Aubrey Griffin scored 25 points and Aaliyah Edwards had 22 as No. 17 UConn won its third straight game — and second over a fellow ranked opponent — by beating visiting No. 18 Louisville 86-62 on Saturday afternoon in Hartford, Conn.
UConn (7-3) also got 20 points, five rebounds, five blocks and four assists from Paige Bueckers, 11 points from KK Arnold, and 10 assists from Nika Muhl. Louisville (10-2) was led by 19 points from Kiki Jefferson, while Sydney Taylor added 13 points and Olivia Cochran had 12 points.
The game featured six lead changes and the Huskies were ahead by just four points at halftime. UConn pulled away in the third frame by outscoring the Cardinals 19-9 in the third quarter and 21-11 in the fourth.
Key for UConn was its sharp shooting, as it knocked down 59.3 percent of its field goals and made seven 3-pointers. The Huskies were also efficient in transition, outscoring Louisville 24-10 in fast break points.
No. 1 South Carolina 99, Presbyterian 29
Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins each had double-doubles as the Gamecocks coasted to victory over the visiting Blue Hose in Columbia, S.C.
Kitts had 11 points and 10 rebounds while Watkins added 10 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Milaysia Fulwiley led South Carolina (10-0) with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in a stat-stuffing effort in her second start of the season. In all, seven Gamecocks scored in double figures, a group that also includes Kamilla Cardoso, who had 12 points, nine boards and seven blocks.
Tilda Sjokvist led Presbyterian (8-4) with 15 points. South Carolina never trailed and shot 52.1 percent from the floor while forcing the Blue Hose into 23 turnovers and holding them to 15.6 percent shooting.
No. 3 North Carolina State 66, South Florida 54
River Baldwin and Aziaha James each scored 16 points and the Wolfpack beat the Bulls in Tampa, Fla., despite scoring just seven points in the fourth quarter.
Baldwin also grabbed 11 rebounds for North Carolina State (11-0), which led by 15 points after three quarters before struggling in the fourth. The Wolfpack got just seven shots up in the final period, making two of them.
Romi Levy and Carla Brito scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, for USF (7-4). Evelien Lutje Schipholt flirted with a double-double, pairing eight points with 12 boards.
No. 4 Iowa 104, Cleveland State 75
Caitlin Clark unloaded for 38 points thanks in large part to nine 3-pointers as the Hawkeyes clubbed the Vikings in Des Moines, Iowa.
Clark made 13 of 21 shots for Iowa (11-1), which also got a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double from Hannah Stuelke. Kate Martin had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Hawkeyes took advantage of their chances at the free-throw line, sinking 26 of 28 (92.9 percent) foul shots.
Mickayla Perdue posted 24 points and Colbi Maples finished with 18 to go along with six assists, but Cleveland State (9-2) was hampered by a third quarter in which it was outscored 31-17.
No. 10 Baylor 75, No. 24 Miami 57
Sarah Andrews netted 18 points and Jada Walker chipped in 14 as the Bears had little trouble getting past the Hurricanes at the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio.
Yaya Felder supplied 12 points and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs brought down 13 rebounds for Baylor (9-0), which never looked back after using a 13-0 run to pull away in the first quarter.
Shayeann Day-Wilson paced Miami (8-1) with 12 points and Kyla Oldacre and Ally Stedman each had 11, but the Hurricanes couldn’t overcome 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) shooting from beyond the arc.
No. 11 Utah 96, Southern Utah 60
Alissa Pili scored 20 points and the Utes got 34 points from their bench to record a win over the Thunderbirds in Cedar City, Utah.
Dasia Young finished with 15 points while reserves Matyson Wilke (11 points) and Lani White (11) headlined the strong performance from Utah’s bench. The Utes (9-2) have won seven of their past eight games.
Megan Smith notched a game-high 26 points while Ava Uhrich supplied 15 as Southern Utah fell to 3-6 on the season. The Thunderbirds struggled on the glass, getting outrebounded 35-18.
No. 12 Kansas State 79, North Florida 53
Ayoka Lee poured in a season-high 36 points to carry the Wildcats to a victory over the Ospreys in Manhattan, Kan.
Lee was remarkably efficient from the field, canning 15 of 17 shots. She also had three steals. Kansas State (10-1) has won its past four games after falling to then-No. 5 Iowa on Nov. 26.
Lyric Swann had 12 points as North Florida (4-8) committed 22 turnovers, leading to 22 points for the Wildcats.
Seton Hall 84, No. 23 UNLV 54
Azana Baines tallied 23 points and 11 boards to help the Pirates hand the visiting Rebels their first loss of the season in South Orange, N.J.
Seton Hall (8-3) was also boosted by 14 points from Micah Gray, 11 points from Kae Satterfield and 10 points from A’Jah Davis. Alyssa Brown powered UNLV (9-1) with 13 points and six rebounds.
The Pirates led wire-to-wire and built an early advantage by starting the game on a 15-2 run. Seton Hall shot 56.1 percent from the floor and won the rebounding battle 44-25.
–Field Level Media
