No. 6 Kentucky beats Grambling State 109-46
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Bria Goss scored a career-high 23 points to lead No. 6 Kentucky to a 109-46 rout of Grambling State on Sunday.
The Wildcats (12-1), coming off a 69-61 loss to No. 2 Duke, led from start and were never threatened. Grambling State was without coach Pat Gibbs, who was recovering from an undisclosed surgery, and dressed seven players.
Kentucky set a season high for most points scored in the first half in taking a 60-19 lead. Grambling State managed seven field goals in the first half and shot 23.3 percent from the field.
Kentucky scored 100 points for the fifth time this season, with four of those lopsided victories coming at home.
Linnae Harper had 15 points for Kentucky and Janee Thompson scored 13, Samarie Walker and Kastine Evans added 11 each and Makayla Epps had 10.
Joanna Miller led Grambling State (3-8) with 14 points and Jasmine Godbolt scored 10.
Top-ranked UConn routs Cincinnati 67-34
STORRS, Conn. -- Breanna Stewart had 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-ranked Connecticut to a 67-34 win against Cincinnati on Sunday in the teams' first matchup as members of the American Athletic Conference.
Moriah Jefferson and Bria Hartley each added 12 points for Connecticut (13-0, 1-0 American Athletic Conference), which won despite being held 19 points below its season average.
Cincinnati (7-5, 0-1 American), which is winless in nine meetings against the Huskies, was led by Jeanise Randolph who had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Huskies held Cincinnati scoreless for the game's first six minutes and led 16-0 before Kayla Cook got the Bearcats on the board with a 3-pointer. UConn led by 13 at halftime and used a 16-3 run in the second half to put the game out of reach.
McBride, No. 2 Notre Dame beat Oregon St
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Kayla McBride scored 20 points, Natalie Achonwa added 16 points and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Notre Dame remained perfect with a 70-58 victory against Oregon State on Sunday.
Sophomore Jewell Loyd, last year's national freshman of the year, had 10 points for the Irish (11-0) - 8.5 below her team-leading average coming in.
Jamie Weisner scored 18 points to lead the Beavers (8-4), and Ruth Hamblin added 12 points, eight rebounds and a school record-tying nine blocks.
Notre Dame used an 11-0 run bridging halftime to take a 37-33 lead, and didn't trail again.
Oregon State didn't trail until Ali Gibson's 3-pointer with 13:06 left in the first half.
No. 5 Tennessee beats Lipscomb 110-42
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Isabelle Harrison had 26 points and 15 rebounds as fifth-ranked Tennessee cruised to a 110-42 win against Lipscomb on Sunday.
The Lady Vols (11-1) scored first and never trailed, using a 17-0 run early to build a 25-4 lead with 12:29 left in the first half in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Harrison led the way, notching a double-double by halftime with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Meighan Simmons scored 14 of her 15 in the first half for Tennessee.
Danay Fothergill scored a team-high 13 points for Lipscomb before fouling out with 13 minutes left.
The Lady Bisons (3-8) managed to create some traffic in the lane on defense, but Tennessee played right through it, outshooting them 63.9 to 28.6 percent and scoring 28 points in the paint in the first half.
Lipscomb struggled to get clean looks of its own inside as half of its baskets before halftime came on 3-pointers. It wasn't enough to keep up, and the Lady Vols pushed the margin to as many as 35 points and took a 62-29 lead into the locker room.
Schimmel leads No. 7 Louisville past SMU
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Shoni Schimmel scored 18 points, Sara Hammond had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 7 Louisville opened American Athletic Conference play with a 71-51 victory against Southern Methodist on Sunday.
Bria Smith added 13 points and 11 rebounds to help Louisville (13-1, 1-0) win its sixth consecutive. Hammond's double-double was her third of the season.
Akil Simpson scored 14 points and Kiara Perry had 13 for SMU (9-3, 0-1). Keena Mays, the Mustangs' leading scorer averaging 20 points a game, finished with seven.
The Cardinals led 47-32 at halftime and opened the second half with a 16-3 run. The Mustangs were unable to close the gap after that.
Simpson scored the first eight points for SMU and the Mustangs kept it close early. Perry's basket gave the Mustangs a 23-21 lead with 7:59 left.
Louisville answered with a 5-0 run and continued to expand its advantage. Schimmel made two consecutive 3-pointers late in the first half and the Cardinals had their 15-point lead at halftime.
SMU missed its first 11 3-point attempts and was 1 of 18 overall from beyond the arc.
Thomas hits milestone, Terps win 103-51
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Alyssa Thomas scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed her 1,000th rebound as No. 8 Maryland routed the College of Charleston 103-51 on Sunday in the Terrapin Classic championship game.
Thomas reached the milestone with her 10th and final rebound of the game, leading to her last field goal, a putback that pushed it to 91-40.
Coach Brenda Frese then substituted for the senior, who played 23 minutes, before an appreciative crowd.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 15 points as the Terrapins (12-1) closed out December and the non-conference portion of their schedule with their 10th consecutive victory.
Afreyea Tolbert scored 20 points for Charleston (7-5).
Maryland has defeated its last four opponents, all at home, by an average of 53.5 points, and played its most dominant first half of the season Sunday, taking a 54-15 lead.
No. 11 Oklahoma State crushes Texas-Pan Am 90-48
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Liz Donohoe scored 21 points and gathered 16 rebounds to lead No. 11 Oklahoma State past Texas-Pan American 90-48 on Sunday.
The Cowgirls (11-0) got 16 points from LaShawn Jones and 11 points and five assists from Tiffany Bias.
Texas-Pan American (6-7) was led by Shawnte Goff's 11 points and the Broncs shot just 23 percent from the floor, including 7 of 28 from beyond the arc.
Oklahoma State opened a 20-point first-half lead on a Bias 3-pointer with 3:21 left before the break, but UTPA scored the last eight points of the half, including treys by LaQuinta Garner and Alexandria Hill, to cut the lead to 12 at 33-21 at intermission.
The Cowgirls exerted their dominance in the second half. They opened the frame with a 13-0 run to push the lead to 25 points at 46-21 and UTPA never challenged again.
No. 12 Colorado outlasts Southern Utah 75-59
BOULDER, Colo. -- Arielle Roberson scored 18 points and gathered 12 rebounds to lead No. 12 Colorado against Southern Utah 75-59 Sunday.
Colorado (9-1) struggled from the floor, shooting just 38 percent for the game, including a woeful 1 of 13 beyond the arc. Ashley Wilson scored 14 points in the win, with Jasmine Sborov adding 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jen Reese chipping in with 11 points.
Southern Utah struggled with its shooting as well. The Thunderbirds hit just 34 percent from the field and 1 of 13 on 3-pointers. They were led by Desiree Jackson with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Southern Utah used a 7-0 run, fueled by multiple fouls by Colorado and made free throws by Jackson, to cut the lead to two points at 54-52 with 8:08 left. But Colorado responded with a 19-2 run to wrest control of the game.
No. 14 Iowa State women cruise past William & Mary
AMES, Iowa -- Brynn Williamson and Jadda Buckley scored 19 points each to help No. 14 Iowa State remain perfect with an 85-65 victory against William & Mary in the championship game of the Cyclone Challenge on Sunday.
Nikki Moody added 14 points and Hallie Christofferson had 11 for the Cyclones (11-0).
Kyla Kerstetter scored 12 points, and Marlena Tremba and Latrice Hunter each had 11 to lead the Pride (3-8).
Iowa State used an 8-0 run to take a 10-2 lead less than 3 1/2 minutes into the game, then closed the first half with a 15-0 spurt to extend the lead to 55-23 at the break.
Moody's jumper in the opening minute of the second half put the Cyclones up 34 -- their largest advantage of the game. The final margin was the smallest of the second half.
No. 15 Penn State holds off Hartford 70-56
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Maggie Lucas scored 18 points and No. 15 Penn State held off Hartford 70-56 Sunday.
Penn State (9-3) started the second half with a 10-4 run, opening up a 47-35 lead with 14:49 remaining. Hartford would never again get closer than nine.
Hartford kept the game close throughout the first 20 minutes but the Lady Lions pulled away by dominating the interior. They out-rebounded Hartford 47-30, including 15-6 on the offensive glass, and outscored the Hawks 40-14 in the paint and 14-5 on second chance points.
Alyssa Englert, who came into the game with 14 assists all season, recorded a career-high nine for the Hawks (3-10). Cherelle Moore scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Ariel Edwards added 15 points and seven rebounds for Penn State, which failed to convert a 3-point basket (0 for 8) for the first time this season.
No. 18 Nebraska pounds Oral Roberts 89-53
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Jordan Hooper scored 30 points as No. 18 Nebraska returned from Christmas break and pummeled Oral Roberts 89-53 on Sunday.
Hooper came into the game needing 27 points to catch Kiera Hardy at No. 5 on Nebraska's career scoring list. She scored nine of her points in Nebraska's (10-2) game-opening sprint to a 24-0 lead. The Huskers were up 62-25 at halftime.
Christian Key and Kaylan Mayberry scored nearly all of the Golden Eagles (1-9) points with 25 and 20, respectively. Oral Roberts was pressured into 22 turnovers, 12 by Cornhusker steals, and were outrebounded 41-29. Hooper also snagged 11 boards.
Mayberry put Oral Roberts on the board with a jumper at 12:39 of the first half.
Emily Cady scored 15 points for Nebraska and Tear'a Laudermill, Rachel Theriot and Sadie Murren scored 11 each. The Huskers shot 52.5 percent from the field and drained 12 of 24 3-pointers.
Gray leads No. 23 Cal 77-60 past Lafayette
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Reshanda Gray had 20 points and eight rebounds on Sunday to lead No. 23 California against Lafayette 77-60 in the first meeting between the programs.
Cal (8-3) led 30-27 at the break and used second-half runs of 13-2 and 10-0 to build a 70-48 advantage with 4:15 to go. Brittany Boyd had 13 points, seven assists and four steals and Courtney Range added 11 points.
The win allowed the Golden Bears to bounce back after losing to No. 1 UConn 80-47 on Dec. 22.
Danielle Fiacco and Linnel Macklin each had 13 points and Emily Homan added 11 points for Lafayette (6-5).
Macklin was 3 of 6 from 3-point range. She tied the game at 30-30 with a 3-pointer just 17 seconds after intermission, but the Leopards fell behind as they allowed Cal to shoot 16 for 31 from the field in the second half.
No. 25 Oklahoma runs away from Samford 66-35
NORMAN, Okla. -- Morgan Hook scored 12 points and handed out five assists as No. 25 Oklahoma topped Samford 66-35 Sunday.
Samford (3-9) took an 8-4 lead but Oklahoma then rattled off 25 of the next 30 points, including eight by Hook, who capped the run with her second 3-pointer of the game. The Bulldogs, who made just 12 of 48 (25 percent) field goals and 6 of 33 (18.2 percent) 3-pointers, would never again get closer than 14.
Oklahoma (9-4), which took a 36-20 advantage into the break, out-rebounded Samford 46-21 and shot 50 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from long range. The Sooners recorded 16 assists on 23 field goals.
Nicole Griffin added 12 points and Derica Wyatt added 11 in the win. Nicole Kornet led the Sooners with nine rebounds while Kaylon Williams added eight boards.
Shelby Campbell paced Samford with 12 points.
