Raven Johnson scores 17 points and No. 3 South Carolina beats Florida for 18th straight win

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Raven Johnson had 17 points and Joyce Edwards scored seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as No. 3 South Carolina held on to win its 18th straight game over Florida 74-63 on Sunday.

The Gamecocks (15-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) played a second consecutive game without injured second-leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson and her absence showed throughout against Florida (12-5, 0-2).

South Carolina had a season-high 21 turnovers, shot less than 35% and were only up 53-48 with nine minutes left before Edwards finally got going. The team’s top scorer this season had made only one of five shots to that point, but hit baskets on three of the next six possessions as the Gamecocks opened a 66-56 lead. Tessa Johnson added a 3-pointer in that stretch.

Edwards finished with 10 rebounds for her third double-double this season. Madina Okot, a Mississippi State transfer, had 11 points and 17 rebounds for her 11th double-double South Carolina. Tessa Johnson scored 15 points and had three of the Gamecocks’ five 3-pointers.

Liv McGill had 18 points and seven rebounds for Florida.

Latson, the Florida State transfer, led the.country in scoring a season ago and has averaged 16.9 points for the Gamecocks. Latson sprained her left ankle early in a win over Providence and missed Thursday’s win over Alabama to kick off SEC play.

The Gamecocks looked sloppy without Latson for much of the first half. They led 21-12 before Florida took off on a 15-3 run and led 27-24 with less than five minutes before the break.

NO. 2 TEXAS 67, NO. 15 MISSISSIPPI 64

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jordan Lee scored 17 points, including a clutch layup and free throw late in the game, helping Texas hold off a big rally by Mississippi for the win.

Texas (17-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led by 19 early in the third quarter and by 15 at the end of the period. But Cotie McMahon scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter for Mississippi (14-3, 1-1), and Latasha Lattimore had eight of her 17 in the final period, giving the Rebels a chance.

Unfortunately for Ole Miss McMahon missed two free throws with 4.3 seconds left. Rori Harmon then missed a pair from the line for Texas with one second remaining, and McMahon’s long 3-point shot bounced off the rim as the game ended.

The Longhorns are off to their best start since 1985-86, when they were NCAA champions, finishing 34-0. Texas has won 35 straight home games. The Longhorns are 5-0 this season against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 15 at the time of the games.

NO. 12 VANDERBILT 65, NO. 5 LSU 61

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 32 points and freshman Aubrey Galvan hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 left that put Vanderbilt ahead for good in a win over LSU.

The victory gave coach Shea Ralph her first win over a Top 5 program.

Vanderbilt (15-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) also remains one of four undefeated teams in the nation. The Commodores won their 10th straight at Memorial Gym and continued the second-best in program history with only the 1992-93 Final Four team better with a 17-0 start.

This was the first game between Top 15 teams at Memorial since the 2006-07 season, and the final quarter was a doozy with LSU taking a 49-42 lead. Vanderbilt answered back with eight straight for a thrilling finish.

Galvan, who finished with 14 points, knocked down her go-ahead 3, and Blakes added back-to-back layups for a 7-0 spurt. After Blakes split free throws with 9 seconds left, LSU missed three shots before the buzzer.

NO. 7 MARYLAND 82, INDIANA 67

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored a career-high 34 points, and Maryland rebounded from its first loss of the season, beating Indiana.

The Terrapins (15-1, 3-1 Big Ten) forced 16 turnovers in the first half while allowing only 17 field goal attempts — and just six in the second quarter. Indiana (11-5, 0-4) shot 65% in the half but still trailed 39-32 thanks to all of those giveaways and Maryland’s control of the boards.

The Terps scored the first 12 points of the second half, pushed their lead as high as 21 in the third quarter and then cruised from there.

NO. 8 OKLAHOMA 95, MISSISSIPPI STATE 47

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Aaliyah Chavez scored 17 points and Zya Vann added 16 and 11 rebounds to help Oklahoma rout cold-shooting Mississippi State.

Raegan Beers chipped in 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Sooners (14-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference), who had a 64-37 rebound advantage. Six players scored in double figures for the Sooners, who have won 13 straight, the second-longest streak in program history behind a 20-game run by the 2008-09 Final Four team.

Kharyssa Richardson scored 13 points off the bench for Mississippi State (14-2, 1-1), which lost for the first time since Nov. 20. The Bulldogs made 14 of 70 shots (20%) and one of 25 shots from behind the 3-point line (4%).

Oklahoma set a program record for lowest shooting percentage by a conference opponent. The previous mark was 20.7% by Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference in 2014.

NO. 22 BAYLOR 72, NO. 10 IOWA ST. 70

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Taliah Scott hit the winning shot with 2.9 seconds left and scored all 21 of her points in the second half, leading Baylor past previously unbeaten Iowa State.

Baylor (13-3, 2-1 Big 12) let the clock run down after Iowa State (14-1, 2-1) had tied it on Jada Williams’ 3-pointer. Scott got a screen from Kiersten Johnson to give her a wide-open look from the left elbow. Time ran out on Iowa State when a pass to Audi Crooks in the post was knocked away.

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had 12 of her 13 points in the first quarter and matched her career high with 20 rebounds for Baylor. Yuting Deng came off the bench to score 12 points and Jana Van Gytenbeek had 11 points.

Crooks had 26 points but was limited to four in the second half and fell short of a sixth straight game with at least 30 points.

Crooks had her way in the first half but Baylor packed the lane in the second half to limit her touches, and she attempted only two shots in the fourth quarter.

NO. 11 KENTUCKY 74, MISSOURI 52

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Clara Strack had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Tonie Morgan added 18 points and 14 assists and Kentucky rolled to an eighth straight victory, beating Missouri.

Strack made 7 of 18 shots with three 3-pointers for the Wildcats (15-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference). Morgan sank 7 of 11 shots — 2 of 3 from distance. It was the eighth double-double this season for Strack and the fourth for Morgan.

Jordan Obi added 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting as Kentucky shot 44% from the floor and made 11 of 32 from 3-poiint range (34..4%).

Grace Slaughter had 15 points and seven rebounds to pace the Tigers (12-5, 0-2). Jordana Reisma had 10 points and Chloe Sotell grabbed 12 rebounds but didn’t score.

Morgan and Strack both scored seven to help Kentucky take a 24-17 lead after one quarter. Reisma scored in the paint to put Missouri ahead 13-12, but Asia Boone and Morgan hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 12-4 run for the Wildcats.

NO. 13 LOUISVILLE 85, VIRGINIA TECH 60

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Laura Ziegler scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Louisville remained unbeaten in ACC play with a victory over Virginia Tech.

Louisville shot 47% from the field and made 11 of 19 3-pointers, opening a double-digit lead by halftime and steadily extending it the rest of the way.

Imari Berry added 13 points off the bench for Louisville (14-3, 4-0 ACC), which placed three players in double figures and finished with a 41-34 rebounding edge.

Virginia Tech opened the fourth quarter with a brief push, scoring on three straight possessions to cut the margin to 70-49. The stretch included layups by Samyha Suffren and Carys Baker, but Louisville answered quickly. A three-point play by Skylar Jones and a pull-up jumper from Berry pushed the lead back above 25.

The Cardinals continued to capitalize on turnovers and second-chance opportunities, pushing the margin past 30 on a 3-pointer by Grace Mbugua with 2:12 remaining.

Baker led Virginia Tech (11-5, 1-3) with 16 points and nine rebounds. Suffren added 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench.

STANFORD 77, NO. 16 NORTH CAROLINA 71, OT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Courtney Ogden scored 21 points, Chloe Clardy scored four key points in overtime, and Stanford defeated North Carolina.

Stanford led 23-21 midway through the second quarter and did not regain the lead until the second of two free throws by Chloe Clardy made it 67-66 with about four minutes left in overtime.

North Carolina tied it at 69 but a layup by Clardy gave Stanford the lead for good. The lead was six points after Talana Lepolo made two free throws with 25 seconds left and she made two more for the 77-71 lead with 18 seconds to go.

The four free throws were Lepolo’s only points of the game. She had seven assists.

Lara Somfai scored 13 points, Clardy 12 and Alexandra Eschmeyer 10 for Stanford (13-3, 2-1 ACC).

Nyla Harris led North Carolina (13-4, 2-2) with 18 points. Ciera Toomey added 16 and Elina Aarnisalo 12.

North Carolina made 3 of 11 shots in the fourth quarter and 1 of 5 in overtime. The Tar Heels shot 45% for the game.

DUKE 82, NO. 18 NOTRE DAME 68

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Taina Mair scored 23 points, Toby Fournier added 20, and Duke defeated Notre Dame, extending the Blue Devils’ winning streak to six games.

Mair’s season-high output was her most in two seasons. She made 7 of 12 shots overall, 4 of 4 3-pointers and all five of her free throws. She also had six rebounds and six assists. Fournier added seven rebounds and five assists.

Fueled by a 13-0 run, Duke’s 26-17 first quarter put Notre Dame in catch-up mode and the Fighting Irish trailed by at least nine points for the remainder of the half.

Hannah Hidalgo’s 3-pointer to open the third quarter got Notre Dame within 43-37. It was the only time over the final three quarters that Duke led by less than nine points. The Blue Devils responded with an 8-0 run and built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter. They led 59-48 at the end of the period.

Mair scored nine points in the fourth quarter and the unranked Blue Devils (9-6, 4-0 ACC) led by as many as 16 points in the final minute.

NO. 19 OHIO STATE 71, RUTGERS 49

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge finished with 18 points, Chance Gray scored 17 and Ohio State pulled away in the second half to beat Rutgers.

Cambridge made 7 of 18 shots with a 3-pointer and 3 of 4 free throws for the Buckeyes (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten Conference). Gray sank 7 of 15 shots — 1 of 6 from beyond the arc — and both her foul shots.

Elsa Lemmilä pitched in with 10 points and 11 rebounds to help Ohio State outscore the Scarlet Knights (8-7, 0-4) by 17 in the second half. It was the sophomore’s first double-double of the season and the second of her career.

Faith Blackstone had 15 points to lead Rutgers and Imani Lester scored 14.

Lester scored eight on 4-for-5 shooting to help Rutgers take a 17-14 lead after one quarter. The Scarlet Knights shot 61.5% in the first 10 minutes while the Buckeyes missed 10 of 15 attempts.

NO. 20 NEBRASKA 78, PURDUE 62

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Britt Prince hit four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, Amiah Hargrove and Eliza Maupin each scored 13 points, and Nebraska beat Purdue.

Callin Hake made three 3s and finished with 11 points for the Cornhuskers. Nebraska (13-2, 2-2 Big Ten) had lost back-to-back games — 74-66 to No. 17 USC and 86-76 at No. 14 Iowa — after a 12-game win streak to open the season.

Tara Daye had 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals for Purdue (8-7, 0-4). Kiki Smith and Kendall Puryear scored 10 points apiece. The Boilermakers have lost three in a row overall and seven straight against Nebraska.

Prince made two 3-pointers and Logan Nissley added another in an 11-3 spurt that made it 16-9 midway through the first quarter and the Cornhuskers led the rest of the way.

Maupin scored six consecutive points in an 12-3 run that pushed the lead to 13 points late in the second quarter before Hargrove made two free throws that gave Nebraska a 43-32 advantage at halftime. The Cornhuskers shot 64% (14 of 22) from the field and made 9 of 12 (75%) from 3-point range in the first half.

NO. 22 BAYLOR 72, NO. 10 IOWA STATE 70

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Taliah Scott hit the winning shot with 2.9 seconds left and scored all 21 of her points in the second half, leading Baylor past previously unbeaten Iowa State.

Baylor (13-3, 2-1 Big 12) let the clock run down after Iowa State (14-1, 2-1) had tied it on Jada Williams’ 3-pointer. Scott got a screen from Kiersten Johnson to give her a wide-open look from the left elbow. Time ran out on Iowa State when a pass to Audi Crooks in the post was knocked away.

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had 12 of her 13 points in the first quarter and matched her career high with 20 rebounds for Baylor. Yuting Deng came off the bench to score 12 points and Jana Van Gytenbeek had 11 points.

Crooks had 26 points but was limited to four in the second half and fell short of a sixth straight game with at least 30 points.

Crooks had her way in the first half but Baylor packed the lane in the second half to limit her touches, and she attempted only two shots in the fourth quarter.

NO. 23 TENNESSEE 73, AUBURN 56

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Talaysia Cooper scored 18 points, Janiah Barker had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Tennessee beat Auburn.

Cooper made 7 of 12 from the field, and Barker was 6-for-10 shooting and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line for Tennessee (10-3, 2-0 SEC).

Khady Leye scored 14 points on 7 of 14 shooting for Auburn (11-5, 0-2). The rest of the Tigers combined to shoot 29% (15 of 51) from the field.

Tennessee made 7 of 14 from the field, 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and limited the Tigers to 16% (3 of 19) shooting in the first quarter to take a 22-9 lead into the second.

Mia Pauldo, Mya Pauldo and Cooper each hit a 3-pointer before Barker made two free throws to cap an 11-2 run to close the first, and the Lady Vols scored 12 of the final 16 second-quarter points to make it 41-26 at halftime. Barker scored the first eight points in a 12-1 spurt over the final 3:34 of the third quarter.

NO. 24 MICHIGAN STATE 81, ILLINOIS 75

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kennedy Blair had 19 points, Rashunda Jones and Grace VanSlooten each scored 15 and Michigan State ended Illinois’ 11-game win streak with a victory.

Blair made 4 of 10 shots and 11 of 12 free throws for the Spartans (14-1, 3-1 Big Ten Conference), who have won six in a row. She added nine rebounds and seven assists. VanSlooten hit 7 of 15 shots and grabbed nine rebounds. Jones sank both of her 3-point attempts and all five of her free throws. Emma Shumate hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 off the bench.

Berry Wallace and reserve Maddie Webber scored 22 apiece to lead the Fighting Illini (13-2, 3-1). Gretchen Dolan scored 12 but missed 12 of 16 shots. Destiny Jackson had 10 rebounds and six assists to go with six points.