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    Wednesday, May 15, 2024

    NCAA women's basketball top 25 roundup

    Louisville guard Asia Durr (25) shoots over Notre Dame forward Kathryn Westbeld (33) during the second half of Thursday's game at Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

    No. 3 Louisville 100, No. 2 Notre Dame 67

    Asia Durr scored 36 points, Myisha Hines-Allen had a career-high 31 and host Louisville overwhelmed Notre Dame on both ends for a blowout victory Thursday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown.

    The unbeaten Cardinals (19-0, 5-0 ACC) erased an early deficit to dominate the short-handed Irish in nearly every phase during a marquee matchup between top teams. Louisville went on to the program's biggest victory since upsetting top-seeded Baylor in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and snapped an 11-game losing streak against Notre Dame (15-2, 4-1 ACC).

    Playing before a crowd of 12,614, Durr quickly set the tone with three first-quarter 3-pointers and eight overall in shooting 13 of 18 from the field. Hines-Allen kept pace with her, hitting 15 of 20 while grabbing 12 rebounds.

    Louisville also overcame recent struggles in finishing off opponents by pouring it on against the Irish, leading by 44 early in the fourth in handing the Irish their 11th-largest loss in program history.

    Jackie Young had 23 points and Marina Mabrey 14 for the Irish, who had won eight straight since losing 80-71 to top-ranked Connecticut. Notre Dame shot 44 percent and committed 18 turnovers.

    No. 17 Texas A&M 79, No. 6 Tennessee 76

    Danni Williams scored seven points in overtime and Texas A&M toppled Tennessee, handing the Lady Vols their first defeat of the season.

    The Aggies (14-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) missed 18 consecutive shots from the field late in the game before recovering in the extra period thanks to Williams' clutch free throw shooting. She made all five of her attempts from the line in overtime, including when she was fouled on a 3-point attempt with the Aggies trailing 76-74 and 7.8 seconds remaining.

    Following a timeout, Tennessee then had the ball on its end of the court with a chance to win, but Evina Westbrook threw a pass along the left sideline that bounced out of bounds, resulting in a turnover. Williams was fouled with 0.4 seconds left and made both free throws.

    Williams and Khaalia Hillsman each scored 22 points to lead Texas A&M, and Chennedy Carter added 21.

    Mercedes Russell led the Lady Vols (15-1, 3-1) with 21.

    No. 9 South Carolina 71, Auburn 63

    A'ja Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds before leaving with a right ankle injury with 16 seconds left in South Carolina's win over Auburn.

    Wilson was a force with her 12th double-double this season and, in the first quarter, became just the third player in program history to reach 2,000 career points. But she came down hard under her own basket in the final seconds and hobbled over to the corner of the court. Team trainers helped her off and she went right to the locker room.

    Wilson and the defending national champion Gamecocks (14-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from their first SEC loss of the season Sunday at Missouri to win their eighth straight over the Tigers (10-6, 1-3). Not that it was easy.

    Auburn whittled a 22-point second-quarter deficit to 62-56 on Janiah McKay's jumper with 5:36 to play. But South Carolina point guard Tyasha Harris responded with five straight points to rebuild the double-digit edge.

    Wilson, the 6-foot-5 All-American, had her worst showing of the year at Mizzou, fouling out in just 19 minutes and finishing with a season-low eight points. But she was active from the start of this one — she made two of her team's first three baskets and assisted on the other — as South Carolina opened a 30-10 edge by the end of the first quarter. Her two made foul shots with 1:13 left in the opening period pushed her to 2,000 points over four seasons, leaving her behind only Shelia Foster (2,226 points) and Shannon Johnson (2,230) in Gamecocks history.

    Harris was the only other South Carolina player in double figures with 12 points.

    McKay led Auburn with 27 points and Daisa Alexander had 16.

    Michigan St. 82, No. 11 Maryland 68

    Taryn McCutcheon scored a career-high 25 points, and Michigan State surprised Maryland to end the Terrapins' 13-game winning streak.

    Maryland (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) dressed nine players and played only seven. Sophomore guard Blair Watson, the team's second-leading scorer, tore her right ACL in practice on Wednesday and is done for the season.

    The depleted three-time conference champions used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to close to 43-42, but Michigan State (13-5, 3-2) regained control with a 12-1 spurt and cruised to the finish.

    McCutcheon made successive 3-pointers during the pivotal third-quarter surge, and the sophomore's long-range jumper with 6 minutes left made it 69-58 — effectively ending any hope Maryland had of making a comeback.

    Shay Colley had 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for Michigan State.

    Brianna Fraser scored 17 points and Florida transfer Eleanna Christinaki added 13 in her first start for Maryland. But the Terrapins shot only 39 percent and committed 24 turnovers in their first loss since Nov. 19 at Connecticut.

    Michigan State was 0-10 against Maryland in a series that began in 2005.

    No. 12 Missouri 81, Vanderbilt 70

    Jordan Chavis scored a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range and Missouri defeated Vanderbilt.

    Amber Smith also scored 18 points for the Tigers (15-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), who had no letdown after defeating No. 4 South Carolina on Sunday.

    Smith had back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 16-2 run and her 10th point of the run made it 18-7 with 2:49 to play in the first quarter. Chavis had three 3-pointers in a 14-1 run in the second quarter before the Commodores closed with a 15-3 surge to trail 48-37 at the half.

    Jordan Frericks had eight points in a 16-0 run midway through the third quarter that helped Missouri get to a 25-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The lead was 28 when Chavis' last 3 opened the scoring but Vandy followed with an 11-0 run and closed the game with a 10-0 run.

    Cierra Walker scored 17 points for the Commodores (4-14, 0-4), who have lost eight of nine. Erin Whalen added 15 points. 

    No. 13 Florida State 105, Miami 67

    Nausia Woolfolk scored a career-high 23 points and Florida State routed in-state rival Miami.

    Imani Wright had 17 points, Chatrice White 14, Shakayla Thomas 12 and AJ Alix 10 for the Seminoles (15-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who tied the school record with 12 3-pointers in bouncing back from a Sunday loss at Syracuse.

    A 9-0 run gave Florida State a 21-7 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter and the lead stayed in double figures the rest of the way. Miami's largest deficit of the season was 15 points but the Seminoles surpassed that in the first quarter. They scored the last 11 points of the first half to lead 57-31.

    Enida Banks led Miami (11-6, 1-3) with 14 points. The last time the Hurricanes gave up 100 points was Jan. 10, 2007, when top-ranked Maryland scored 111.

    Florida State shot 56 percent (29 of 70), going 12 of 26 from distance. Miami shot 35 percent.

    No. 16 Duke 80, Wake Forest 67

    Lexie Brown scored 27 points and Rebecca Greenwell became Duke's all-time leading 3-point shooter as the Blue Devils defeated Wake Forest.

    Greenwell had 23 points, and her three 3s gave her 254, two more than Tricia Liston. Greenwell had been one 3 short of the record for nine games, five of those she missed and two she was limited because of a knee injury. She started every game she played, 108, until coming off the bench the last two.

    Brown had 18 points and Greenwell 12 as Duke (13-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) shot 57 percent and took a 43-34 lead at the half. The lead reached 19 late in the third quarter.

    Duke finished 9 of 18 behind the arc and shot 52 percent overall. Brown was 4 of 5 from distance, Greenwell 3 of 5. Wake Forest shot 37 percent, going 7 of 28 behind the arc.

    Elisa Penna had 24 points for the Demon Deacons (10-7, 2-2) and Ariel Stephenson added 18.

    No. 25 Green Bay 65, Youngstown State 56

    Jessica Lindstrom scored 12 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, Karly Murphy added 14 points and Green Bay survived a barrage of 3-pointers and defeated Youngstown State.

    Fourteen of Youngstown State's 19 baskets were 3-pointers — seven coming in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Olson scored all nine of her points in the fourth quarter — all on 3s — as Youngstown State (6-10, 2-3 Horizon League) cut an 18-point gap down to 56-50 with 3:29 to go.

    Lindstrom stole the ball from Olson and drained a 3-pointer for a 59-50 lead with 1:29 remaining and the Phoenix made 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch. Lindstrom's double-double is her eighth of the season. Allie LeClaire added 10 points.

    The Phoenix (13-2, 3-1) led for all but four minutes despite a cold-shooting night, making 22 of 56 from the floor (39 percent) and 6 of 21 from distance. Green Bay's NCAA-leading defense kicked in, scoring 20 points off 16 Youngstown State turnovers and holding the Penguins to 37-percent shooting (19 of 52).

    Indiya Benjamin led the Penguins with 12 points.

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