No. 1 South Carolina’s defense suffocated Alabama from the outset and the Gamecocks shook off a slow start offensively to cruise to a 72-44 victory for coach Dawn Staley’s 600th career win on Thursday in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina (26-0, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) started 1 of 12 from the field but still led 11-6 after the first quarter. The Gamecocks’ imposing defense stifled the Crimson Tide (20-8, 7-6) to 3-of-29 shooting over the game’s first 18 minutes as South Carolina entered halftime up 33-11. Staley’s squad outshot the Crimson Tide for the game, 38.5 percent to 22.1 percent, and forced 19 turnovers.

Ashlyn Watkins’ 14 points and 10 boards led the Gamecocks in the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Kamilla Cardoso (rest). Reserve Sania Feagin added 10 points to fuel South Carolina’s 31-0 advantage in bench points.

Jessica Timmons tallied 20 points for Alabama in its lowest scoring output in a game this season. Leading scorer Sarah Ashlee Barker (17 points per game) left the game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. The guard finished with four points on 2-of-11 shooting.

No. 2 Ohio State 82, Penn State 69

Celeste Taylor scored 16 points, dished out seven assists and swiped seven steals as the Buckeyes notched a historic win in the Lady Lions’ first home game since 1996 at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.

Jacy Sheldon added 20 points and six helpers for Ohio State (23-3, 14-1 Big Ten), which became the first Big Ten team to beat Penn State (16-11, 7-9) at Rec Hall in 29 games since the Lady Lions joined the conference in 1990.

Cotie McMahon and Taylor Theirry finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Buckeyes. That duo, along with Sheldon and Taylor, contributed baskets during Ohio State’s 13-0 run to begin the game, which ended with the Buckeyes’ 13th straight win.

Ashley Owusu’s 22 points, along with Leilani Kapinus’ 10-point, 10-rebound outing, led the Lady Lions in their sixth straight loss.

North Carolina 80, No. 6 North Carolina State 70

Lexi Donarski scored a season-high-tying 23 points to help the Tar Heels notch an upset victory over the Wolfpack in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Donarski shot 5-of-9 from 3-point land for the Tar Heels (18-9, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who also got a career-high 12 points from Alexandra Zelaya on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Alyssa Ustby added 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Maria Gakdeng had 12 points and seven boards.

Aziaha James paced NC State (23-4, 11-4) with 24 points, while Saniya Rivers chipped in 13 points and Mimi Collins added a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Tar Heels shot a season-best 52.4 percent (11 of 21) from 3-point range and turned the ball over just seven times after having 24 giveaways on Sunday at Wake Forest.

No. 14 Indiana 86, No. 4 Iowa 69

Sara Scalia poured in 25 points to help the Hoosiers topple the Hawkeyes in Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana (22-4, 13-3 Big Ten) also got 24 points and nine rebounds from Mackenzie Holmes and 15 points and five assists from Yarden Garzon.

Caitlin Clark flirted with a triple-double for Iowa (23-4, 12-3) with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but she shot just 8 of 26 from the floor and 3 of 16 from 3-point distance. Kate Martin added 19 points for the Hawkeyes. Iowa’s 17.9 percent shooting rate (5 of 28) from 3-point range was its second worst of the season.

No. 12 UCLA 82, No. 18 Utah 52

Londynn Jones scored 23 points as the Bruins beat the Utes comfortably in Los Angeles.

UCLA (21-5, 10-5 Pac-12) also got 14 points from Lauren Betts and 13 apiece from Kiki Rice and Charisma Osborne. Betts also had six rebounds and three blocks, while Osborne added seven assists.

Alissa Pili paced Utah (19-8, 9-6) with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Kennady McQueen scored 11.

UCLA led by 14 points at halftime, then outscored Utah 20-9 in the third quarter to pull away.

No. 13 LSU 71, Auburn 66

Angel Reese collected 25 points and 20 rebounds to lead LSU to a win over Auburn in Baton Rouge, La.

The victory for LSU (23-4, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) avenges a Jan. 14 defeat at Auburn (16-10, 5-8). Also helping LSU get the win — its fifth straight — were Last-Tear Poa (13 points) and Flau’jae Johnson (11 points). Aneesah Morrow was held to a season-low five points.

Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 28 points, and Jamya Mingo-Young had 16 points.

Key for LSU were a 42-28 advantage on the glass and a 40-16 scoring edge in the paint.

No. 16 Gonzaga 74, San Francisco 48

Yvonne Ejim scored 20 points to help the Bulldogs top the Dons in Spokane, Wash.

Ejim shot 9 of 14 from the floor and also had six rebounds as Gonzaga (27-2, 14-0 West Coast Conference) posted its 21st straight win. Brynna Maxwell added 18 points for the Bulldogs, while Kaylynne Truong chipped in 10 points and five assists.

Cami Fulcher topped San Francisco (11-15, 7-6) with 14 points and tied for the team lead with five rebounds.

Gonzaga scored 19 points off 14 San Francisco turnovers and held the Dons to 12.5 percent shooting (3 of 24) from 3-point range.

Duke 58, No. 17 Syracuse 45

Kennedy Brown scored 12 points and Reigan Richardson hit for 11 as the Blue Devils upset the Orange in Syracuse, N.Y.

Jadyn Donovan piled up eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds as Duke (17-9, 9-6 ACC) snapped its two-game losing streak and notched its fourth-straight victory over Syracuse. Taina Mair added seven points and nine assists for the Blue Devils, who outscored the Orange 21-6 in the second quarter and limited Syracuse to 14 of 56 (25 percent) shooting from the field overall.

The Orange (22-5, 12-4) fell for the first time in six games despite racking up 27 takeaways and holding a 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Dyaisha Fair finished with 22 points on 7-of-25 shooting, while Georgia Woolley managed 11 points for Syracuse. The duo combined for 11 rebounds and supplied all three of the Orange’s 3-pointers.

No. 19 Notre Dame 74, Clemson 47

Maddy Westbeld bundled 13 points with 12 rebounds as the Fighting Irish trotted past the Tigers in South Bend, Ind.

Sonia Citron’s 16 points and four steals led Notre Dame (20-6, 10-5 ACC), which trailed 14-4 before recovering to lead 37-27 at halftime. Hannah Hidalgo collected 10 points and eight assists, while Anna DeWolfe and KK Bransford each scored 12 in the win.

Clemson (11-16, 4-11) lost its fourth straight despite a 17-point, 10-rebound effort from Ruby Whitehorn. Amari Robinson added 14 points and Dayshanette Harris contributed 12 points and nine assists for the Tigers, who had 10 shots blocked and finished 19 of 60 (31.7 percent) from the field.

No. 20 Louisville 80, Georgia Tech 62

Sydney Taylor poured in a season-high 31 points and matched her career best with seven 3-pointers off the bench as the Cardinals wore down the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

Jayda Curry was the only other double-digit scorer for Louisville (22-6, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), providing 13 points before fouling out. No Cardinals starter scored more than nine points. Louisville canned 12 treys compared to Georgia Tech’s four and held a 28-14 advantage in points off turnovers despite having only one less giveaway (16-15).

Kara Dunn’s 17 points and nine rebounds led Georgia Tech (15-13, 6-10), which lost for the seventh time in nine games. Tonie Morgan added 16 points and Rusne Augustinaite hit for 14 as the Yellow Jackets fell to 0-8 this season against ranked opponents.

–Field Level Media