Bruins (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten).
UCLA used an 11-2 first quarter run to take control of the game and stretched its lead to 35-20 on Gianna Kneepkens’ 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining in the first half.
Nebraska (14-3, 3-3) cut the deficit to 10 on Jessie Petrie’s layup that opened the second half scoring. But the Huskers could get no closer the rest of the way.
Sienna Betts’ layup with 4:03 left in the third period pushed the lead to 52-32. UCLA’s largest lead was 27 late in the game..
Five other Bruins joined Lauren Betts in double figures: Kneepkens finished with 16 points, Charlisse Leger-Walker had 14 points, Sienna Betts and Kiki Rice had 12 points each and Gabriela Jaquez had 11.
NO. 6 KENTUCKY 63, NO. 5 OKLAHOMA 57
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Tonie Morgan scored 21 points to lead Kentucky to a win over Oklahoma.
The Wildcats (15-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second quarter for their second win over a top 10 opponent in two weeks. Kentucky opened conference play with an 80-78 win over 12th-ranked LSU on Jan. 1 in Baton Rouge. The Tigers were ranked No. 5 at the time.
Clara Strack followed Morgan with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Strack had three of Kentucky eight blocks in the contest. Jordan Obi added 11 points for the Wildcats. Morgan, the SEC Player of the Week, has scored 50 points in the past three games for the Wildcats. She connected on a nifty four-point play after banking in a 3-pointer in the second quarter
Coming off a 64-51 loss at Alabama, the Wildcats forced 18 turnovers and held the Sooners scoreless in the final four minutes and scored the final six points of the contest. Oklahoma built a 13-point lead at 24-11 with 7:17 remaining in the first half, but rallied and tied the score at 34-34 the half.
NO. 7 VANDERBIILT 91, TEXAS A&M 51
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 25 points, Justine Pissott added 22 and Vanderbilt matched the best start in school history with a victory over Texas A&M.
The Commodores (17-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) have won their first 17 games for the first time since the 1992-93 season, when they advanced to the women’s Final Four. Fifth-year coach Shea Ralph’s team has also won its first four SEC games for the first time in 17 years, and its average margin of victory in those contests is 23 points.
Ny’Ceara Pryor scored 11 points to lead the Aggies (8-5, 1-3), who couldn’t build on a win at Florida on Thursday. Texas A&M had a season-high turnovers 25 compared to 10 by the Commodores.
Blakes, who entered as the SEC’s leading scorer at 24.9 points per game, scored 18 points in the first half, and Pissott chipped in 14 over the first two quarters as the Vanderbilt duo easily outscored the Aggies by themselves. Vanderbilt led 43-24 at the break.
The Commodores shot 52% (15 of 29) in the decisive first half, including 47% (7 of 15) from 3-point range. The Aggies, who shot 35% (18 of 51) from the floor for the game, never threatened the surging Commodores over the final two quarters.
Vanderbilt has won three straight over Texas A&M, although the Aggies still lead the series overall at 10-9.
NO. 19 OHIO STATE 89, NO. 8 MARYLAND 76
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 28 points with nine rebounds and eight assists to lead Ohio State to a victory over Maryland.
Fresh off a 41-point performance in a win over Illinois, Cambridge scored 12 in the final quarter against the Terrapins to help the Buckeyes (15-2, 5-1 Big Ten) pull away. Ohio State shot 11 of 22 from 3-point range.
Oluchi Okananwa scored 27 points for Maryland (16-2, 4-2) and surpassed 1,000 for her career.
Ohio State’s only losses this season were against a pair of top-five teams — UConn and UCLA. The Buckeyes trailed by 15 in the second quarter, but by halftime the Terps were up 42-40 and it was anybody’s game.
Ohio State led by one in the fourth when a 3-pointer by Kennedy Cambridge started a 13-2 run by the Buckeyes. Jaloni Cambridge added two 3s during that stretch.
Maryland has been dominant on the boards this season, but Ohio State fought to a 39-39 draw in that department and won the turnover battle 17-11.
NO. 9 MICHIGAN 86, WISCONSIN 80
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Olivia Olson scored 21 points and Michigan never trailed while rolling to a victory over Wisconsin.
Te’Yala Delfosse made her first career start and had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mila Holloway also had 18 points for the Wolverines (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten).
Kendall Dudley contributed 11 points with eight rebounds and Brooke Quarles Daniels surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career while scoring eight points. Quarles Daniels also had eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Destiny Howell led Wisconsin (11-6, 3-3) with 12 points. Breauna Ware added 11 points and Laci Steele chipped in 10. The Badgers committed 23 turnovers, which the Wolverines converted into 25 points. Michigan also scored 19 points off 21 offensive rebounds.
The Wolverines’ Syla Swords, their second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, sat out due to an injury sustained in a 105-65 win over Penn State on Thursday.
NO. 10 LOUISVILLE 86, PITTSBURGH 46
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Anaya Hardy scored 16 points for Louisville in a rout of Pitt to extend its winning streak to nine games.
The Cardinals (16-3, 6-0 Atlantic Coast) were without starter Elif Istanbulluoglu, who scored a career-high 23 in their 77-68 win at Miami on Thursday, but Louisville still won thanks to strong performances on defense and the glass.
The Panthers (8-10, 1-4) made their first basket but then missed nine of their next 10, allowing the Cardinals to jump ahead 25-6 after one quarter. Pitt also committed 11 of its 20 turnovers in the opening 10 minutes.
Istanbulluoglu’s absence opened the door for Hardy. The 6-foot-3 sophomore needed just 17 minutes to post a career-high in points by going 7-for-9 from the field. She also added nine rebounds.
Hardy was one of five Louisville players to score in double figures. Laura Ziegler went 6-for-8 to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Imari Berry and Skylar Jones added 12 points each, and Grace Mbugua, a 6-foot-4 freshman, had her first double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in just her fifth game.
WEST VIRGINIA 83, NO. 11 IOWA STATE 70
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Kierra Wheeler scored 25 points, Jordan Harrison added 19 and West Virginia defeated slumping Iowa State.
Iowa State has lost three consecutive games after starting the season 14-0.
Wheeler established her season-high in points, making 10 of 18 shots and 5 of 7 free throws to go with seven rebounds. Harrison had eight assists, seven steals and five rebounds.
Audi Crooks had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Iowa State. She has eight consecutive games with 20-plus points and a double-double in six of the last seven. Sydney Harris had 15 points and Reagan Wilson 11 for the Cyclones (14-3, 2-3 Big 12).
Wheeler scored 12 points in the second quarter and the Mountaineers (14-3, 4-1) led 30-29 at halftime. They scored the first nine points of the third quarter for their first double-digit lead of the game, 49-39. Iowa State cut the deficit to four but West Virginia bounced back to lead 59-50 heading to the fourth quarter.
A 9-0 run in the middle of the fourth gave the Mountaineers their biggest lead at 73-56.
NO. 13 TCU 77, ARIZONA ST. 46
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles scored 22 points, and TCU pulled away in the second quarter to cruise past Arizona State.
TCU (16-1, 4-1 Big 12) has won 36 straight home games, 30 of them by double digits.
Miles shot 9 of 15 from the floor that included three 3-pointers to go with five rebounds and six assists. Clara Silva scored 10 points and grabbed 12 of the Horned Frogs’ 36 rebounds.
Donovyn Hunter also scored 10 points for TCU, which shot 55% overall and 36% (9 of 25) from long range. Maddie Scherr added nine points on three 3s.
NO. 14 IOWA 56, INDIANA 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Ava Heiden and Chazadi Wright each scored 13 points, Hannah Stuelke had a double-double and Iowa outlasted Indiana.
After shooting 25%, missing all eight of their 3-pointers and trailing 35-19 in the first half, the Hawkeyes outscored the Hoosiers 19-4 in the third quarter. Iowa took a 38-37 lead after scoring 17 points in a row. Zania Socka-Nguemen finally made a layup for Indiana and the Hoosiers led 39-38 heading to the fourth.
There were seven lead changes in the fourth quarter, the last when Wright hit a 3-pointer for a 51-50 Iowa lead with 2:41 remaining. Indiana didn’t score again until Caffey’s 3-pointer in the final second.
Shay Ciezki scored 21 points for Indiana, slightly under her No. 6 in the nation average of 23.3. Socka-Nguemen had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Hoosiers (11-7, 0-6 Big Ten).
Stuelke had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Iowa (14-2, 5-0).
NO. 15 MICHIGAN ST. 85, OREGON 81
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Rashunda Jones scored 23 points, and Michigan State rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half to beat Oregon for the Spartans’ eighth straight win.
Ines Sotelo scored four points and Jones made a pair of free throws in a 6-0 spurt that gave Michigan State the lead for good, 78-75, with 2:46 remaining. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter.
Jones finished 9-of-12 shooting that included two 3s for Michigan State (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten). Grace VanSlooten added 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kennedy Blair scored 11 points, and Emma Shumate and Jalyn Brown each had 10.
Katie Fiso scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and had nine assists to lead Oregon (14-4, 2-3 Big Ten). Sofia Bell and Mia Jacobs added 18 points apiece for the Ducks. Ehis Etute chipped in with 11 points.
NO. 16 BAYLOR 79, KANSAS 64
WACO, Texas (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 20 of her 24 points in the first half to help Baylor jump out early and beat Kansas for the Bears’ fourth straight win.
Scot shot 8 of 22 from the floor but missed 11 of her 13 attempts from long range. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs made all seven of her field goals and both free throws to finish with 16 points to go with 13 rebounds and six assists for Baylor (15-3, 4-1 Big 12). Jana Van Gytenbeek chipped in with 10 points.
Littlepage-Buggs scored eight points in the first quarter and Scott scored 18 in the second to help Baylor take a 44-30 lead into the break. S’Mya Nichols scored nine-first half points to pace Kansas.
The Jayhawks shot 50% in the second half but Baylor had built a 62-43 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Jaliya Davis scored 21 points to lead Kansas (11-6, 1-4), which has lost four of its last five games. Nichols and Lilly Meister added 11 points apiece.
NO. 18 MISSISSIPPI 93, MISSISSIPPI ST. 68
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Cotie McMahon scored 21 points, Sira Thienou added 20 and Mississippi defeated Mississippi State.
Latasha Lattimore scored 17 off the bench and Christeen Iwuala had 14 points for the Rebels (16-3, 3-1 SEC). Thienou had five steals.
Ole Miss led 14-4 4 1/2 minutes into the game but Mississippi State closed to within 21-17 at the end of the first quarter. The Rebels shot 76.5% in the second quarter and scored 29 points on the way to a 50-35 halftime lead.
The Rebels stretched their lead to 23 points when Debreasha Powe hit a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer for a 71-48 advantage heading to the fourth. Lattimore added 11 points in the fourth quarter and her 3-pointer with 4 minutes left gave the Rebels their largest lead at 29 points.
NO. 20 TENNESSEE 85, ARKANSAS 50
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Zee Spearman had 20 points, freshman Mia Pauldo scored 18 and Tennessee upped its winning streak to five with a victory over Arkansas.
Spearman made 8 of 16 shots with two 3-pointers, grabbing eight rebounds for the Lady Volunteers (12-3, 4-0 Southeastern Conference). Pauldo had three 3-pointers on 7-for-16 shooting with four assists.
Janiah Barker added 13 points and Jaida Civil totaled 12 points and six rebounds for Tennessee.
Jada Bates had 13 points and nine rebounds to pace the Razorbacks (11-8, 0-4), who have lost five in a row. Ashlynn Chlarson added 10 points and seven boards.
MINNESOTA 63, NO. 21 USC 62
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Grace Grocholski scored 25 points and Minnesota made just enough free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off Southern California, the third-straight loss for the Trojans and first win over a ranked team since 2019 for the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota made 6 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, 4 of 8 in the last 73 seconds. But USC had seven turnovers in the final period, which the Golden Gophers turned into eight points as they built a seven-point lead with 41 seconds left.
Kara Dunn scored eight points in the final 31 seconds, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Trojans. Dunn finished with 27 points, including all 14 USC points in the fourth quarter.
Sophie Hart scored 15 points for Minnesota (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten Conference). Mara Braun had 10 rebounds as the Golden Gophers won the boards 40-32, including 18-6 on the offensive end for a 23-2 difference in second-chance points.
Jazzy Davidson had 21 points and eight rebounds for USC (10-6, 2-3).
Davidson, Dunn and Grocholski all hit five 3-pointers.
Minnesota hit its first five shots and scored the first 10 points of the game.
NOTRE DAME 73, NO. 22 NORTH CAROLINA 50
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 31 points with eight rebounds, seven steals and six assists, Cassandre Prosper added 17 points and 14 rebounds as Notre Dame blew out North Carolina.
The Fighting Irish forced 22 turnovers against a team averaging just 13 a game and turned those into 26 points. The Tar Heels, who came in shooting 47.7% and averaging eight 3s, were held to four 3s and 34.5% shooting.
Vanessa de Jesus, made four 3s and scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Notre Dame (12-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Hidalgo also had a block and just one turnover in her 14th career 30-point game.
Nyla Harris scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting for North Carolina (13-5, 2-3), which lost its second straight with its lowest scoring game of the season.
De Jesus, with 11 on 4-of-5 shooting, including three 3s, and Hidalgo combined for 20 points in the third quarter when the Irish outscored the Tar Heels 22-5 to break the game open.
North Carolina shot 2 of 12 and scored five points in the third period — its fewest in any quarter this season.
De Jesus had a basket and a 3-pointer as Notre Dame scored the first six points of the second half to get the lead to 12. After a Tar Heels basket, de Jesus made back-to-back 3s and then Hidalgo scored four points for a 10-0 run that made it 49-29.
PURDUE 78, NO. 23 WASHINGTON 72, OT
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Tara Daye and Madison Layden-Zay each scored 19 points, and Purdue defeated Washington, overcoming a 13-point second-quarter deficit for their second consecutive come-from-behind win.
Purdue trailed Wisconsin by 11 points in the third quarter before rallying for a 75-67 road win on Thursday.
Washington led 33-20 with 6 minutes left in the second quarter and 38-30 at halftime. Purdue was within 56-55 with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter before Washington’s Elle Ladine scored the game’s next seven points and the Huskies led 63-55 with 3:44 remaining.
The Huskies missed their next nine shots and didn’t score again until 1:17 remained in overtime.
Daye, whose layup with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter tied it up at 63, scored the first seven points of overtime and the Boilermakers led by at least five points for the remainder of the game.
Lana McCarthy had 14 points and 12 rebounds for her second-career double-double for Purdue (10-7, 2-4 Big Ten).
The Associated Press
