Lucy Olsen scored 28 points and host Iowa had a strong fourth quarter to hand No. 4 Southern California its first loss in Big Ten Conference play, 76-69 on Sunday in Iowa City.
In a game involving wide early swings of momentum, JuJu Watkins ended up with 27 points for the Trojans (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten).
Addison O’Grady’s 13 points, Sydney Affolter’s 11 points and Hannah Stuelke’s 10 points were key for Iowa (15-7, 5-6), which broke free from a 53-all tie and outscored the Trojans 25-19 in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes prevailed on the same day they retired Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey.
Iowa broke out to a 23-4 lead and USC didn’t reach double digits until nearly 15 minutes passed, but the Trojans were within 25-23 with 1:54 left in the first half. Watkins had two baskets in the last 20 seconds before the break, pushing USC to a 29-28 lead.
No. 1 UCLA 79, Minnesota 53
Elina Aarnisalo pumped in 15 points and the host Bruins remained undefeated by stomping out the Golden Gophers in Los Angeles.
Kiki Rice added 14 points and Londynn Jones had 13 for UCLA (21-0, 9-0 Big Ten), which hit 13 shots from 3-point range. UCLA’s lead was 33-28 at halftime before using a 18-10 scoring edge in the third quarter to stretch the margin. The Bruins led by as many as 29 in the fourth.
Amaya Battle, who had 17 of Minnesota’s first-half points, finished with 21 points for the Golden Gophers (18-5, 6-5), who shot 39.7 percent from the field and attempted only four free throws.
No. 2 South Carolina 83, Auburn 66
Reserves Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley notched 18 and 17 points, respectively, as the Gamecocks defeated the visiting Tigers in Columbia, S.C.
Chloe Kitts’ 13 points and nine rebounds and Bree Hall’s 10 points also boosted the Gamecocks (21-1, 9-0 Southeastern Conference). South Carolina shot 57.1 percent from the field and 14-of-16 from the foul line.
DeYona Gaston scored 31 points on 14-for-22 shooting for Auburn (11-11, 2-7), which was charged with 23 turnovers. The Tigers lost their fourth straight road game.
No. 3 Notre Dame 89, Louisville 71
Hannah Hidalgo poured in 34 points and the Fighting Irish put together a big second half to beat the host Cardinals.
Olivia Miles finished with 17 points and Liatu King had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Irish (19-2, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who pulled away from a 39-38 halftime lead. Notre Dame shot 55 percent from the field in the first of two meetings with Louisville, which had a two-game winning streak end.
Louisville (15-7, 8-3) received 17 points from Tajianna Roberts, 14 points from Olivia Cochran and 12 points from Jayda Curry. The Cardinals couldn’t take full advantage of Notre Dame’s 23 turnovers, shooting 35.8 percent from the floor.
No. 5 Texas 70, Texas A&M 50
Madison Booker registered 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to propel the visiting Longhorns past the rival Aggies in College Station, Texas.
Rori Harmon scored 15 points for Texas (22-2, 8-1 SEC), which also received 12 points from Shay Holle and 10 from Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda. The Longhorns built a 38-21 halftime lead and strolled to their sixth straight win.
Jada Malone and Janae Kent scored 12 points apiece and Lauren Ware added 11 with nine rebounds for Texas A&M (10-11, 3-6). The Aggies were outshot 52.5 percent to 37.5 percent in their third straight loss.
No. 6 UConn 101, Butler 59
Paige Bueckers scored 18 points and six Huskies reached double figures as the team reached the 100-point mark for the third time this season in Hartford, Conn.
Ashlynn Shade and Azzi Fudd both scored 13 points, KK Arnold had 12, Sarah Strong provided 11 and Jana El Alfy finished with 10. UConn made 11 of 19 shots from 3-point range, three by Fudd, as the Huskies (21-2, 12-0 Big East) wound up with 27 assists on 40 field goals.
Kilyn McGruff drained five 3s on the way to 17 points for Butler (12-12, 2-9). Riley Makalusky had 10 points off the bench. Butler had 12 3s, but just nine 2-point buckets, and committed 22 turnovers.
No. 7 LSU 81, Mississippi State 67
Mikaylah Williams racked up 22 points and Flau’Jae Johnson tallied 20 points as the host Tigers had a good start and a solid finish to beat the Bulldogs in Baton Rouge, La.
Aneesah Morrow provided 18 points and 20 rebounds for LSU (23-1, 8-1 SEC). Jersey Wolfenbarger added 12 points as LSU earned a third consecutive victory since a loss at No. 2 South Carolina.
The top scorers for Mississippi State (16-7, 3-6) were three reserves: Eniya Russell with 13 points and Quanirah Montague and Destiney McPhaul with 10 points apiece.
No. 8 Ohio State 66, Washington 56
Cotie McMahon scored 19 points as the host Buckeyes took care of the mistake-prone Huskies in Columbus, Ohio.
Jaloni Cambridge added 13 points and Chance Gray charted 11 for Ohio State (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten), which scored 35 points off 25 Washington turnovers to notch its third straight win.
The Huskies (13-9, 4-6) were powered by 17 points from Hannah Stines and 13 from Dalayah Daniels. Washington trailed by two early in the fourth quarter but turned it over seven times down the stretch as the Buckeyes pulled away.
No. 9 TCU 82, Iowa State 69
Hailey Van Lith notched a season-high 28 points to go along with eight assists as the visiting Horned Frogs handled the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa.
Taylor Bigby scored 19 points, also a season high, while Madison Conner and reserve Donovyn Hunter each supplied 10 points to help TCU (21-2, 9-1 Big 12) keep pace with No. 11 Kansas State atop the conference standings.
Iowa State’s offense ran through Addy Brown (31 points) and Audi Crooks (29 points), who attempted 42 of the team’s 51 field goals. Both players added six rebounds as the Cyclones (15-9, 6-5) lost their second straight game.
No. 11 Kansas State 91, Kansas 64
Jaelyn Glenn’s 19 points paced the visiting Wildcats, who shot 59.6 percent from the field and canned 15 of 23 shots from 3-point range to thrash the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kan.
Glenn had five 3-pointers, while Taryn Sides posted four 3s on the way to 14 points. Zyanna Walker’s 13 points and Temira Poindexter’s 12 also helped Kansas State (21-2, 9-1 Big 12), which built a 37-25 halftime advantage before outscoring Kansas 30-13 in the third.
Sania Copeland tallied 17 points and six rebounds, Elle Evans had 13 points and Laia Conesa provided 12 points for Kansas (14-8, 4-7). The Jayhawks were 9-for-17 on 3-pointers, but 13-for-31 on 2-point attempts.
No. 12 Kentucky 95, No. 13 Oklahoma 86
Fifth-year guard Georgia Amoore exploded for a career-high 43 points to power the visiting Wildcats past the Sooners in Norman, Okla.
Amoore hit 15 of 22 shots, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range, to surpass her previous career best scoring mark of 39. She also dished out eight assists, while Clara Strack added 19 points, six rebounds and five steals and Dazia Lawrence scored 14 as Kentucky (19-2, 8-1 SEC) won its third straight game.
Sahara Williams poured in 27 points for Oklahoma (16-6, 4-5), which also got double-doubles 18 points from Raegan Beers (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Payton Verhulst (11 points, 10 rebounds). The Sooners were outscored 25-5 in points off turnovers and lost their second straight.
Illinois 66, No. 14 Maryland 65
Genesis Bryant made two free throws with six seconds left to lift the Fighting Illini, who trailed with less than a minute to play, over the Terrapins in College Park, Md.
Bryant, who was 6-for-6 on free throws, scored 20 points. Berry Wallace had 14 points and Kendall Bostic added 13 points and 14 rebounds for Illinois (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten).
Kaylene Smikle’s 15 points and Shyanne Sellers’ 14 points led Maryland (17-5, 7-4), which lost for the fourth time in five games. Brynn Shoup-Hill’s 3-pointer at the 45-second mark gave Illinois a 64-63 lead, before Sellers connected with 14 seconds to give the Terrapins a brief advantage.
No. 15 North Carolina 69, Stanford 67
Alyssa Ustby had 16 points and the visiting Tar Heels recovered after a double-digit lead disappeared to beat the Cardinal.
Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski both had 12 points and Reniya Kelly and Grace Towsend each supplied 10 for North Carolina (20-4, 8-3 ACC). Nunu Agara’s 22 points and 14 rebounds and Chloe Clardy’s 15 points led Stanford (11-10, 3-7).
The Tar Heels led by 15 points with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Cardinal’s 12-0 run created a 62-62 score before Kelly went on a five-point spree and Donarski added a layup. Stanford scored the next five points, but Agara’s potential tying shot with about three seconds left was off the mark.
No. 16 Michigan State 89, Northwestern 75
Grace VanSlooten scored 20 points and Nyla Hampton added a season-high 16 points off the bench as the Spartans kept the host Wildcats winless in Big Ten play in Evanston, Ill.
Reserve Emma Shumate contributed 12 points on four 3-pointers for Michigan State (18-4, 8-3), which stayed in fourth place in the Big Ten. Hampton scored eight points during the third quarter to help the Spartans turn a halftime tie into a 65-55 lead entering the fourth.
Taylor Williams paired 18 points with 12 rebounds to lead Northwestern (7-13, 0-9), which remains the Big Ten’s lone team without a conference win.
No. 18 Tennessee 76, Missouri 71
Talaysia Cooper bundled 27 points with seven rebounds, four assists and six steals to help the Lady Volunteers overcome a slow start and defeat the Tigers in Columbia, Mo.
Zee Spearman added 13 points for Tennessee (16-5, 4-5 SEC), which snapped a three-game skid. The Lady Volunteers trailed 15-3 before closing within 22-20 at the end of the first quarter.
De’Myla Brown scored 18 points off the bench, Grace Slaughter had 16 and Laniah Randle posted 10 points and 11 rebounds for Missouri (12-12, 1-8) in its second straight loss.
No. 19 Cal 84, Pitt 53
Lulu Twidale’s 17 points and Ioanna Krimili’s 16 helped the Golden Bears roll past the visiting Panthers in Berkeley, Calif.
Cal (19-4, 7-3 ACC) also used 12 points from both Ugonne Onyiah and Marta Suarez to win for the third time in four games. The Golden Bears seized control in the second quarter, when they outscored the visitors 28-9 to carry a 46-20 lead into halftime.
Marley Washenitz totaled 20 points and Khadija Faye tacked on 16 for Pitt (9-14, 1-9), which finished with zero bench points and lost for the eighth time in nine games.
No. 20 Georgia Tech 77, Miami 66
Zoesha Smith and Kara Dunn scored 16 points apiece and the Yellow Jackets pulled away from the Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla.
Chazadi Wright’s 13 points, Tonie Morgan’s 12 and Dani Carnegie’s 11 boosted Georgia Tech (18-4, 6-4 ACC). Georgia Tech, which held a 33-30 halftime edge, committed five turnovers compared to Miami’s 16 giveaways.
Haley Cavinder scored 25 points on 11-for-21 shooting from the field for Miami (13-9, 3-8). Cameron Williams had 12 points and 16 rebounds while Darrione Rogers added 11 points.
No. 22 Alabama 72, Georgia 57
Aaliyah Nye drilled six 3-pointers and scored all 22 of her points in the first half as the Crimson Tide cruised past the visiting Lady Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Essence Cody chipped in 17 points and 13 rebounds as Alabama (18-5, 5-4 SEC) ended its two-game losing streak. Led by Nye, the Crimson Tide shot 64.3 percent from the floor in the first half to build a 49-22 lead at the break.
In its sixth straight loss, Georgia (9-14, 1-8) got 15 points from Asia Avinger and 10 apiece from Miyah Verse and Mia Woolfolk.
Ole Miss 76, No. 23 Vanderbilt 61
Starr Jacobs made 12 of 13 shots en route to a season-high 24 points in the Rebels’ win over the host Commodores in Nashville, Tenn.
Jacobs also grabbed 10 rebounds, while Madison Scott netted 16 points in Ole Miss’ second straight win. The Rebels (15-6, 6-3 SEC) held a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers in their 15-point win.
Khamil Pierre matched Jacobs with 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Vanderbilt (18-5, 5-4), which had won four straight.
No. 25 Florida State 97, Wake Forest 68
Ta’Niya Latson scored 25 points, O’Mariah Gordon added 22 and Sydney Bowles contributed 20 in the Seminoles’ rout of the visiting Demon Deacons in Tallahassee, Fla.
Makayla Timpson provided 12 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks for Florida State (18-4, 8-2 ACC), which has won five in a row.
Demeara Hinds’ 18 points and 13 rebounds led Wake Forest (8-14, 1-10). The Demon Deacons made just four 3-pointers compared to the Seminoles’ 13 and dropped their second straight game.
–Field Level Media
