Saturday, Jan. 14 Results
Top-ranked UConn broke its own NCAA record with its 91st consecutive victory, scoring the first 21 points to defeat SMU 88-48 on Saturday.
Coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies (16-0, 4-0 American) broke the record of 90 wins in a row that his team first accomplished more than six years ago. They matched that mark with a win against No. 20 USF last Tuesday.
The four-time defending national champion Huskies haven't lost a game since falling in overtime at sixth-ranked Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014.
Their first 90-game winning streak broke the Division I record of 88 straight wins by the UCLA men's basketball team and famed coach John Wooden. That UConn streak also started after a loss to Stanford, in the 2008 national semifinal game, and ended with another loss at Stanford on Dec. 30, 2010.
While the only way UConn will play Stanford this season will be in the NCAA tournament, the Huskies do have wins this season over second-ranked Baylor, third-ranked Maryland and sixth-ranked Notre Dame -- the latter two on the road.
Katie Lou Samuelson scored 28 points, Napheesa Collier added 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for UConn, while Gabby Williams also had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with six assists.
Alicia Froling led SMU (10-7, 1-3) with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The junior from Australia entered the game as The American's top rebounder at 10.6 per game.
UConn is 58-0 in American Athletic Conference games in its four seasons since joining the league, with nine more wins in the conference tournament.
Samuelson was 11-of-21 shooting and had five 3-pointers while finishing one point short of matching her career high. She had 10 points in the first quarter, when Collier had nine points and seven rebounds as UConn jumped out to a 26-2 lead.
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Cincinnati rallied from a five-point deficit with 4:38 remaining in the game to defeat Memphis, 66-59, on Saturday afternoon at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Bearcats improve to 12-5 on the season and 3-1 in American Athletic Conference action. The Tigers dropped to 8-5 overall and 1-3 in league play with the loss.
Brea Elmore paced Memphis with a team-high 16 points. Three Bearcats turned in double-figure scoring performances with junior forward Shanice Johnson posting a game-high 22 points – including 10 in the fourth quarter – while sophomore forward Chelsea Warren recorded a career-high 14 points and senior guard Bianca Quisenberry added 11.
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USF remains undefeated at home thanks to a 31-point win over visiting East Carolina Saturday night at Sun Dome Arena. Three Bulls scored 20-plus points putting the Bulls back in the win-column.
The Bulls extended their home win streak to 13 consecutive games with the victory. USF has not dropped a home contest in the Sun Dome Arena since hosting No. 1 UConn Jan. 10, 2016. USF’s home record over the past three seasons improved to 35-4.
Ariadna Pujol led the Bulls with 23 points and just missed a double-double outing adding eight rebounds. The Pirates were led by Kristen Gaffney's 13 points.
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Temple extended its winning streak to nine games with a 58-49 victory on the road at Tulsa on Saturday. The Owls ran their record to 13-3 overall with a 4-0 mark in The American, while Tulsa slipped to 5-12 overall, 1-3 in conference play.
With the usually high-powered Temple offense held in check, the Owls had to rely on their defense to grab the victory. Temple forced 20 Tulsa turnovers on the afternoon, holding the Golden Hurricane to 35% (21-60) from the field.
Junior Donnaizha Fountain and senior Feyonda Fitzgerald accounted for the bulk of points for the Owls, as each tallied 19 points while combining for 11 rebounds. Junior Alliya Butts notched 13 points and three assists, while senior Ruth Sherrill led Temple on the glass with 12 rebounds. Shug Dickson scored a career and game-high 21 off the bench for the Hurricane.
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For the first time this season, all 11 Tulane (12-6, 3-2) players scored on Saturday afternoon as the Green Wave cruised to a 82-56 final at home over Houston (8-9, 1-3).
Kolby Morgan led Tulane with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, marking her third straight game with 20+ points. In addition, Morgan's now 1,332 career points moves the junior into the program's all-time top-10 scoring list. continued her hot streak as well, securing her fourth straight game in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with her game high eight assists.