No. 18 Kentucky rallies past No. 8 Lady Vols 75-71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Jennifer O'Neill scored 24 points and sparked a comeback as No. 18 Kentucky rallied for a 75-71 victory against No. 8 Tennessee on Sunday, earning the Wildcats' first win in Knoxville since 1985.
O'Neill had all of Kentucky's points during a 6-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 72-69 lead in the closing minutes.
Kentucky (19-6, 7-5 SEC) had lost to Tennessee (20-5, 9-3) in its past 16 trips to Knoxville since a 76-72 overtime victory on Jan. 23, 1985, at Stokely Athletics Center. Kentucky had never beaten Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena, the Lady Vols' home since 1987-88.
Kentucky led 73-71 with 13.4 seconds remaining when Janee Thompson missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Tennessee one last chance. After the Lady Vols called timeout with 5.4 seconds left, Isabelle Harrison committed Tennessee's 22nd turnover. Kastine Evans made the steal and sank two game-clinching free throws.
Hartley scores 18, No. 1 UConn tops USF 63-38
TAMPA, Fla. -- Bria Hartley scored 18 points and Breanna Stewart and Stefanie Dolson each had 15 to help No. 1 Connecticut remain unbeaten with a 63-38 rout of cold-shooting South Florida on Sunday.
The Huskies (26-0, 13-0 American Athletic Conference) also got 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from 5-foot-7 guard Moriah Jefferson while holding USF (13-11, 8-5) to 26 percent shooting.
Inga Orekhova made four 3-pointers and led USF with 13 points, but the Bulls leading scorer Courtney Williams was limited to seven points -- matching a season low -- on 3 of 18 shooting.
UConn won an earlier matchup between the teams by 28 three weeks ago, and the defending national champions had little difficulty extending its winning streak to 32 consecutive games despite playing without All-American forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who is expected to be sidelined three to six weeks because of mononucleosis.
Henderson scores 19, No. 4 Louisville tops Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Emmonnie Henderson scored a career-best 19 points, Shoni Schimmel added 18, and No. 4 Louisville beat Memphis 82-66 on Sunday.
Henderson was 9 of 14 from the field, and Louisville (25-2, 13-1 American Athletic Conference) shot 54 percent overall. Schimmel, who ranks second in the nation in 3-pointers per game, was 4 of 10 from outside the arc. Louisville went 8 of 18 after starting 7 of 11.
Asia Taylor added 13 for Louisville, which won its second consecutive and for the 18th time in 19 games.
Mooriah Rowser led Memphis (11-15, 4-10) with 20 points, and Pa'Sonna Hope added 18 and eight rebounds. Ariel Hearn scored 15 but the Tigers dropped their fifth in a row.
The Cardinals broke the game open with a 14-2 run at the start of the second half.
They defeated Memphis 88-61 in Louisville on Jan. 26 when Schimmel connected on nine 3-pointers.
Welch helps South Carolina top LSU on the road
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Tiffany Mitchell and Aleighsa Welch each scored 19 points to help No. 5 South Carolina stay on top of the SEC with a 73-57 win against 19th-ranked LSU on Sunday.
The victory was the first for South Carolina (23-2, 11-1 SEC) in Baton Rouge since Jan. 15, 1994. The Gamecocks had lost 12 of the 13 meetings at LSU. It also was the fifth conference road win for South Carolina matching the school record set last season.
The game was close until the Gamecocks went on a 13-2 run just prior to the half. They wouldn't trail the rest of the game.
Jeanne Kenney scored 15 points to lead LSU (18-7, 5-5), which shot just 36 percent from the field.
No. 6 Stanford find grooves, beat Arizona
STANFORD, Calif. -- Bonnie Samuelson knocked down five 3-pointers on the way to 17 points all scored in the first half, and No. 6 Stanford beat Arizona 74-48 on Sunday to move closer to a 14th consecutive conference regular-season crown.
Chiney Ogwumike scored 11 of her 15 points during a decisive run late in the first half that put the game away for the Cardinal (24-2, 12-2 Pac-12), who clinched a bye into the quarterfinals of next month's conference tournament in Seattle. They earned their 24th consecutive victory against the short-handed Wildcats.
Amber Orrange dished out nine assists to go with nine points and five rebounds in 24 minutes as coach Tara VanDerveer was able to rest her regulars for another long stretch given the lopsided result.
LaBrittney Jones scored 11 points for Arizona (5-20, 1-13).
Sims' 34 points lead No. 7 Baylor past Texas 72-56
AUSTIN, Texas -- Odyssey Sims scored 34 points, pushing No. 7 Baylor to a 72-56 win against Texas on Sunday, the Lady Bears' eighth consecutive victory that keeps them firmly in first place in the Big 12.
Sims, the national scoring leader, shook off a poor shooting start, and Baylor (22-3, 12-1) held Texas to just one field goal during the first 11 minutes of the second half as the Lady Bears pulled away.
Baylor, which is chasing its fourth consecutive Big 12 title, forced 26 Texas turnovers, turning them into 33 points.
Nneka Enemkpali scored 10 for Texas (17-8, 8-5), which dropped just its second home loss of the season and first in the Big 12.
Sims scored 44 when the teams first played two weeks earlier. She was 3 of 15 shooting in the first half of the rematch, but scored 22 points in the second half.
No. 17 UNC beats No. 10 NC State 89-82
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Freshman Diamond DeShields scored 27 of her season-high 38 points after halftime to help No. 17 North Carolina beat No. 10 North Carolina State 89-82 on Sunday.
Fellow rookie Allisha Gray scored 15 of her 18 points after halftime in her own big performance for the Tar Heels (20-6, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who beat a top-10 opponent on the road for the second time this week. UNC earned its first win at No. 3 Duke in six years Monday, with DeShields scoring 30 in that one.
The 6-foot-1 daughter of ex-major league baseball player Delino DeShields was even better Sunday against the Wolfpack (22-4, 9-3).
DeShields made 12 of 23 shots, 5 of 9 3-pointers and all nine of her free throws. Her off-balance basket inside midway through the second half broke a 60-all tie and started a 13-4 push that finally put the Tar Heels in control.
No. 11 Penn State surges past Wisconsin 78-68
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Maggie Lucas, the top free throw shooter in the nation, shot No. 11 Penn State into the lead from the line with less than 4 minutes to play, sparking the Nittany Lions on a 20-9 run to close out Wisconsin on Sunday 78-68.
Now 148 for 153 from the line this season, Lucas was 8-for-8 in the game and fueled the closing run with four free throws and a field goal. She finished with 25 points to lead Penn State.
Ariel Edwards scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Nittany Lions (20-5, 11-2 Big 10), with Tori Waldner and Dara Taylor adding 10 points each.
Penn State shot 44.6 percent from the field (29 of 65) and was a collective 18 for 21 from the line.
Michala Johnson scored 19 points to lead Wisconsin (10-15, 3-10), with Nicole Bauman and Taylor Wurtz adding 17 and 16 points, respectively.
No. 12 Oklahoma State rolls past Oklahoma 73-57
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Liz Donohoe had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 12 Oklahoma State defeat Oklahoma 73-57 Sunday afternoon.
Kendra Suttles scored 13 points and Tiffany Bias had 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Cowgirls (20-4, 9-4 Big 12), who avenged an 81-74 loss in Norman on Feb. 1. Oklahoma State won the rebounding battle 48-31 and held the Sooners to 33 percent shooting. The Cowgirls, who had lost two of three, never trailed.
Nicole Kornet scored 14 points for Oklahoma, her second-best point total of the season. Aaryn Ellenberg, the Sooners' top scorer this season, left the game with 5:32 remaining after a hard screen from Suttles and did not return. Sharane Campbell, who scored a career-high 28 points in the previous meeting, finished with six for the Sooners (15-11, 6-7).
OSU retired Andrea Riley's jersey at halftime. She is OSU's all-time leading scorer.
No. 13 West Virginia holds off TCU 61-57
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Asya Busie scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots as No. 13 West Virginia held off TCU 61-57 on Sunday.
With the Horned Frogs trailing by three points with 29 seconds remaining, Busie grabbed a clutch defensive rebound and, after drawing the foul, added a pair of free throws to make it 60-55. TCU's Donielle Breaux missed a 3-point attempt and the Mountaineers' Jess Harlee pulled down the defensive rebound and hit the second of two free throws to seal the victory.
Christal Caldwell added 14 points for West Virginia (22-3, 10-2 Big 12), but the Mountaineers struggled from the field, connecting on just 21 of 58 shots (36.2 percent),
Zahna Medley connected on 5 of 13 3-point attempts and led TCU with 23 points. Breaux added 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting. The Horned Frogs (14-11, 5-8) attempted just three free throws (3 for 3).
No. 14 Texas A&M routs Alabama 71-46
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Karla Gilbert scored 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting to lead No. 14 Texas A&M to a 71-46 rout of Alabama on Sunday.
Courtney Williams and Courtney Walker added 12 points apiece for the Aggies (20-6, 10-2 SEC), who shot 53 percent from the field to secure the program's ninth consecutive 20-win season. Jordan Jones scored six points and dished out 10 assists.
Texas A&M took control early with a 17-3 run capped by a Curtyce Knox layup that made it 25-12 with 6:23 to go in the first period, and carried a 37-22 advantage into the break. The Aggies continued to pull away in the second half.
Alabama (11-14, 4-8) led briefly after a three-point play by Nikki Hegstetter that made it 9-8 early in the first half but then quickly fell behind.
Ashley Williams led the Crimson Tide with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Daisha Simmons added 10 points.
Alwal, Mississippi State shocks No. 16 Vandy 64-62
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Martha Alwal's jumper with 3.3 seconds left gave her 23 points and Mississippi State a 64-62 upset of No. 16 Vanderbilt on Sunday.
Katia May drove to the basket and dished off to Alwal, who scored over Rayte'a Long. The Bulldogs then intercepted the inbounds pass to end it.
Breanna Richardson added 16 points for Mississippi State (17-9, 4-8 SEC).
Christina Foggie led the Commodores (17-8, 6-6) with 15 points, including a tying basket on Long's assist with 15 seconds left. Jasmine Lister and Mogan Batey had 13 points each with Batey grabbing 11 rebounds.
Vanderbilt shot 56 percent and outrebounded MSU 32-18 but couldn't overcome 26 turnovers.
The Commodores led 28-21 at halftime but Mississippi State caught up with 8:34 left as Alwal followed a jump shot with a pair of free throws.
With Alwal going 7 for 7, the Bulldogs were 16 of 20 from the line.
Hooper lifts No. 21 Nebraska past Indiana 76-61
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Jordan Hooper scored 31 points to fuel a late charge for No. 21 Nebraska after veteran coach Connie Yori collapsed, and the Huskers rolled to a 76-61 win against Indiana on Sunday for their sixth win in a row.
Hooper, who hit six 3's to set the Nebraska career record (270), tied the game midway through the second half when Yori fainted due to reported flu-like symptoms. She was tended to on court but walked off under her own power and went to the training room.
Nebraska (19-5, 9-3 Big Ten) closed the game with a 30-11 run, putting a clamp on the long-range shooting of the Hoosiers (17-8, 4-8). Indiana had 10 3's but none after taking a 50-46 lead at the 13:57 mark.
Rachel Theriot had 23 points and 8 assists for Nebraska and Emily Cady had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Alexis Gassion had 19 points for Indiana.
No. 23 Purdue nips Iowa 74-73 on Moses free throws
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Courtney Moses scored 25 points, including the game-winning free throws with seven seconds left as No. 23 Purdue defeated Iowa 74-73 on Sunday.
Moses had the last seven points for the Boilermakers (18-7, 8-5 Big Ten). Her 3-pointer broke a 70-70 tie at the 1:57 mark. After Samantha Logic made two free throws and then the go-ahead bucket for the Hawkeyes (20-7, 8-5) at 38 seconds, Moses knocked down a jumper 8 seconds later.
Logic, who had her third triple-double of the year with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, scored again at 19 seconds but her foul set up Moses' heroics.
Liza Clemons added 11 points for Purdue and Whitney Bays and Dee Williams had 10 each. Bays also had 10 rebounds.
Theairra Taylor led Iowa, which had a 44-28 lead at the half, with 19 points, Bethany Doolittle had 15 and Ally Disterhoft 10.
