Jana Van Gytenbeek hit the tying and go-ahead free throws with four seconds left as No. 24 Baylor escaped Morgantown, W.Va., with their second win this season over the No. 22 Mountaineers, 66-65, after blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Baylor (21-6, 10-6 Big 12) led 64-54 with 3:17 to play before JJ Quinerly’s 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run that propelled West Virginia ahead 65-64 with 1:09 remaining. Quinerly, who finished with a career-high 33 points for the Mountaineers (22-5, 11-5), lost the ball near her own basket before fouling Van Gytenbeek. Jordan Harrison missed a driving runner at the buzzer for West Virginia after Van Gytenbeek’s free throws.
Van Gytenbeek finished with 10 points for the Lady Bears, as did Bella Fontleroy and Aijha Blackwell, while Sarah Andrews notched a team-high 14. Harrison’s 16 points trailed Quinerly’s career-best as the Mountaineers lost their second-straight game.
No. 5 Texas 87, UCF 56
Freshman Madison Booker scored 22 points to power No. 5 Texas past UCF 87-56 in Big 12 Conference action on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.
Texas (26-3, 13-3) seized control by outscoring UCF 23-4 in the second quarter to carry a 39-18 lead into halftime. The Longhorns shot 76.9 percent from the field in the second half and finished the game 35 of 56 (62.5 percent) to secure their eighth straight victory.
Taylor Jones added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Shay Holle netted 14 points for Texas. Shaylee Gonzales (13) and DeYona Gaston (12) were also in double figures for the Longhorns. Timia Ware’s 16 points and Kaitlin Peterson’s 14 led the Knights (12-14, 3-13), who were dominated 54-18 in paint points in their fourth straight loss.
No. 16 Gonzaga 75, Pepperdine 41
The Bulldogs won their 22nd consecutive game as Brynna Maxwell led four players in double figures with a game-high 18 points in a rout of the host Waves in Malibu, Calif.
Gonzaga (28-2, 15-0 West Coast) limited Pepperdine (5-23, 1-14) to 12 or fewer points in each quarter. Yvonne Ejim had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Kayleigh Truong contributed 15 points and Kaylynne Truong 13. They had a 44-27 advantage in rebounds.
The Waves, losers of 14 in a row, shot only 34 percent (18 of 53) from the floor, including 15.4 percent (2 of 13) from long range. Jane Nwaba was the lone Pepperdine player to score in double figures. She had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 21 Creighton 79, Villanova 69
Lauren Jensen’s 20 points led four double-digit scorers as the Bluejays overcame a slow start to fly past the Wildcats in Big East Conference play in Omaha, Neb.
Morgan Maly followed with 18 points, Emma Ronsiek recorded 15 and Molly Mogensen supplied 13 for Creighton (22-4, 13-3), which trailed 23-10 after the first quarter. Maly added eight rebounds and Mogenson had six assists as the Bluejays shot 52.5 percent from the field (32 of 61) and 60 percent from 3-point range (12 of 20).
Lucy Olsen led Villanova (17-10, 10-6) with 26 points, while Maddie Webber chipped in 10. Christina Dalce paired 14 points with 13 boards for the Wildcats in their second loss in three games.
No. 23 Oklahoma 91, Oklahoma State 56
Sahara Williams netted 20 points as the Sooners raced past the Cowgirls in Norman, Ok.
Skylar Vann piled up 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Payton Verhulst chipped in 14 points, 13 boards and five assists as Oklahoma (20-7, 14-2 Big 12) won its sixth straight over Oklahoma State. The Sooners outrebounded the Cowgirls 55-30 and held a 21-1 advantage in second-chance points.
Hannah Gusters scored 14 points, Anna Gret Asi added 12 and Quincy Noble tallied 10 for Oklahoma State (13-14, 6-10) in its seventh loss in nine games.
Columbia 67, No. 25 Princeton 65
Abbey Hsu became the fourth player in Ivy League women’s history to surpass 2,000 career points as host Columbia edged No. 25 Princeton on Saturday in New York City.
Hsu finished with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting for the Lions (19-5, 10-1 Ivy League), who secured their first-ever win over a ranked opponent in 13 tries. Cecelia Collins added 14 points and Kitty Henderson bundled 11 with eight rebounds. Columbia made nine 3-pointers compared to The Tigers’ three and won despite going the game’s final 4:32 without a field goal.
Princeton (20-4, 10-1) used a 12-2 run to pull within 66-65 with 52 seconds left and had a chance to tie on the game’s final possession. Kaitlyn Chen missed a driving shot, and the ensuing scramble for the rebound exhausted the final seconds and ended the Tigers’ 24-game winning streak in Ivy League play.
Chen tallied 14 points and eight assists, while Chet Nweke led Princeton with 17 points. Ellie Mitchell paired nine points with 18 boards as the Tigers slipped into a tie with the Lions for first place in the Ivy League standings with three games left. The teams split their two-game regular-season meetings.
–Field Level Media
