No. 5 NC State women rout No. 2 Maryland 78-60 in Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Elissa Cunane scored 20 points, making eight of her nine shots from the field, to help No. 5 North Carolina State run past second-ranked Maryland 78-60 on Thursday at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship tournament.

Diamond Johnson added 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Wolfpack.

The game was played at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas in a converted ballroom complete with a low ceiling and a raised stage right off midcourt. There were bleachers behind the two benches for fans.

N.C. State (5-1) went right at the Terrapins, with the 6-foot-5 Cunane dominating the inside and Johnson controlling the outside. Maryland (6-1) trailed 11-9 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter before N.C. State scored 11 of the final 14 points to close the period and take command of the game.

Angel Reese scored a career-high 24 points to lead Maryland.

NO. 7 STANFORD 69, NO. 4 INDIANA 66

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Cameron Brink had 21 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks to help Stanford edge Indiana at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship tournament.

Brink, who set a career high on the boards, also added five assists for the Cardinal (4-1) and made one of two free throws with 6.8 seconds left to make it a three-point game.

Indiana (4-1) had one last chance, but Ali Patberg’s 3-pointer was off the mark. She had 19 points to lead Indiana.

NO. 9 ARIZONA 48, VANDERBILT 46

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands (AP) — Shaina Pellington hit an off-balance layup at the buzzer to lift Arizona past pesky Vanderbilt in the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam tournament.

With the game tied at 46, Arizona put the ball in Pellington’s hands. She drove from the left wing and her scoop layup dropped in just before the horn sounded, setting off a celebration under the Wildcats’ basket.

Sam Thomas had 13 points and Ariyah Copeland 11 points for the Wildcats (5-0), who survived an upset attempt by the Commodores (3-3).

Demi Washington and Iyana Moore had 10 points each for Vanderbilt, which rallied from going down by as many as 15 points midway through the second quarter.

NO. 6 BAYLOR 86, FORDHAM 45

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — NaLyssa Smith had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Jordan Lewis added 15 points with six assists and No. 6 Baylor rallied in the second half to beat Fordham at the Cancun Challenge.

Sarah Andrews and Ja’Mee Asberry each scored 10 points for Baylor (4-1). Smith, who was 8 of 16 from the field, secured her fourth consecutive double-double of the season. Queen Egbo was 0 for 9 from the field but grabbed eight boards.

Kendell Heremaia scored all 14 of her points in the first half for Fordham (3-2). She left the game with an apparent knee injury with 8:20 left in the fourth.

BYU 61, NO. 17 FLORIDA STATE 54

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Shaylee Gonzales scored 24 points, including three clutch free throws in the final 42 seconds, and BYU knocked off Florida State at the St. Pete Showcase.

The 24 points matched Gonzales’ season high, and she also had a season-high five steals as BYU swiped the ball 14 times, scoring 25 points off as many Florida State (4-1) turnovers.

The Cougars (6-0) had their own rough stretch with turnovers, losing the ball on three straight possessions as the Seminoles cut an 13-point gap down to 58-54 with 1:45 remaining.

Maria Albiero scored 10 for BYU, Lauren Gustin added six points and 11 rebounds.

Sammie Puisis led Florida State with 16 points and Morgan Jones had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

NO. 22 WEST VIRGINIA 65, PURDUE 57

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kirsten Deans scored 12 points with six assists, 10 of 11 Mountaineers scored and West Virginia held off a tough challenge from Purdue at the St. Pete Showcase.

Purdue, under former Seattle Storm guard and two-time NAIA coach of the year Katie Gearlds, stayed within eight points of West Virginia for most of the game and drained 10 3-pointers to remain a threat.

West Virginia’s defense toughened as Kari Niblack and Savannah Samuel blocked consecutive Purdue shots to end one possession with under three minutes to go. Esmery Martinez stole the ball to end the next and scored off the fast break, pushing the Mountaineers lead to nine, 63-54 with 1:23 left.

A’riana Gray scored 10 for West Virginia (4-0) and Madisen Smith, Jasmine Carson and Samuel each scored eight. West Virginia outscored Purdue 42-16 in the paint.

NO. 23 TEXAS A&M 57, PITTSBURGH

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands (AP) — Jordan Nixon and Destiny Pitts scored 12 points, Kayla Wells added 10 points and Texas A&M used a late run to pull away from Pittsburgh at the Paradise Jam.

Wells and Pitts made back-to-back 3-pointers and Nixon added a jumper and a 3 before Pitts hit two free throws to cap a 13-1 run over the final 4 minutes.

The Aggies (5-0) have won a program-record 21 consecutive nonconference games, dating to a loss against Florida State on December 1, 2019.

Dayshanette Harris led Pitt (4-1) with 16 points.

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More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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