The American Athletic Conference opened its inaugural conference season with five games on opening weekend. Three decisions were streamed live on The American Digital Network while two aired on the ESPN family of networks.
Shoni Schimmel paced No. 7/7 Louisville to a 71-51 win over SMU on Sunday. Sara Hammond added 14 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Akil Simpson and Kiara Perry had 14 and 13 points for the Mustangs, respectively. SMU challenged Louisville early but the Cardinals outscored the Mustangs 24-9 over the last 7:33 in the first half to take a 47-32 lead at the break.
No. 1/1 UConn defeated Cincinnati 67-34 in Storrs on Sunday. Three players scored in double figures for the Huskies including Breanna Stewart, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth consecutive double-double. Moriah Jefferson and Bria Hartley added 12 points apiece. The Bearcats were led by Jeanise Randolph’s 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was her fifth double-double of the year. UConn outscored Cincinnati 16-0 early in the game before the Bearcats went on an 11-3 run late in the first stanza to cut the lead to eight.
Temple held on for a 63-56 win over Memphis Sunday afternoon at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The Owls closed the game on an 8-2 run to seal the victory and their first league win. Erica Covile paced four Temple players in double figure scoring with a team-high 14 points. Shi-Heria Shipp added 10 points and 10 rebounds while Natasha Thames pulled down a game-high 11 boards. Memphis got a game-high 22 points from Ariel Hearn. Taylor Williams added 12 points off the bench for the Tigers.
UCF (8-4, 1-0) and Rutgers (10-2, 1-0) were victorious in their conference openers on Saturday in a pair of games on The American Digital Network. UCF took down Houston 67-59 at Hofheinz Pavilion while Rutgers defeated USF 66-53 in Tampa. The Knights got a game-high 24 points from Briahanna Jackson. Erika Jones added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Te’onna Campbell had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars while Yasmeen Thompson pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds on the defensive end. Betnijah Laney had her seventh double-double for RU in the win (18 points, 13 rebounds). Freshman Tyler Scaife chipped in with 14 points. Freshman Ariadna Pujol led USF with 17 points.
Conference play continues on Tuesday, Dec. 31 when Houston hosts USF in a 3 p.m. ET matchup on ESPN3.