No. 14 UNC beats No. 7 Duke 64-60
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Diamond DeShields scored 18 points while fellow freshman Allisha Gray scored all 12 of her points after halftime to help No. 14 North Carolina beat No. 7 Duke 64-60 on Sunday in the teams' regular-season finale.
Freshman Stephanie Mavunga had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (22-8, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who clinched their first season sweep of the Blue Devils since the 2007-08 season. North Carolina ran off a 20-0 run spanning halftime to lead by 19 points, then watched Duke (25-5, 12-4) respond with a 16-0 burst and fight back to within a point before holding on down the stretch.
Mavunga came up big, scoring on a stickback after Duke got within 53-52 on Ka'lia Johnson's three-point play. She then kicked out to Gray for a 3-pointer then scored inside off a feed from DeShields that pushed the lead back to 60-52 with 2:02 left.
No. 2 ND stays perfect, tops No. 13 'Pack 84-60
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Natalie Achonwa scored 19 points and No. 2 Notre Dame polished off a perfect regular season by beating No. 13 North Carolina State 84-60 on Sunday.
Jewell Loyd added 18 points for the Fighting Irish (29-0, 16-0).
They shot 56 percent and led by 30 after an overwhelming second-half run helped them cap the first undefeated regular season for an Atlantic Coast Conference school since the 2006-07 Duke team.
Freshman Miah Spencer had a season-high 18 points for the Wolfpack (24-6, 11-5).
They missed 10 consecutive shots and went scoreless for 7 1/2 minutes while the Irish turned a tight game into yet another blowout.
Kayla McBride added 12 points on 5 of 15 shooting for Notre Dame, which in an 11-day span beat each of the four of the North Carolina-based ACC schools by double figures - and three were in the top 15 at the time.
No. 10 Lady Vols beat No. 4 South Carolina 73-61
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Isabelle Harrison had 20 points and 15 rebounds Sunday as No. 10 Tennessee defeated No. 4 South Carolina 73-61 to snap the Gamecocks' 10-game winning streak in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Tennessee (24-5, 13-3 SEC) never trailed as it ended an eight-game losing streak against top-five opponents and clinched the No. 2 seed in the Southeastern Conference tournament that begins Wednesday at Duluth, Ga. Tennessee hadn't beaten a top-five team since an 82-72 overtime victory against No. 3 Stanford on Dec. 19, 2010.
Meighan Simmons added 16 points and Andraya Carter had 14 points for Tennessee, which has won 10 of its past 11 games.
Aleighsa Welch had 16 points, Tiffany Mitchell scored 11 and Alaina Coates added 10 for South Carolina.
No. 11 WVU wins 71-69 at No. 6 Baylor
WACO, Texas -- Averee Fields stole an errant pass and drove for a go-ahead layup with 12 seconds left and No. 11 West Virginia beat No. 6 Baylor 71-69 on Sunday, the Lady Bears' first conference home loss in four years.
West Virginia (26-3, 15-2) won its ninth consecutive game to match Baylor for the Big 12 lead with one game left in the regular season.
Odyssey Sims, the nation's leading scorer, had 39 points in her final regular-season home game. But she also had 10 turnovers, including the pass that Fields got in the Baylor end of the court before missing a last shot.
Baylor (25-4, 15-2) had won 35 consecutive Big 12 home games since losing their final regular-season game of the 2009-10 season to Texas.
No. 9 Maryland beats Virginia Tech 87-48
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Alyssa Thomas scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in her final home game as No. 9 Maryland defeated Virginia Tech 87-48 on Sunday.
It was Thomas' nation-leading 23rd double-double of the season coming before a crowd that filled most of the Comcast Center's lower bowl, in part to honor her in a postgame ceremony.
Thomas is second in school history in points (2,234) and rebounds (1,167). She needs 13 points and 63 boards to catch Washington Mystics forward Crystal Langhorne in both categories.
Tierney Pfirman added 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Maryland (24-5, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) in her first career double-double. Brene Moseley added 13 points for Maryland, which won its third in a row and will begin ACC tournament play Friday.
Virginia Tech leading scorer Uju Ugkoka, who entered averaging nearly 19 points per game, was held to only three for the Hokies (4-12, 14-15).
No. 19 Purdue women beat No. 16 Nebraska 82-66
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Courtney Moses had a season-high 29 points, the injured KK Houser provided an emotional lift and the No. 19 Purdue women spoiled No. 16 Nebraska's Big Ten title hopes with an 82-66 victory Sunday.
Despite tearing her ACL at Michigan State on Feb. 2, Houser started the game and played the first 2:34. She also entered the game shortly before the conclusion to be honored as a senior with a standing ovation.
Moses, meanwhile, celebrated her senior day by helping the Boilermakers (21-7, 11-5) to a great start, scoring eight points during Purdue's 10-0 run to start the game.
By halftime, Purdue led 43-23 and Moses had 18 points with 5 of 6 shooting from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Rachel Theriot had 24 points to lead Nebraska (22-6, 12-4) which entered the game with an opportunity to share the Big Ten title with No. 8 Penn State.
No. 17 Texas A&M slips past Florida 83-72
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Karla Gilbert scored 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting to lead No. 17 Texas A&M to an 83-72 victory against Florida on Sunday.
In a close game, Texas A&M (23-7, 13-3 SEC) finally broke away with a 13-4 run capped by a Tori Scott jumper that made it 62-54 with 7:22 to go, and extended the advantage to double-figures down the stretch.
Scott contributed 19 points and Courtney Walker had 17 for the Aggies, who shot 51 percent from the field in their final regular-season game to tie their best conference record. Achiri Ade had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win, while Jordan Jones had 14 rebounds.
Florida (18-11, 8-8) closed to within two on a Kayla Lewis layup that made it 52-50 with 10:42 to play but it was as close as the Gators would get in the second half.
Jaterra Bonds led Florida with 18 points.
No. 12 Kentucky women top Vanderbilt, 65-63
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- DeNesha Stallworth scored 18 points and made two game-clinching free throws with 50.7 seconds remaining to lift No. 12 Kentucky to a 65-63 win against Vanderbilt on Sunday.
Kentucky (22-7, 10-6 Southeastern Conference) earned a No. 4 seed and a double bye for the SEC Tournament. Vanderbilt is seeded eighth and plays Georgia Thursday.
Janee Thompson's jumper with 1:19 remaining broke a 56-56 deadlock and gave the Wildcats a 58-56 lead, which stood despite a late surge by the Commodores. Bria Goss made five of six free throws in the last 38 seconds to fend off Vanderbilt, which rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first half.
Goss' missed free throw came with 12.9 seconds remaining, but Vanderbilt's Jasmine Jenkins missed a driving jumper at the buzzer.
Christina Foggie led the Commodores (18-11, 7-9) with 23 points. Foggie made four of her team's six 3-pointers. Jasmine Lister added 15 for Vanderbilt.
Oregon State rolls over No. 20 Arizona State 66-43
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Ruth Hamblin had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots as Oregon State routed No. 20 Arizona State 66-43 on Sunday.
Oregon State (21-9, 13-5 Pac 12) shot 52 percent and made all seven of its throws. Syndey Wiese added 15, Ali Gibson had 13 and Deven Hunter 11 points (4 of 4 field goals, 3 of 3 free throws).
Arizona State (22-8, 11-7) led 17-14 after Deja Mann's jumper with 7:47 left in the first half. Mann led ASU with 13 points. OSU responded, scoring the next nine points en route to a 31-23 lead at intermission.
The teams combined for seven points through the first 7:24 of the second half. Oregon State warmed up - Arizona State did not. A 10-0 run by the Beavers extended their lead to 48-30 with 7:21 left and the Sun Devils never recovered. ASU shot 26 percent in the game.
No. 25 Iowa powers past Illinois 81-56
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Theairra Taylor scored 17 points and Ally Disterhoft added 14 more to propel No. 25 Iowa to an 81-56 rout over Illinois on Sunday.
Leading by 18 at the break, Iowa (23-7, 11-5 Big Ten) continued to pull away in the second half, using a 23-3 run bookended by a Bethany Doolittle layup and a Taylor jumper to take its largest lead of the game, 65-30 with 9:57 to go. The Hawkeyes then protected the advantage down the stretch.
Samantha Logic contributed 12 points and seven rebounds and Doolittle had 11 points for Iowa, which hit 27 of 48 (56 percent) from the field, including 11 of 27 from 3-point range, in its third straight win. Logic also had five assists, giving her a career total of 577 to set a program record.
Illinois (9-20, 2-14) was led by Amber Moore, who scored 14 points.
No. 21 Michigan State beats Indiana, 76-56
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Aerial Powers scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 21 Michigan State wrapped up a share of the Big 10 Conference championship with a 76-56 win against Indiana on Sunday.
The Spartans (21-8, 13-3 Big 10) entered the final game of the regular season in a three-way tie with Penn State and Nebraska for the conference crown. Penn State clinched a share of the title with a win Saturday, but No. 19 Purdue upset the No. 16 Cornhuskers Sunday, leaving Michigan State to share the title with the Nittany Lions.
Powers' double-double was her eighth of the season. Tori Jankoska scored 15 points and senior Annalise Pickrel scored 14 in her final home game. Senior Klarissa Bell had six points.
Lyndsay Leikem scored 11 points to lead Indiana (18-11, 5-11), but was the lone Hoosier to score in double figures. The team shot 37.1 percent (23 of 62).
