No. 2 UConn defeats No. 18 Ole Miss to win the Baha Mar championship
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 29 points, Azzi Fudd added 18 and No. 2 UConn defeated No. 18 Mississippi 73-60 in the final of the Baha Mar Women’s Championship on Wednesday night.
Bueckers had 15 points and Fudd 12 on combined 11-of-14 shooting in the second half as the Huskies regained control after almost blowing a 21-point lead in the third quarter.
Sarah Strong added 10 points for the Huskies (7-0).
Bueckers scored seven points in a 15-1 run that had the Huskies up 17-3 as the Rebels started the game 1-for-13 from the field. It was 37-18 at the half.
The Rebels made a run early in the third quarter, reeling off 15 points to close the gap to 41-38 but Fudd answered with a 3-pointer and a jumper and a buzzer-beater by Bueckers had the Huskies up 52-46 going into the fourth quarter.
KK Deans had 17 points to lead the Rebels (4-2). Kennedy Todd-Williams added 13 points, Starr Jacobs had 11 and Madison Scott 10.
NO. 6 SOUTHERN CAL 84, SETON HALL 51
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — JuJu Watkins had 20 points, seven rebounds and eight turnovers and No. 6 Southern California defeated Seton Hall in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Wednesday night.
The Trojans (5-1) had three other players in double figures, including Kiki Iriafen with 15 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Avery Howell scored a career-best 14 points off the bench and Rayah Marshall had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Faith Masonius scored a career-high 25 points, banking in a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer for the Pirates (4-2).
NO. 7 LSU 82, NO. 20 NC STATE 65
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Mikay Williams scored 24 points and Aneesah Morrow had 20 points and 15 rebounds to lead No. 7 LSU to a win over No. 20 N.C. State to win the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
The Tigers never trailed after Morrow hit back-to-back jumpers late in the first quarter. And after Saniya Rivers tied the game for N.C. State at 17, Moore made two free throws to put LSU in front for good. Kailyn Gilbert, the star in Monday’s one-point win over Washington, followed with a 3-pointer.
Flau’Jae Johnson added 16 points for LSU (8-0) and Gilbert had 12.
Rivers led the Wolfpack (4-3) with 21 points. Zaiaha James added 13 points, Zoe Brooks had 12 and Madison Hayes 11.
NO. 9 KANSAS STATE 92, DEPAUL 66
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ayoka Lee scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead No. 9 Kansas State to a victory over in a consolation game of the Ball Dawgs Classic.
Serena Sundell also had a double-double for the Wildcats (6-1), with 15 points and 11 assists. Zyanna Walker scored 13 points and Taryn Sides and Temira Poindexter each chipped in 11.
The Wildcats outscored DePaul in the paint 56-26. They are averaging 48.2 points per game in the paint this season. K-State has scored 40 or more points in the paint in all seven games, including three with 50 or more.
Taylor Johnson-Matthews and Jorie Allen led the Blue Demons (2-5) with 17 points apiece.
NO. 13 DUKE 109, NO. 8 OKLAHOMA 99, OT
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Reigan Richardson scored a career-high 35 points to lead No. 13 Duke past No. 8 Oklahoma 109-99 in overtime in the championship game of the Ball Dawgs Classic.
Oklahoma overcame a first-half, 15-point deficit to tie the game with 4:45 left in the game, and forced overtime with Payton Verhulst’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. But Duke outscored the Sooners 15-5 in OT.
Richardson was named the tournament MVP.
Ashlon Jackson scored 18 points while Jordan Wood chipped in 13, Jadyn Donovan added 12 and Taina Mair had 10 for the Blue Devils (7-1).
Verhulst had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Sooners (6-1). Raegan Beers scored 26, Skylar Vann had 13 points and Sahara Williams added 12 for Oklahoma.
NO. 14 KENTUCKY 76, NO. 19 ILLINOIS 53
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Clara Strack scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Teonni Key added a double-double and No. 14 Kentucky pulled away from No. 19 Illinois to go unbeaten in the Music City Classic.
The Wildcats had a 50-44 lead after three quarters but used an 18-0 run to blitz the Illini 26-9 in the fourth quarter.
Kentucky went 11 of 22 in the fourth quarter when Dazia Lawrence scored 10 points. The Wildcats also forced the Illini into eight turnovers and turned those into 13 points. Illinois was 3 of 15.
Lawrence finished with 15 points for the Wildcats (7-0) and Key had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Amelia Hassett added 10 points.
Illinois scored the last seven points of the first quarter to lead 18-14 and Gretchen Dolan’s layup pulled the Illini into a tie at 28 at halftime.
Adalia McKenzie scored 18 points for Illinois (6-1), which went 1 of 16 on 3-pointers and shot 27% overall. Makira Cook added 11 points and Kendall Bostic had 10 with 12 rebounds.