No. 15 Tennessee’s strong second half secures win over No. 18 Alabama 88-80

By Canadian Press on February 20, 2025.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jewel Spear scored 11 of her 20 points at the free-throw line, Talaysia Cooper added 16 points and No. 15 Tennessee beat No. 18 Alabama 88-80 on Thursday night for its fifth win in six games.

Tennessee (20-6, 7-6 SEC) has recorded 20 or more wins in a season 48 times in program history. The Lady Vols reached that plateau last season in the NCAA Tournament.

Neither team lead by more than seven points in the first half. Tennessee started the third quarter on a 16-5 run, capped by Sara Puckett’s 3-pointer for a 58-42 lead. Samara Spencer also made a 3-pointer during the run when the Lady Vols scored 11 straight.

Sarah Ashlee Barker scored nine points during Alabama’s 14-4 run to get within 79-75 with 3:15 left. But Tennessee scored the next five points to regain a nine-point lead. Zee Spearman gave Tennessee a 10-point lead with 1:12 left and Cooper did the same with 39 seconds remaining to seal it.

Spearman had 13 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee.

Barker had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists for Alabama (21-6, 8-5), which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Zaay Green, who played at Tennessee from 2018-20, added 16 points as all five Crimson Tide starters scored in double figures.

NO. 1 NOTRE DAME 82, MIAMI 42

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Sonia Citron scored 19 points, Hannah Hidalgo added 18 and No. 1 Notre Dame rolled past Miami.

Olivia Miles scored 14 and Liatu King finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (24-2, 15-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Cameron Williams scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds for Miami (13-13, 3-12). The Hurricanes were 0 for 16 from 3-point range and shot 27% overall.

The Irish extended the nation’s second-longest active winning streak to 19 games. Grand Canyon has won 22 straight.

NO. 6 SOUTH CAROLINA 95, ARKANSAS 55

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 18 points and MiLaysia Fulwiley had 10 of her 15 points in a second-quarter run as No. 6 South Carolina recovered from its loss to UConn with a victory over Arkansas.

Chloe Kitts had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Gamecocks (23-3, 12-1 Southeastern Conference), who had their 71-game game home win streak snapped by the Huskies 87-58 this past Sunday.

Fulwiley and Edwards, both off the bench, provided the spark to get the Gamecocks going after a sluggish start. Bree Hall had a season-high 14 points.

Fulwiley, the dynamic sophomore, had several driving baskets that brought the crowd to its feet in a 23-12 run the final six minutes of the second quarter to gain control.

Kiki Smith led Arkansas (9-19, 2-11) with 18 points.

INDIANA 71, NO. 8 OHIO STATE 61

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Yarden Garzon had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Sydney Parrish and Shay Ciezki also scored 16 points each, and Indiana hit nine 3-pointers in a 71-61 win over No. 8 Ohio State on Thursday night.

Garzon made three 3s, Parrish and Ciezki each sank two and the Hoosiers (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) built a 57-39 lead after three quarters. Indiana finished 9 of 17 from beyond the arc while Ohio State (22-4, 11-4) was just 6 of 18.

Jaloni Cambridge led Ohio State with 18 points and Cotie McMahon added 14.

The Buckeyes were never close after tying the game early in the second quarter and trailed by double digits for all but a few possessions of the second half.

NO. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 68, SYRACUSE 58

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Maria Gakdeng had 21 points and 14 rebounds as No. 9 North Carolina defeated Syracuse.

The Tar Heels played without Alyssa Ustby, the team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder. Ustby didn’t make the trip to Syracuse after sustaining what appeared to be a lower-body injury Sunday against North Carolina State. Tar Heels coach Courtney Banghart said Ustby “would be back soon.”

The Tar Heels (24-4, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their sixth straight game. Syracuse (10-16, 4-11) lost its third straight and is in danger of missing the ACC Tournament.

The Tar Heels dominated inside, outscoring the Orange 40-20 in the paint.

Trayanna Crisp had 12 points and Indya Nivar 11 for the Tar Heels.

Georgia Woolley led the Orange with 17 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Sophie Burrows scored 12 points.

LOUISVILLE 70, NO. 11 DUKE 62

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Jayda Curry scored a season-high 24 points and Louisville handed No. 11 Duke its first home loss this season.

Curry hit all nine of her free throws, including six in the final quarter when the Cardinals (19-7, 12-3) made 16 of 17 at the line on their way to a fourth straight win and a third-place tie in the ACC with North Carolina.

Ja’Leah Williams added 13 points and Tajianna Roberts 11 for Louisville, which was outshot by the Blue Devils but was 22 of 25 at the line to 4 of 4 for Duke.

Oluchi Okananwa scored 17 points off the bench to lead Duke (20-7, 11-4) with Reigan Richardson adding 10. Though the Blue Devils shot 50% they were just 2 of 13 from the arc and gave up 27 points off 20 turnovers.

NO. 13 NC STATE 83, NO. 20 GEORGIA 68

ATLANTA (AP) — Aziaha James and Zoe Brooks scored 17 points apiece and No. 13 N.C. State beat No. 20 Georgia Tech.

Saniya Rivers added 16 points and Madison Hayes had 14 for N.C. State (21-5, 13-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which rebounded from a 66-65 loss to No. 12 North Carolina on Sunday that ended a nine-game win streak.

Hayes made two 3s and scored eight points as the Wolfpack outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-17 in the third quarter. Hayes opened the fourth with another 3 to stretch the lead to 69-53. Georgia Tech used an 8-0 spurt about a minute later to cut its deficit to 71-63 with 7:16 left but didn’t get closer.

James scored 15 points in the first half and Hayes finished with 11 in the second, and the pair combined for seven of the Wolfpack’s eight 3-pointers.

Tonie Morgan scored 17 points and Dani Carnegie added 16 to lead Georgia Tech (21-6, 9-6). Kara Dunn chipped in with 11 points and Kayla Blackshear scored 10 to go with nine rebounds.

NO. 14 KENTUCKY 73, MISSOURI 65

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Clara Strack scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead No. 14 Kentucky to a victory over Missouri.

Georgia Amoore scored eight points in the third quarter as Kentucky outscored Missouri 23-13 to build a 54-47 lead. Amoore opened the fourth with a 3-pointer to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 57-47.

Missouri guard Averi Kroenke scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter and Laniah Randle chipped in with six to help the Tigers get within 67-65 with 1:41 left.

Strack answered with a basket for a four-point lead, and Amoore and Dazia Lawrence each made two free throws to secure it.

Strack shot 10 of 17 from the floor and blocked two shots. She is three blocks away from surpassing Victoria Dunlap’s single-season program record 66 set in 2009-10.

Amoore added 19 points and five assists for Kentucky (21-4, 10-3 Southeastern Conference). Teonni Key scored 13 and Lawrence had 12.

Randle had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Missouri (13-15, 2-11), which has lost five of its last six. Grace Slaughter made three 3-pointers and finished with 18 points.

NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 101, VANDERBILT 81

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers scored a career-high 30 points shooting 11 for 13 and grabbed 14 rebounds and 16th-ranked Oklahoma beat Vanderbilt for the Sooners’ fourth straight win.

Payton Verhulst and reserve Zya Vann scored 16 points each for the Sooners (20-6, 8-5 Big 12), who shot 52.2% (36 for 69).

Vanderrbilt (19-8, 6-7) freshman Mikayla Blakes scored 42 points following a 55-point scoring effort against Auburn on Sunday in setting the Division I freshman record. Khamil Pierre added 11 points.

Oklahoma led for all but 19 seconds. Blakes’ 3-pointer gave Vanderbilt an 11-10 lead with 6:55 left in the first quarter. Vann made a 3-pointer 19 seconds later to spark a 13-2 run and the Sooners closed the quarter up 21-13.

NO. 21 MARYLAND 85, NORTHWESTERN 79

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Kaylene Smikle scored 23 points and Saylor Poffenbarger scored 16 points and 21st-ranked Maryland beat Northwestern.

Sarah Te-Biasu added 16 points and Shyanne Sellers 12 for Maryland (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten), which helped its cause shooting 9 for 26 from 3-point range compared to Northwestern’s 1-for-4 effort from long range.

Reserve Melannie Dailey scored 22 points, Taylor Williams scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Caileigh Walsh 15 points and reserve Grace Sullivan 11 for Northwestern (9-16, 2-12). The Wildcats missed 11 foul shots going 24 for 35.

The Associated Press

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