Madness is looming, and it showed on the last women's basketball Sunday of January. Already, No. 2 Ohio State fell again to extend their losing streak to a three-game skid.
Here's what you may have missed from Sunday's action:
Purdue upsets No. 2 Ohio State on the road
Before this week, No. 2 Ohio State had an immaculate 19-0 record. Now, the Buckeyes take their third straight loss as Purdue pulled out a 73-65 upset.
The Boilermakers hit seven 3-pointers in the first quarter (13 total) to outscore Ohio State 27-13. For reference, Purdue averages 7.2 made perimeter shots per game.
Senior guard Abbey Ellis notched a game-high 26 points, 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Cassidy Hardin also hit five 3-pointers for 15 total points and six rebounds.
Ohio State outscored Purdue in the second, third and tied the Boilermakers in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes even tied the game at 58-58 with less than five minutes left, but Purdue went on a 7-0 run to create enough distance to seal the victory.
All but one Buckeyes starter scored double digits with Taylor Thierry leading the way with 18 points and seven rebounds. Turnovers hurt Ohio State as well with 15 lost possessions converting into 22 Purdue points.
Ohio State lost to No. 10 Iowa and No. 6 Indiana earlier this week and now falls to 19-3, while Purdue improves to 15-6 picking up its biggest win of the season.
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No. 9 Utah stuns No. 8 UCLA
With less than four seconds left, No. 9 Utah and No. 8 UCLA were tied 69-69. Utes' star Alissa Pili had just enough time.
Despite being covered by two Bruins, Pili drove to the basket and sank an improbable layup in traffic, falling to the floor as the ball rolled through the net. Utah beat UCLA 71-69 in a top-10 conference matchup.
This marks the second time this week that the Bruins fell on a last-second shot. Earlier this week No. 25 Colorado edged UCLA with a clutch 3-pointer in overtime.
Utah finished things in regulation despite trailing for the majority of the game. Neither team led more than eight points, but UCLA held the lead for more than 30 minutes of the play.
ALISSA PILI LADIES AND GENTLEMEN#GoUtes
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) January 29, 2023
📺 Pac-12 Network
📱https://t.co/9JjYT1TdOd pic.twitter.com/36yVxiB5a9
Pili topped all scorers with 23 points along with nine rebounds, four offensive. Isabel Palmer also contributed 14 points and five assists.
The Utes outscored UCLA 17-11 in the fourth to overtake the Bruins who took an eight-point lead midway through the final quarter. Pili scored nine in the fourth including the game-winning bucket.
Utah preserves its second place in the Pac-12 standings at 18-2. The Bruins take their first back-to-back losses this season falling to 17-5, fourth in the conference.
📊 RANKINGS: See the latest women's basketball AP poll
No. 20 NC State knocks off No. 7 Notre Dame
No. 7 Notre Dame is the third top-10 team to fall this Sunday as No. 20 NC State held on to win 69-65.
The Wolfpack survived the late Fighting Irish comeback bid. NC State took a 16-point lead in the third quarter but relied on its defense to hold off the comeback.
Notre Dame came within four points of the lead and had 20 seconds to close the gap. The Wolfpack played suffocating defense and bleeding 12 seconds off the clock.
Diamond Johnson led the effort with 20 points (season-high), eight rebounds and five assists.
NC State broke the Irish’s five-game winning streak, handing Notre Dame just its third loss. The Wolfpack improved to 16-5 picking up their second top-10 win of the season.
LIGHT. IT. RED. #GoPack pic.twitter.com/TE3z8w4T9a
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) January 29, 2023
No. 1 South Carolina stays undefeated at Alabama
No. 1 South Carolina improved to 21-0 after traveling to Tuscaloosa and beating Alabama 65-52.
Ranked second nationwide in offensive rebounds (18.4), the Gamecocks picked up 20 offensive boards turning that into 26 second-chance points outdoing Alabama by 18 in that category.
Sophomore guard Bree Hall came up huge off the bench with a career-high 18 points to lead the Gamecocks. South Carolina outscored the Crimson Tide 35-7 in bench points. Aliyah Boston followed with 16 points (8-for-10 shooting), 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Next South Carolina faces Kentucky at home, but the defending champs have upcoming challenges against No. 5 UConn and No. 4 LSU next month.
