Saturday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, Feb. 24
Highlights
UConn 68, Tulsa 49
Megan Walker scored 21 points and No. 3 UConn, playing without Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, rolled to a 68-49 victory over Tulsa on Sunday.
Auriemma missed the game with an illness. He did not travel with the Huskies for the opener of a two-game trip, but hopes to return for Tuesday's game at Wichita State.
With associate head coach Chris Dailey filling in for Auriemma, UConn remained undefeated in six seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
It was the first time that Auriemma, in his 34th season as the Huskies coach, had missed a game since the 1997 Big East Tournament.
Auriemma is a 2006 inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a nine-time Coach of the Year and has led UConn to 11 national titles.
Dailey, a Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member who has been on the UConn staff since Auriemma became head coach in 1985, is 8-0 when filling in for Auriemma.
UConn is 99-0 in American Athletic Conference regular-season games and 114-0 overall since joining before the 2013-14 season.
Morgan Brady paced Tulsa (11-15, 5-8) with 17 points and was 5 of 8 on 3s. Crystal Polk added 14 points for the Golden Hurricane.
Napheesa Collier had a game-high 15 rebounds for the Huskies but for the first time in seven games this month, UConn was outrebounded as Tulsa had a 41-39 advantage.
The Huskies were ahead 29-25 midway through the second quarter before ending the first half on a 12-2 run for a 41-27 lead and the Hurricane never got any closer during the rest of the game.
The Huskies clinched at least a share of a sixth consecutive American Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Houston 59, Memphis 57
The Houston Cougars Women's basketball team would battle back from an early deficit, picking up its fourth straight win in a 59-57 decision at Memphis on Sunday afternoon inside the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
The Cougars saw three players reach double figures in scoring, including 17 from Dorian Branch. Serithia Hawkins added 10 points, followed Octavia Barnes with 10. Barnes and Alyssa Okoene led the team in rebounds with eight and Branch led the team with four assists.
Memphis finished the game with two players in double figures led by Jamirah Shutes with a game-high 20 points, following by Alana Davis with 16 points. Shutes led the Tigers with 8 rebounds and Jada Stinson finished with four assists.
Houston would be plagued by turnovers throughout the first two quarters, heading into the break with 15. Memphis would extend its lead in the second quarter, going on an 7-0 run before the first media timeout to take a 23-12 lead.
A new look Houston squad stepped out on the court in the third quarter, opening the frame with a 6-0 run and forcing a Memphis timeout at the 8:26 mark. With the lead trimmed and trailing 32-27, Dorian Branch hit her first three-pointer of the day as to push the Cougars within four. Memphis fought back, pushing its lead back to five, following a made three-pointer from Branch and lay-up from Okoene. Houston would trail 38-32 at the midway point of the quarter. Memphis would again extend its lead, only to have it ate away at after Octavia Barnes and Branch hit shots from long-range to put the Cougars within five heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars would storm out of the huddle and score on three straight possessions to take their first lead of the game at the 7:51 mark in the fourth quarter. Branch scored nine of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to anchor the offense.
The Cougars saw three players reach double figures in scoring, including 17 from Branch. Hawkins added 10 points, followed Barnes with 10. Barnes and Okoene led the team in rebounds with eight and Branch led the team with four assists.
SMU 64, Tulane 60
The Mustangs topped Tulane 64-60 Sunday afternoon from Devlin Fieldhouse behind sophomore Ariana Whitfield's 24-point game.
Whitfield came into the game with a career high of 22 coming last year in the conference tournament. The sophomore 24 points were the most by a Mustang this season, leading the SMU to its first road win of the season. Whitfield connected on 8-of-12 from the field including a red-hot 6-for-8 from downtown. She also added two assists and three steals in the victory.
The Mustangs overcame an early five-point Tulane advantage in the first quarter and were able to take a one-point lead after one, and wouldn't look back. SMU went on a 16-6 run to close out the first half that saw the Mustangs take a six point lead into the break. Johnasia Cash and Whitfield had strong first half efforts, Cash dropped in eight points to go along seven boards while Whitfield led the team with 11 points. SMU was aided by a 21-8 rebounding edge in the first half.
The Mustangs stayed hot to start the third stretching the lead to as many as 11 in the period behind Whitfield who hit her first five three-point attempts. At the end of three, the Mustangs were up by six.
Tulane was able to pull closer to the Mustangs by hitting from the line down the stretch. It was a four point game with 10 seconds to go when the Mustangs got a much needed stop and secured the victory.
Cash finished the game with a double-double, bringing in a dozen boards and contributing 14 points.
UCF 62, Temple 54
The UCF women’s basketball team recorded a pair of milestones in a 62-54 win over Temple in CFE Arena on Saturday afternoon.
UCF matched its most Division I victories at 22. Junior Kay Kay Wright became the third Knight in the last three years to reach the 1,000-point mark.
The Knights (22-5, 11-3 The American) trailed Temple (9-17, 5-8 The American) 22-18 at the end of the first quarter. UCF closed the second quarter on a 12-1 run to take a 37-33 lead into the locker rooms. The squads battled in the third quarter, with the Black and Gold holding a 50-49 advantage heading into the final frame. UCF limited Temple to just five points in the fourth quarter to pull away for the victory.
Wright recorded her 13th contest with at least 20 points, leading all scorers with 24 in the game. She and Nyala Shuler led UCF with seven rebounds each. Wright also dished out four assists. Kayla Thigpen added 12 points for UCF and Brittney Smith had a game-high two blocks.
The Knights finished one shy of their season-low in turnovers with just eight in the contest. UCF held Temple to just 11.8 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, and 34.5 percent for the game.
Cincinnati 68, ECU 57
University of Cincinnati women's basketball picked up its 10th American Athletic Conference (AAC) win of the season Saturday with a 68-57 victory over ECU at Minges Coliseum.
The Bearcats (18-9, 10-4 AAC) led the Pirates (13-14, 4-10) by as many as 12 in the first half and took a 39-28 advantage into halftime. ECU crept back into the game early in the third quarter, trailing by just seven. UC responded by pushing its lead back to double digits at the end of three and stayed in control in the fourth period to notch 10 conference wins for the second-straight year.
Now a fixture in the starting lineup, junior guard Florence Sifa led the way with 17 points, to go along with five rebounds. Junior guard Antoinette Miller matched Sifa in scoring and rebounding, and added four assists. Back in her home state in front of many family and friends, junior forward Angel Rizor narrowly missed her first double-double of the season with 12 points and nine rebounds, as well as four assists.
Facing ECU for the first time this season, the Red & Black jumped out to an early 8-2 lead. In fast-paced action, the two teams traded baskets over the duration of the opening period with UC coming out ahead at the end of one, 21-16. In the second quarter, the Bearcats put together a 10-0 run midway through the period and proceeded to take a 39-28 advantage into halftime.
UC saw its lead reduced to just seven, 39-32, minutes into the third quarter, but answered with a 5-0 run to go up 12. The Bearcats kept the Pirates at bay throughout the period with a 50-39 surplus with 10 minutes remaining. The Red & Black stayed in control for much of the final stanza, not letting ECU get closer than seven as it added its fourth AAC road win of the season.
USF 55, Wichita State 46
Redshirt sophomore Shae Leverett starred in a career-high night, amassing 20 points and 18 rebounds in USF's 55-46 victory over Wichita State for USF's third straight win, and head coach Jose Fernandez's 350th career win on Saturday night.
Leverett lifted USF to its first ever defeat of the Shockers (11-15, 4-9 AAC) and in their first visit to Tampa. The Bulls (15-12, 6-7 AAC) sealed their third straight victory in the final minutes of the game with a 13-2 run. The win is a landmkark win for Fernandez who earned his 350thcareer win in 19 seasons at the helm for USF.
Leverett's impressive line came from drawing fouls, sending her to the free-throw line 11 times where she connected on 10 gimmes. The 6-foot-2 center shot 50 percent from the floor on a 5-of-10 clip. She pulled down nine offensive boards and nine offensive boards, singlehandedly helping USF edge Wichita State 51-to-35 in rebounding.
USF hit the first basket with a Leverett layup, but Wichita State rolled to a 7-1 run part way through the first quarter. USF closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run, capped by a Septe three-pointer to lead 11-7.
The run extended to a 12-0 run just one minute into the second quarter when USF hit four straight free throws. Leverett proceeded to take and make eight free throws in the second quarter, and by halftime, she led USF with a career-high tying 15 points and eight rebounds.
The Shockers cut the deficit to as little as five, but five straight Pehadzic points extended USF's lead to double figures. Wichita State hit a three-pointer with seven seconds left in the half to get back to single figures and the Bulls took a 34-25 advantage to the locker room.
In the second half, Wichita State hit a stride with a 10-3 run to close the gap. USF kept a small cushion until the final minutes of the third quarter when Wichita State tied the game at 41-41, and it was anyone's game in the final period.
In the fourth quarter, Wichita State tied the game at 43-43 with 6:55 to go before USF's decisive 13-2 run.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE