Men

No. 1 Villanova 98, Creighton 78

Collin Gillespie squeezed a stress ball in his dorm room to improve the grip on his injured left hand. Now he has a hold on the role as Villanova’s sixth man — healthy and hopeful he can do his part to lead the Wildcats to yet another Big East title.

Mikal Bridges scored 21 points and Jalen Brunson had 19 to lead Villanova to its eighth straight win on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (21-1, 8-1 Big East) tied a program record with 19 3-pointers and provided a nice diversion for a city consumed with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Super Bowl.

Yes, the best team in college basketball plays across the street from the NFC champs. It just takes a lot to notice around town this week.

Creighton (17-6, 7-4) became the latest team to learn the hard way just talented the Wildcats are and how they can win in almost any possible.

“It’s a video game,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said of Nova’s offense.

Omari Spellman hit four 3s and scored 14 points, Brunson made 4 of 5 3s and Bridges, Eric Paschall and Donte DiVincenzo each made three.

Marcus Foster led the Bluejays with 20 points.

The Wildcats are just waiting for March at this point of the season, and are cruising toward their fifth straight regular-season Big East title and yet another No. 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Gillespie’s emergence can only strengthen the Wildcats down the stretch.

Gillespie, who had eight points and five assists, missed seven games over five weeks this season with a broken left hand and played his fifth game since his return. Gillespie, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard, has gone from role player to key cog with Phil Booth out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right hand. Gillespie played perhaps his best all-around game of the season and helped the Wildcats build an 18-point lead in the first half.

Coach Jay Wright said he didn’t need to give a pep talk to Gillespie when he returned to the lineup.

“It wasn’t a specific talk to Collin, but to the team it was, hey, we have confidence in him,” Wright said. “He’s getting more comfortable with his hand than he is the offense. He was comfortable with the offense. That part was good.”

Gillespie had two assists early during a 7-0 run. He buried a 3-pointer then took a charge from Marcus Foster on the other end that got the Wildcats rolling. He had an assist on Brunson’s four-point play during a 22-4 run that gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the half.

“You think you’re there and then they hit you with a spurt,” McDermott said.

Only injuries could slow the Wildcats. Gillespie and Booth have been hurt and forward Jermaine Samuels remains sidelined with a broken left hand. Bridges came up limping on his left ankle early in the second half and took a quick seat on the bench. The Wildcats used only seven players in the first half and depth issues, coupled with any more injuries, could crush their bid for a second national title in three seasons.

Gillespie did his part to spark the Wildcats in 23 solid minutes.

“It doesn’t really change. I have to keep bringing energy,” he said.

Villanova made 19 of 39 3s to match the record set against Saint Joseph’s in December. The Wildcats opened the game with 10 straight 3-point attempts.

Temple 81, No. 16 Wichita State 79 (OT)

Obi Enechionyia hit two free throws with 18.1 seconds left in overtime, and Temple beat Wichita State.

Quinton Rose scored 19 points for the Owls (12-10, 4-6 American Athletic Conference), and Josh Brown had 15. Shizz Alston Jr. shook off a poor shooting performance to score 12 points, including the tying bucket at the end of regulation.

Enechioinyia was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound. Markis McDuffie then missed a 3 at the other end, and the rebound caromed into the backcourt as time expired and Temple fans stormed the floor.

The Owls earned another big win alongside upsets of Clemson and Auburn early in the season.

Shaquille Morris had 24 points and nine rebounds and Austin Reaves added 20 points for the Shockers (17-5, 7-3), who have dropped three of five.

No. 13 Saint Mary's 79, San Francisco 43

Jock Landale bounced back from his lowest scoring game of the season and had 18 of his 26 points in the second half as Saint Mary's beat San Francisco.

Tanner Krebs scored 12 points on four 3-pointers — all in the first half — while Emmett Naar had eight assists to pull within 18 of the school's career record while helping the Gaels (22-2, 11-0 West Coast Conference) to their 17th consecutive win. Evan Fitzner added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Landale had just six points and took only four shots in Saint Mary's win over Portland last week and scored eight in the first half against San Francisco before breaking out in the second half.

Jordan Ratinho had eight points to lead San Francisco (12-12, 4-7).

No. 14 Gonzaga 69, San Diego 59

Johnathan Williams scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Gonzaga edged stubborn San Diego.

Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell Jr. each scored 13 for Gonzaga (20-4, 10-1 West Coast), which has won 18 of the past 19 games against the Toreros.

Olin Carter III scored 21 points for San Diego (15-8, 6-5), a surprise team in the league this year.

Washington 68, No. 25 Arizona State 64

Noah Dickerson scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, David Crisp had three key baskets in the final five minutes, and Washington knocked off Arizona State.

If there was question about Washington's validity in the Pac-12 race, some of those were answered by a gutty performance from the Huskies. Dickerson dominated on the interior in the first half as Washington built a 10-point lead at the break, only to hold on in the closing minutes after Arizona State rallied.

Dickerson had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, while Crisp finished with 12 points. The duo combined for 12 of Washington's final 16 points. Jaylen Nowell added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Dominic Green hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to seal the victory. Washington (16-6, 6-3 Pac-12) has won three straight.

Kodi Justice led Arizona State (16-6, 4-6) with 16 points.

Women

No. 2 Mississippi State 57, No. 15 Missouri 53

Victoria Vivians made a go-ahead jumper with four seconds left and Mississippi State continued its perfect season with a road victory against Missouri.

The Bulldogs and Tigers played a tight fourth quarter. Missouri’s Sophie Cunningham tied the game at 53 with nine seconds left with a 3-pointer.

Vivians then hit her shot to make it 55-53. After an offensive foul on Jordan Frericks, Teaira McCowan hit two free throws to seal the game for Mississippi State (23-0, 9-0 Southeastern Conference).

Blair Schaefer led the Bulldogs with a season-high 20 points, but Mississippi State struggled shooting the ball all night. However, the Bulldogs’ defense held Missouri (17-6, 5-4) to just 32 percent from the field in the second half.

No. 4 Louisville 77, Virginia 41

Asia Durr scored 21 points and Louisville broke open a tight game with 16 consecutive points in the third quarter and beat Virginia.

Bionca Dunham added 13 points and Arica Carter 12 for the Cardinals (23-1, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Louisville led just 31-29 after Virginia scored first after halftime, but had a 51-31 lead after the scoring burst. The Cardinals outscored Virginia 46-14 after halftime.

The Cavaliers (15-8, 8-2) were led by Aliyah Huland El with nine points, including the 1,000th of her career in the final minute. Virginia hurt its cause with 22 turnovers, which the Cardinals turned into 20 points.

No. 5 Notre Dame 94, North Carolina 62

Marina Mabrey scored a season-high 25 points and fellow guard Arike Ogunbowale added 24 as Notre Dame rolled past North Carolina for its sixth straight victory.

Kristina Nelson added 11 points for the Irish (21-2, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had a season-high 28 assists on their 37 baskets. Mabrey had a season-high eight assists, two more than Jessica Shepard and three more than Ogunbowale.

Jamie Cherry led the Tar Heels (14-8, 4-5 ACC) with 15 points, Paris Kea scored 13 and Janelle Bailey had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

N.C. State 65, No. 10 Florida State 56

Akela Maize scored eight of her 18 points in the final five minutes as North Carolina State beat Florida State.

Kiara Leslie added 16 points for the Wolfpack (18-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth consecutive game.

Maize was helped off the court after twisting her right ankle early in the third quarter, but she returned and scored in the lane to break a 47-47 tie with 4:14 to play in the game.

Maize added another basket and four consecutive free throws to help N.C. State build a 58-50 lead with 1:53 remaining.

Imani Wright scored 13 points to lead Florida State (18-4, 6-3), which lost for the second game in a row.

No. 11 Maryland 88, Rutgers 60

Kaila Charles and Eleanna Christinaki combined for 42 points on 17-of-26 shooting and Maryland rolled to a win over Rutgers.

Charles had 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting with six rebounds and five assists. Christinaki had 20 on 8-of-13, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, eight rebounds and six assists.

Stephanie Jones added 16 points for the Terrapins (19-3, 8-1 Big Ten) and Kristen Confroy had 11, hitting all four of her shots, three behind the arc. Maryland made 7 of 9 from distance and shot 59 percent overall (32 of 54) with 25 assists.

The Scarlet Knights scored the first two points of the game but Maryland scored the next nine and turned that into a 16-2 run. It was 41-28 at the half, with Charles scoring 17 points.

Khadaizha Sanders had 12 points for Rutgers (17-7, 5-5), which has lost four straight.

No. 12 Tennessee 87, No. 14 Texas A&M 62

Jaime Nared scored 23 points and Mercedes Russell had a double-double as Tennessee dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for a victory over Texas A&M.

Russell had 18 points and 13 rebounds to help Tennessee rebound in its first game since falling out of the top 10. Tennessee (18-4, 6-3 SEC) entered the night having lost four of its last six games after a 15-0 start.

In a game that featured 30 lead changes, Tennessee broke away by outscoring Texas A&M 25-8 in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M (17-7, 6-3) had led 59-57 at the end of the third period.

Chennedy Carter scored 25 points and Jasmine Lumpkin had a career-high 22 points for the Aggies. All of Lumpkin’s points came before halftime, and she attempted only one shot in the second half.

Purdue 81, No. 13 Michigan 79

Dominique Oden scored 26 points, including the last four in regulation, and Karissa McLaughlin added 21, including back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime, and Purdue shocked Michigan.

The Boilermakers (15-8, 6-3 Big Ten) scored the last 16 points in regulation with Oden’s basket with 0.7 seconds to go tying the game at 72. The referees then called a foul on Purdue with 0.3 to go but Kayla Robbins missed both free throws.

Michigan (19-5, 8-3), which had won six straight, which missed its last six shots over six-plus minutes with five turnovers, took the lead three times in OT but each time Purdue answered. McLaughin’s 3 with 1:09 to play made it 80-79.

The Wolverines came up empty on their last two possessions and Oden added a final free throw with 0.2 to go.

Lamina Cooper had 18 points for Purdue, which got six 3s from McLaughlin and four from Oden.

Katelynn Flaherty scored 24 points, Hallie Thome 20 and Hailey Brown 18 for Michigan.

LSU 71, No. 17 Georgia 60

Chloe Jackson scored 21 points, Ayana Mitchell and Raigyne Louis had double-doubles and LSU defeated Georgia.

Mitchell scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Louis had 15 and 10 — and was an assist shy of a triple-double — for the Tigers (14-6, 5-3).

Mackenzie Engram, who surpassed 1,000 career points, hit a 3-pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs (19-3, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) within one but the Tigers scored the next five and turned that into an 11-2 run for a 62-52 lead.

LSU outscored Georgia 20-13 in the fourth quarter with 14 points coming from the foul line on 18 attempts. The last 11 points free throws came in the last 1:42 after a four minute scoring drought for both teams.

Georgia, which was 7-0 in January, got 15 points from Que Morrison and 5 of 20 in the fourth quarter.

No. 19 Duke 77, Georgia Tech 59

Lexie Brown scored 24 points with six rebounds and six assists and Duke tied the school record with its 30th straight regular-season home win, topping Georgia Tech.

Rebecca Greenwell had 18 points, giving her 1,718 for her career and seventh on the Blue Devils’ career list. Jade Williams added a career-high 16 on 7-of-8 shooting and matched Greenwell’s eight rebounds. Brown surpassed 1,900 points for her career at Maryland and Duke.

The Blue Devils (18-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) were without injured Haley Gorecki, who is day to day,

The Yellowjackets (13-10, 2-8), down a dozen at halftime, were within four midway through the fourth quarter but a 15-2 run wrapped it up as Tech went 0 for 5 with three turnovers and Duke made its last seven shots.

Antonia Peresson had 17 on five 3s and Kaylan Pugh 16 for Georgia Tech.

No. 20 Green Bay 58, Northern Kentucky 41

Jessica Lindstrom scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Green Bay beat Northern Kentucky to avenge its only Horizon League loss.

The Phoenix (20-2, 10-1) have won 15 of their last 16, the only loss coming to the Norse, 62-54, on Dec. 30. Green Bay’s other loss was against Mississippi State, currently ranked No. 2.

Green Bay scored the game’s first four points and added a 13-0 run in taking a 17-8 first-quarter lead and led the entire way. NKU (5-17, 3-8) got as close as eight late in the third quarter. Green Bay had a double-digit lead throughout the fourth.

Molly Glick scored 13 points for NKU.