Saturday, Jan. 26 - Sunday, Jan. 27
Highlights
UConn 98, ECU 42
Christyn Williams scored 26 points, Megan Walker had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 3 UConn pulled away after the first quarter for a 98-42 victory at East Carolina on Saturday.
The Huskies went 15 of 25 from 3-point range, including 8 of 10 by freshman Anna Makurat, who finished with 24 points.
The Pirates got 17 points from Lashonda Monk, who provided a highlight when she banked in a shot from well behind the half-court line to end the first quarter.
UConn was leading 22-18 during the first minute of the second quarter when it went on a 16-1 run to seize control. It led 50-21 at halftime and 79-26 after three quarters.
Consecutive 3s by Walker and Makurat made it 38-19 Huskies with 4:17 to go until halftime. Walker posted all of her points and 11 of her 12 rebounds in the first half.
UCF 82, Memphis 66
The UCF women's basketball team bounced back in a big way, topping Memphis 82-66 in Addition Financial Arena on Saturday afternoon.
UCF (11-7, 3-3 The American) shot just over 50 percent from the field and got 33 points from its bench in the victory over Memphis (10-9, 1-5 The American).
Nine Knights scored at least two points, and the Knights got 33 points from their bench on the day. UCF posted a season-high 23 assists on 34 field goals and committed just nine turnovers – a season-low for the Black and Gold.
For the third time in her UCF career, Kay Kay Wright posted a double-double, tallying a game-high 21 points and a career-best 12 assists. A pair of steals gave the Orlando native sole possession of fifth on UCF's career chart with 245.
Wright was one of four Knights in double figures. Brittney Smith continued her strong sophomore season as she finished with 12 points in just over 19 minutes.
Georgia Gayle drained four treys en route to 12 points for the Black and Gold. Masseny Kaba chipped in 11 points and led the Knights with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Memphis saw three finish in double figures, led by Jamirah Shutes’ 12 points.
UCF jumped out to a hot start, connecting on 68.8 percent of its field goals in the first quarter to lead 23-12 after the first 10 minutes. The Black and Gold continued their strong shooting in the second frame, pouring in 26 points while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 80 percent from beyond the arc. The Knights closed the second quarter on a 17-2 run to take a 49-25 lead into halftime.
The Knights matched their solid second quarter shooting in the third quarter, hitting 52.9 percent of their shots to push their lead to as many as 37 points before taking a 70-47 lead into the final 10 minutes. UCF cooled off in the final frame but maintained a double-digit advantage through the final buzzer.
USF 63, Tulane 56
The University of South Florida women's basketball team celebrated Gasparilla Day with an impressive 63-56 win over Tulane, on Saturday in the Yuengling Center, in front of 2,207 raucous loyal fans. The win, the Bulls' second-straight and fourth in their last six games, improves the Green and Gold to 12-8 on the year and 4-2 in The American. The Green Wave suffered their first conference loss of the year (6-1) while falling to 11-9 overall.
Sydni Harvey led four players in double figures with a game-high 16 points while Elena Tsineke added 14 points. Elisa Pinzan and Kristyna Brabencova chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the win.
Krystal Freeman and Arsula Clark led Tulane with 13 points apiece.
After trailing at the end of one quarter, USF outscored Tulane 15-9 in the second to take a 27-25 lead into the locker room at the half when Tsineke capped a 5-1 run with a driving layup just before the break.
The Bulls came out in the second half and extended their lead to double-digits, leading by as many as 11 points midway through the fourth quarter. USF bent, but did not break, as the Green Wave battled back and cut the double-figure advantage to a one possession game four times in the final four minutes. Pinzan, however, iced the game for the Bulls, scoring nine of the final 10 points – on 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line to go along with a big three-point shot to put USF up seven – securing the win down the stretch.
Houston 64, Wichita State 56
The University of Houston Women's Basketball team surged when it counted the most, in an 64-56 overtime victory over Wichita State on Saturday afternoon at the Fertitta Center.
Julia Blackshell-Fair paced Houston with12 points, with Dymond Gladney and Tatyana Hill adding 11 apiece. Wichita State received 13 points from Maya Brewer and 10 from Mariah McCully.
The Cougars made key plays down the stretch that would ultimately decide the game. With a minute and a half remaining Hill changed the momentum of the game, drawing an offensive foul that gave Houston possession. On the other end Bria Patterson sank a lay-up to make it a one-point game. WSU's Seraphine Bastin drew a foul and hit 1-of-2 from the line with 27 seconds remaining. As time winded down, Gladney found Lewis on the block for a two-point basket that sent the game into overtime. Houston made use of the opportunities that it was given outscoring the Shockers 7-2 off turnovers, 8-4 in the paint and 7-4 off the fast break in the fourth quarter.
With the score tied 53-53, Houston rattled off eight consecutive points to build a comfortable lead. A driving lay-up from Gladney and a three-pointer from Dorian Branch sealed the deal and helped Houston improve to 10-10 on the season and 3-3 in conference play as they defeated Wichita State 64-56.
SMU 57, Tulsa 38
Ariana Whitfield scored a season-high 23 points to lead SMU to a 57-38 win against Tulsa in Moody Coliseum Saturday. Whitfield came off the bench in the second quarter and hit her first four shots, three outside the arc, and finished 9-for-15 with five 3-pointers.
While the junior's offensive surge was a key, it was on the defensive end of the floor that SMU was most dominant. The Mustangs (8-10, 2-4 The American) allowed just three field goals in the first half, and led 35-13 at halftime.
The Mustangs limited the Golden Hurricane (6-14, 1-6 The American) to just 22.7 percent shooting and 38 points, season lows by an SMU opponent. Leading 14-5 late in the first quarter, SMU went on a 19-1 run to take complete control.
Johnasia Cash finished one rebound short of her eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and nine boards. Freshman Reagan Bradley added four assists to her season total, pulling within 17 assists of the freshman record with 78 on the year. SMU out-rebounded Tulsa 48-31, including 20 offensive boards for 11 second-chance points.
Cincinnati 86, Temple 81
University of Cincinnati women's basketball extended its home win streak to nine games Sunday afternoon with an 86-81 victory over the visiting Temple Owls at Fifth Third Arena.
After an even first quarter (16-16), the Bearcats (13-6, 4-2 AAC) controlled the second quarter and took a 36-27 advantage into halftime. UC continued its surge in the third period, going up by as many as 17 points midway through. Armed with a 62-51 lead with 10 minutes left, the Red & Black saw the Owls (12-8, 4-3 AAC) get within four points on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter but finished strong to pick up the victory.
The win vaulted the Bearcats into sole possession of third place in the American Athletic Conference and moved its home league record over the last two seasons to 10-1.
Four UC players scored in double figures on the day with senior guard Antoinette Miller posting a team-high 21 points -- including a fourth-quarter bucket which made her the 28th member of the program's 1,000-point club.
Junior forward IImar'I Thomas continued her strong play with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while senior forward Angel Rizor added 19 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high-tying and a game-best seven assists. Additionally, senior guard Sam Rodgers notched her first career double-double with 13 points and a team and career-high 10 rebounds, as well as four assists.
For Temple, Mia Davis recorded her 14th double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. Lena Niang added 11 points and 10 boards.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
