No. 6 UConn beats Seton Hall 96-36, Bueckers surpasses 2,000 career points

STORRS, Conn. (AP) —

Paige Bueckers scored 18 points to surpass 2,000 in her career and No. 6 UConn cruised to a 96-36 win over Seton Hall on Sunday.

Bueckers scored points No. 2,000 and 2,001 on a jumper with 8:05 remaining in the first half. Bueckers reached the mark in her 102nd game, breaking the program record of 108 games by Maya Moore. Bueckers is the 12th UConn player to hit that milestone.

Freshman Sarah Strong had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Azzi Fudd also scored 18 points for UConn (17-2, 8-0 in the Big East).

Jada Eads had 14 points for Seton Hall (13-5, 5-2).

Strong had nine points in a 16-2 run for UConn to put the Huskies ahead 26-7 with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

Seton Hall was playing without Savannah Catalon and Connecticut native Shailyn Pinkney. It was the ninth straight game that Pinkney missed while Catalon was out for the eighth consecutive game.

NO. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 101, NO. 13 OKLAHOMA 60

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 15 points and dominated early with her athleticism as No. 2 South Carolina pounded No. 13 Oklahoma.

Fulwiley finished an acrobatic midair assist from Raven Johnson, swiped a ball near Oklahoma’s bench that she turned into a one-handed, over-the-head feed to Bree Hall for a layup, and sunk a 30-foot 3-pointer to beat the buzzer — all in the first quarter.

The Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Sooners (15-4, 3-3) 28-9 in the opening period and never looked back.

Sooners All-America center Raegan Beers, listed as a game-time decision, started and finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Payton Verhulst, coming off a 38-point game in a win over Missouri, only scored three.

Joyce Edwards led South Carolina with 17 points.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, two days after signing a contract that makes her the highest-paid coach in the history of women’s basketball, stretched her streaks to 53 straight SEC regular-season wins and 68 straight wins at Colonial Life Arena.

NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 88, SMU 64

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo had 23 points and 10 rebounds in her return from an ankle injury that sidelined her two games to help No. 3 Notre Dame rout SMU.

Hidalgo also had five steals and three assists for Notre Dame (16-2, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Olivia Miles had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Zanai Jones led SMU (10-9, 2-4) with 20 points.

Notre Dame missed nine of its first 11 shots and trailed 12-9. After that, the Fighting Irish hit 10 of their next 14 and led 32-15 lead midway through the second quarter.

NO. 4 USC 73, INDIANA 66

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 22 points and Rayah Marshall added 13 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 4 Southern California overcame an 11-point deficit and hold on for a victory at Indiana.

The Trojans (17-1, 7-0 Big Ten) won their 13th straight game. Watkins made sure of it with her late flourish — a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter to give the Trojans a 51-50 lead and seven points in a 12-0 fourth-quarter run.

Sydney Parrish led the Hoosiers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Chloe Moore-McNeil score 13 points and Yarden Garzon had 10 points and nine rebounds as Indiana (12-6, 4-3) lost its second straight home game.

Southern Cal trailed 25-14 early in the second quarter, fought back to take a 38-32 halftime lead, extended the margin to nine in the third quarter and then needed Watkins to save them late.

NO. 5 LSU 80, FLORIDA 63

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Mikaylah Williams scored 22 points, Aneesah Morrow had her 18th double-double of the season and No. 5 LSU stayed unbeaten with an 80-63 victory at Florida on Sunday in front of Tigers great Shaquille O’Neal.

Flau’Jae Johnson chipped in 19 points for the Tigers (20-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference), who will carry their second-best start in program history into a much-anticipated matchup at second-ranked South Carolina on Thursday.

O’Neal was on hand to watch his daughter, Florida freshman Me’Arah O’Neal. She finished with no points, seven rebounds and four fouls.

LSU trailed by six after the first quarter but responded by outscoring Florida (11-9, 2-4) by 10 points in the second and seven in the third to build a double-digit advantage the Gators never found a way to whittle down. The Tigers turned it into a lopsided contest by scoring the first 17 points of the fourth.

Morrow finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her 92nd career double-double, tying her with former Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu for the second most (behind former Oklahoma standout Courtney Paris) in NCAA women’s history.

Liv McGill led the Gators with 21 points.

PENN STATE 62, NO. 9 OHIO STATE 59

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Gabby Elliott scored 14 points, including a go-ahead layup with about 2 1/2 minutes to go, and Penn State held on to hand No. 9 Ohio State its first loss of the season.

Elliott had six points in the fourth quarter for the Lady Lions (10-9, 1-7 Big Ten), who snapped a seven-game losing skid.

Jayla Oden added 13 points while Moriah Murray and Gracie Merkle scored 12 apiece in Penn State’s first win over an AP Top 25 team since February 2021.

Cotie McMahon led the Buckeyes (17-1, 6-1) with 19 points. Chance Gray finished with 18 but missed a 3-pointer with three seconds left.

NO. 11 KANSAS STATE 81, ARIZONA STATE 69

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Temira Poindexter tied her season high with five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting on to help No. 11 Kansas State beat Arizona State.

Kansas State (19-1, 7-0 Big 12) has won 14 consecutive games, the fourth longest active streak in the nation.

Serena Sundell scored 15 points for the Wildcats. Taryn Sides finished with 11 points and six assists and Jaelyn Glenn added 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including two 3s.

Jalyn Brown led the Sun Devils with a career-high 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting and made 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Arizona State (8-11, 2-5) has lost four in a row.

NO. 12 KENTUCKY 78, GEORGIA 64

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Led by Clara Strack with 25 points and Georgia Amoore with 24 points and No. 12 Kentucky defeated Georgia.

Strack made 9 of 19 shots and 6 of 7 free throws. She had 12 rebounds to complete her fourth double-double this season. Amelia Hassett had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double this season and Amoore had eight assists.

Trinity Turner scored 19 points and De’Mauri Flournoy had 19 of Georgia’s 21 bench points.

Kentucky dominated the first quarter, building a 23-4 lead. All three players who scored for the Wildcats — Amoore (11 points), Strack (6) and Hassett (6) — outscored Georgia. The Bulldogs made one of 16 shots.

NO. 14 NORTH CAROLINA 75, PITTSBURGH 58

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Lexi Donarski knocked down five 3-pointers and No. 14 North Carolina rolled to its sixth straight win over Pittsburgh.

The Tar Heels are now 17-3 overall, 5-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the program’s best start though 20 games since the 2013-14 season.

Pitt trailed by 12 to start the fourth quarter but its offense sputtered while the Tar Heels got hot from the outside. Indya Nivar hit two 3s and Lanie Grant and Donarski each knocked down another to help the Tar Heels extend their lead to 22 points with more than six minutes to play. Jordan Zubich and Ciera Toomey each hit 3s to push the lead to 30 with under five minutes remaining.

And then the Panthers caught fire from beyond the arc. Marley Washenitz hit from deep Mikayla Johnson hit four straight 3s in the final 2:05.

VANDERBILT 71, NO. 15 TENNESSEE 70

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 23 points and tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer as Vanderbilt rallied last in a victory over No. 15 Tennessee.

The Commodores (15-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) took a 54-45 lead into the fourth quarter before the Lady Volunteers (15-3, 3-3) staged a comeback.

Jewel Spear hit back-to-back 3-pointers for Tennessee to tie the game at 57-all. The Lady Vols took the lead on a three-point play by Samara Spencer and Spear’s two free throws that made it 64-59 with 2:55 to go. Iyana Moore hit a 3-pointer and a jumper and Blakes and Khamil Pierre both made two free throws in a 10-4 spurt to put the Commodores on top 69-68.

Tennessee took the lead on a Ruby Whitehorn layup with four seconds left.

Vanderbilt beat Tennessee for just the 11th time in 90 games and won at home in the series for the first time since Jan. 12, 2014.

NO. 16 DUKE 74, STANFORD 49

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored 16 points and the No. 16 Duke women held Stanford to its lowest point total of the season, posting a victory in the first meeting between the schools as ACC rivals.

Duke forced 20 Stanford turnovers, turning them into 25 points. The Blue Devils led by as many as 25 points.

Duke broke the game wide open in the second quarter. Trailing by four after one, the Cardinal opened the second with Shay Ijiwoue hitting the first of two at the line and scoring at the basket to get within a point at 18-17, but Duke responded with a 14-0 run fueled by a Jordan Wood 3, a three-point play by Jackson and two layups by Delany Thomas. Stanford got back-to-back layups to stop the run but Thomas scored at the basket and knocked down a jumper and Jackson hit from 3 to start an 11-0 run to close out the half for a 43-21 advantage at the break.

Jackson was held to 5-of-15 shooting from the field but was 5-for-5 at the free-throw line in leading the Blue Devils (15-4, 6-1). Thomas posted her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Taina Mair finished with 13 points and dished six assists with a pair of steals.

NO. 17 GEORGIA TECH 89, CLEMSON 65

ATLANTA (AP) — Tonie Morgan finished with a triple-double to propel No. 17 Georgia Tech to a victory over Clemson.

Morgan, a junior, totaled 12 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists for the Yellow Jackets (16-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped a three-game losing streak by handing the Tigers (10-9, 3-5) their fourth straight loss. She also had four steals.

Kara Dunn led Georgia Tech with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting with a 3-pointer, hitting 5 of 6 free throws. Kayla Blackshear added 19 points. Reserves Tianna Thompson and Rusne Augustinaite scored 13 and 11, respectively. Chazadi Wright pitched in with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Loyal McQueen totaled 18 points and six assists to lead Clemson. Mia Moore had 15 points and seven rebounds. Anye Poole scored 11 off the bench on 5-for-5 shooting.

NO. 18 CALIFORNIA 67, WAKE FOREST 55

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Marta Suarez scored 16 points with nine rebounds, Ioanna Krimili and Lulu Twidale each hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points apiece and No. 18 California beat Wake Forest.

Krimili scored Cal’s first eight points in a 10-2 run that made it 23-19 to give the Golden Bears their first lead almost 4 minutes into the second quarter and they led the rest of the way. Twidale made two 3s before Krimili hit another — her third of the period — to make it 32-24 at the intermission.

Elise Williams led the Demon Deacons with 15 points. Demeara Hinds and Rylie Theuerkauf added 10 points each.

Cal shot 49% (24 of 49) from the field, made 10 of 24 from 3-point range and outrebounded Wake Forest 45-26.

The Demon Deacons scored eight of the game’s first 10 points as Cal missed its first five field-goal attempts.

NO. 19 ALABAMA 94, ARKANSAS 62

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Zaay Green scored 21 points, Karly Weathers hit 5 of 6 from 3-point range and finished with 19 points and No. 19 Alabama beat Arkansas.

Green made 8 of 13 from the field, grabbed nine rebounds and had seven assists. Weathers was 7-of-10 shooting with six assists.

Green and Weathers hit 3-pointers 21 seconds apart to make it 8-5 about 2 1/2 minutes into the game and Alabama (17-3, 4-2 SEC) led the rest of the way. Green hit a 3 at the buzzer to make it 24-16 at the end of the first quarter before Vera Ojenuwa made a layup and Kiki Smith hit a 3-pointer to open the second and trim the Arkansas deficit to three.

Weathers had eight points — including two 3-pointers — and JeAnna Cunningham scored six in a 16-2 run that gave the Crimson Tide a 40-23 lead when Aaliyah Nye’s layup with 4:29 left until halftime capped the spurt.

NO. 20 WEST VIRGINIA 82, IOWA STATE 68

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Ja’Naiya Quinerly had 20 points to move into eighth place on West Virginia’s all-time scoring list and No. 20 West Virginia cruised to a victory over Iowa State.

Quinerly made 7 of 19 shots with three 3-pointers and 3 of 4 free throws for the Mountaineers (15-3, 5-2 Big 12 Conference). She moved ahead of Meg Bulger, who scored 1,665 from 2008-11. Jordan Harrison also scored 20 for the Mountaineers, adding six assists and seven steals. Kyah Watson totaled 12 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double this season.

Addy Brown had 19 points to lead the Cyclones (13-7, 4-3), who played without starting point guard Emily Ryan because of an illness. Audi Crooks finished with 13 points and has scored in double figures in 52 straight games — 12 behind Angie Welle’s school record. Sydney Harris scored 12 and Aili Tanke added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Harrison had 10 points, Watson scored eight and West Virginia doubled up Iowa State 30-15 in the first quarter.

NO. 21 NC STATE 73, VIRGINIA 68

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Madison Hayes had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Aziaha James scored 20 points, and they teamed up for the game’s final six points in No. 21 N.C. State’s victory over Virginia, the Wolfpack’s 16th straight home win.

In a game where Virginia’s largest lead was five points and N.C. State’s was three before the final minute, there were six ties and six lead changes in the fourth quarter, the last change coming when Hayes made a layup for a 69-68 N.C. State lead with 1:06 remaining.

The Cavaliers had a turnover on their next possession, then Hayes missed a layup with 12 seconds left. She grabbed her own rebound and the Cavs fouled James, who made two free throws. After two timeouts by Virginia, Hayes came up with a steal, was fouled, and made two free throws for the final margin.

Zoe Brooks had 14 points and seven assists for N.C. State (14-4, 6-1 ACC) and Tylda Trygger had 13 rebounds and scored nine.

NO. 22 MICHIGAN STATE 86, ILLINOIS 68

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Theryn Hallock scored 15 of her career-best 26 points in the fourth quarter as the No. 22 Michigan State women rolled to a win over Illinois.

The junior from Grand Rapids topped her previous best of 24 set New Year’s Day against Purdue by knocking down a career-high 12 of 19 from the field. She converted six layups and knocked down a 3-pointer in the final quarter as the Spartans closed the game on a 24-15 run.

Michigan State (15-3, 5-2 Big 10) held a nine-point lead at intermission and that lead remained to start the fourth quarter, 62-53. Illinois scored its first seven points of the fourth quarter at the free throw line and did not score a field goal until Kendall Bostic’s layup with 6:03 remaining.

The Spartans scored 52 points in the paint, scored 26 points off of 22 Illinois turnovers and converted 22 of 30 layups.

NO. 24 MINNESOTA 87, NORTHWESTERN 82

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Grace Grocholski matched her career high with 27 points and No. 24 Minnesota overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Northwestern.

Northwestern led 69-58 after a 25-point third quarter and the Wildcats increased their lead to 14 early in the fourth.

That was when Minnesota caught fire. The Golden Gophers outscored Northwestern 29-8 over the final eight minutes, making seven of their last eight shots and 14 of 17 free throws as Northwestern committed 10 fouls in the quarter.

Grocholski scored seven points in the comeback, including 5 of 5 free throws. Amaya Battle, who finished with 18 points, was 6 of 8 from the line in the fourth.

The Associated Press