ATLANTA (AP) — Emily Engstler scored 14 points and hit a layup with three seconds remaining, lifting No. 3 Louisville to its 12th straight victory, 50-48 over No. 16 Georgia Tech on Sunday.
In a matchup of the nation’s top scoring defense in Georgia Tech and the nation’s third-best in Louisville, the Yellow Jackets (10-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) were trying to knock off a top-three team for the second time after beating UConn at home on Dec. 9, but Lotta-Maj Lahtinen’s heave from half-court fell short at the buzzer.
Louisville (12-1, 2-0) called timeout with 14.6 seconds remaining and the score tied at 48-all. Engstler gave the Cardinals just their third lead of the game.
No. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 80, MISSISSIPPI STATE 68
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Zia Cooke had 18 points, Aliyah Boston had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 1 South Carolina bounced back from its first loss of the season with an 80-68 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday night.
The Bulldogs (9-4, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) were a late fill in when Mississippi pulled out due to COVID-19 issues. Mississippi State was supposed to play at Kentucky on Monday, a game that also was postponed due to the virus.
Whoever stepped on the court was likely to get a strong, focused showing from South Carolina (13-1, 1-1), who were stunned in overtime, 70-69, at Missouri this past Thursday and will certainly give up the top spot its held since the preseason.
No. 8 INDIANA 70, No. 6 MARYLAND 63, OT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Ali Patberg scored 18 points, Aleksa Gulbe and Mackenzie Holmes each had a double-double and Indiana beat Maryland for its first victory in the 12-game series.
Indiana led by nine points with three minutes left in regulation before Maryland went on an 8-0 run. Maryland’s Ashley Owusu made a reverse layup with 58 seconds left and Nicole Cardano-Hillary, a 56% free-throw shooter, went 1 of 2 from the stripe to give Indiana a 61-59 lead. Owusu used a high screen and drove the lane to tie it with 19.4 seconds left. Indiana played for the final shot but Grace Berger’s free-throw line jumper was off the mark at the buzzer.
Indiana missed two free throws with 41.6 seconds left in overtime, leading 67-63, but Maryland couldn’t take advantage, missing two 3-pointers on its next possession and Patberg made 1 of 2 free throws for a five-point lead.
Maryland (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) missed all seven of its field-goal attempts in overtime, becoming the 13th opponent Indiana (11-2, 3-0) has held under 70 points this season.
No. 2 STANFORD 82, WASHINGTON STATE 44
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Haley Jones scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as Stanford pounded Washington State, extending its all-time record to 70-0 against the Cougars.
Kiki Iriafen scored 13 points and Hannah Jump and Fran Belibi added 10 points each for short-handed Stanford (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12), which did not drop in the rankings after losing at No. 1 South Carolina 65-61 in its previous game on Dec. 21.
Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 15 points and sister Krystal Leger-Walker added 12 for Washington State (9-4, 1-1).
No. 7 TENNESSEE 70, ARKANSAS 63
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Tamari Key scored 17 points to lead five Tennessee players in double figures as the Lady Volunteers rallied to beat Arkansas.
Key scored eight of Tennessee’s 10 points during a 10-3 run that turned a two-point deficit into a five-point lead with 4:12 left. She finished the game with seven rebounds and five blocks, including three in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee (13-1, 2-0 SEC) led by as many as 11 points early in the second quarter, but 15 turnovers in the second and third quarters allowed Arkansas to build an advantage as high as nine points in the second half.
Amber Ramirez led with the Razorbacks (10-4, 0-1) with 26 points and Makayla Daniels added 11.
KANSAS STATE 68, No. 10 BAYLOR 59
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ayoka Lee continued to show why she is one of the best post players in the country scoring 32 points with 10 rebounds and Kansas State upset Baylor.
It’s the first time the Wildcats have beat the Lady Bears in 36 tries dating back to 2004. Kansas State beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2012.
Kansas State (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) led by 14 in the fourth quarter, but the Bears cut the lead to four in the final minute. The Wildcats held off the Bears making five free throws down the stretch.
Baylor (10-3, 0-1) played with just seven players due to health and safety protocols. The Bears were led in scoring by Ja’Mee Asberry and Jordan Lewis who scored 14 each and NaLyssa Smith had 12.
No. 12 TEXAS 62, OKLAHOMA STATE 51
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Joanne Allen-Taylor and Audrey Warren scored 14 points apiece and Texas defeated Oklahoma State in a Big 12 Conference opener after both schools endured long layoffs because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Allen-Taylor made just 6 of 15 shots from the floor for Texas (10-1), but she buried 4 of 7 in the second quarter as the Longhorns outscored Oklahoma State by five to take a 34-30 lead at halftime.
Lauren Fields paced Oklahoma State (5-5) with 17 points.
No. 13 GEORGIA 73, FLORIDA 69
GAINSVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Que Morrison scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to help rally Georgia to a win over Florida.
Morrison had only two points in the first half and finished just 4-of-13 shooting but was perfect from the line in 10 attempts, including eight in the final period.
With Georgia (12-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) trailing by seven with seven minutes remaining, the Lady Bulldogs finished the game outscoring the Gators 20-9 with Morrison giving Georgia the lead for good with two free throws with 1:43 to go and icing the game with two more with 1.9 seconds left.
Georgia was again without leading scorer and rebounder Jenna Staiti, who missed the Bulldogs’ previous game, a 68-62 loss to LSU, because of health and safety protocols.
Jordyn Merritt scored 18 points for the Gators (10-4, 0-1).
No. 14 IOWA STATE 88, WEST VIRGINIA 72
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ashley Joens poured in 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Iowa State rolled to a victory over West Virginia in a Big 12 Conference opener.
Joens buried 9 of 16 shots from the floor and 9 of 9 at the free-throw line for the Cyclones (12-1), who have won five straight games. It was Joens seventh double-double of the season and the 38th of her career.
Emily Ryan finished with 10 points and a personal best 16 assists for her second straight double-double for Iowa State.
Kirsten Deans scored 17 points to top the Mountaineers (7-4),
No. 15 DUKE 72, No. 17 NOTRE DAME 70
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Elizabeth Balogun scored 27 points including a final go-ahead basket with 30 seconds left to rally Duke to a victory over Notre Dame.
Miela Goodchild added 13 points and Celeste Taylor and Lexi Gordon 12 each for the Blue Devils (10-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 50% and made 10 of 20 from the arc, seven more 3s than Notre Dame.
Duke’s leading scorer, Shayeann Day-Wilson, who missed the Blue Devils’ 22-point loss to Virginia Tech because of COVID protocols, returned but was 0-for-7 with two points in 12 minutes.
Maya Dodson had 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Fighting Irish (11-3, 2-1), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
No. 19 LSU 75, No. 23 TEXAS A&M 66
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Alexis Morris scored a career-high 30 points and LSU defeated Texas A&M for the Tigers’ 13th straight victory.
Morris was 9-of-16 shooting with four 3-pointers. Khayla Pointer also had four 3-pointers and scored 17 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Jailin Cherry added 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists with Autumn Newby grabbing 10 rebounds.
LSU (14-1, 2-0 SEC) is off to its best start since going 13-1 during the 2009-10 season and has its longest winning streak since winning 14 straight during 2007-08.
Destiny Pitts scored 18 points with four 3-pointers and had 11 rebounds for the Aggies (10-3, 0-1)
No. 21 IOWA 93, EVANSVILLE 56
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sophomore Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 44 points and Iowa beat Evansville.
Clark also became the fastest Big Ten women’s basketball player to reach the 1,000-point milestone, doing so in her first 40 games. Ohio State star Kelsey Mitchell reached the mark in 41 games.
Clark finished 18 of 26 from the floor, going 2 of 7 from 3-point range and 6 of 7 at the line to top her previous scoring high of 39 points against Nebraska on Feb. 11.
Gabbie Marshall added 13 points for Iowa (7-3), which is scheduled to play Northwestern and Nebraska this week.
Abby Feit had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Evansville (6-6).
No. 24 NORTH CAROLINA 81, CLEMSON 62
CHAPEL, N,C. (AP) —Sophomore Deja Kelly took advantage of a career-best five 3-pointers to score a career-high 31 points and North Carolina cruised to a victory over Clemson in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Kelly knocked down 10 of 22 shots — 5 of 11 from distance — and 6 of 7 free throws for the Tar Heels (13-0, 3-0), who are off to their best start since the 2010—11 season when they opened 14-0.
Kelly scored 13 points in the first half to help North Carolina take a 46-24 lead into intermission.
Delicia Washington came off the bench to score 16 with seven rebounds to pace the Tigers (6-8, 0-3)
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