Rice 67, South Florida 64
Clinging to a three-point lead in the closing seconds, Malia Fisher's block on a South Florida three-point attempt sealed a 67-64 victory for the Rice women's basketball team Sunday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse in front of a national audience on ESPNU. The Owls move to 9-6 (3-1 The American) on the season.
Fisher ended the day with her 12th career double-double (second of the season) with a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds while adding two steals and two blocks. Dominique Ennis added 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
As a team, Rice shot 21-of-52 (40.4%) from the field and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from three-point range. The Owls added a 19-of-22 (86.4%) showing from the free throw line, including a perfect 10-of-10 in the fourth quarter. Rice scored 17 points off of 14 South Florida turnovers.
Memphis 59, Temple 57
The University of Memphis women's basketball picked up its first American Athletic Conference win of the season while snapping a five-game losing skid in route to the 59-57 win over Temple University Sunday afternoon.
Following tonight's game, Memphis moves to 5-11 overall and 1-4 in The American.
Memphis started the game out looking sharp; Shelbee Brown put the Tigers up 4-0 with two quick buckets in the open minute of the quarter before Temple came back with a 9-0 run to take the lead.
The group of Ki'Ari Cain, Madison Griggs, Hannah Riddick and Kai Carter put the Tigers back on top with a 10-0 run to end the opening frame to take the 14-9 lead into the second quarter.
A defensive battle continued into the second quarter between the Tigers and Owls; Memphis held Temple to just seven points and forced them into seven turnovers in the 10-minute period. While the Tiger defense held strong, they struggled to get their offense going.
After Destyne Jackson sank a free throw just 75 seconds into the quarter, Brown, Griggs and Aliyah Green found the bottom of the net to push the Tiger lead out to 23-16 heading into halftime.
After back-to-back baskets from Brown and Alasia Smith gave the Tigers their largest lead of the night at 27-16, Temple came storming back. The duo of Aleah Nelson and Kendall Currance combined for three long-range shots to make it a two-point lead for Memphis with 3:51 remaining in the quarter.
The Tigers did not back down, getting free throw from Griggs and Smith while forcing the Owls into four turnovers to take the 40-36 lead into the final 10 minutes of the game.
It came down to the final seconds of the game to decide a winner; after Memphis and Temple went back-and-forth with scoring, late free throws from Griggs put the Tigers on top to take the exciting 59-57 win.
Alasia Smith led the team with her fifth double-double of the year and 33rd of her career at 18 points and 10 rebounds while Madison Griggs and Shelbee Brown added in 14 and 10 points, respectively.
As a team, Memphis forced Temple into 22 turnovers while converting 19 points off said turnovers.
UAB 84, SMU 75
Sophomore point guard Denim DeShields scored 31 points and led five players in double figures as the UAB women's basketball team defeated SMU 84-75 on Sunday afternoon at Bartow Arena.
DeShields was 8-of-16 from the floor and 13-of-14 from the free throw line for her 31 points while adding five assists and three rebounds. Mia Moore notched her ninth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Kylee Schneringer had a season-high 13 points. Jade Weathersby (11) and Tracey Bershers (10) also had double figures.
UAB (13-4, 4-1 The American) shot 44 percent for the game and was 26-of-28 from the free throw line. SMU (8-8, 2-3 The American) shot 46 percent from the floor and received a game-high 32 points from Tiara Young, but the Blazers executed down the stretch and were clutch at the line to hold on for the win. UAB is now 8-1 at Bartow Arena this season.
The Blazers started the game hot, making five of their first seven shots and held a 14-9 lead at the first media timeout of the game. UAB shot 60 percent in the first quarter and Bershers' triple at the end of the quarter gave the Blazers a 24-13 lead after one.
With UAB ahead 29-17 early in the second, the Mustangs went on a 9-0 run to get within three, but back-to-back triples from DeShields and Schneringer increased the lead back to nine (35-26) and UAB eventually outscored SMU 14-4 to end the half and had a 43-30 lead at the break.
UAB shot 45 percent in the first half and was led by DeShields with 13 and Bershers with 10 at the break.
SMU outscored UAB 24-18 in the third quarter and got within four (51-47), but Weathersby calmly knocked down four free throws in a row to increase the lead back to eight and the Blazers led 61-54 entering the fourth.
With UAB leading by eight (70-62), SMU scored the next five points which cut the advantage to three with 3:01 left in the game. UAB answered through with a layup from DeShields, followed by the point guard finding a slashing Moore for an and-1 which got the lead back up to 75-67 with 1:47 left.
SMU once again got within four (77-73) but had to foul and UAB made 5-of-6 at the line to ice the game.
North Texas 72, Wichita State 68
The UNT women's basketball team erased an 18-point deficit in the second half to down Wichita State, 72-68, in a Sunday afternoon thriller inside The Super Pit.
The Mean Green faced their second-largest deficit of the season trailing 51-33 with 2:02 left to go in the third quarter. From there, North Texas would outscore Wichita State 39-17 in the program's largest comeback since 2018.
DesiRay Kernal and Dyani Robinson each posted 11 points in the fourth quarter, while Tommisha Lampkin added eight to spur the rally. The trio combined for all of North Texas' 30 points in the quarter as they outscored the Shockers by 15 in the final 10 minutes.
North Texas struggled to hold onto the ball in the first half, leading to Wichita State's lead. The Mean Green turned the ball over nine times, while shooting 34.6% from the field. A 10-0 run late in the second quarter for Wichita State gave it a 32-24 lead at halftime.
The Shockers continued to build upon that lead to start the third quarter, led by Salese Blow who finished with a game-high 23 points.
However, UNT would shift the momentum of the game with a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter. With the Shockers' lead cut to two points, the teams traded baskets before UNT took its first lead since the 6:56 mark in the second quarter during a 10-0 run.
With the win, North Texas improved to 13-3 on the season and 3-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The Mean Green also remained undefeated at home with a record of 7-0.
Kernal led the Mean Green on her 23rd birthday 21 points and nine rebounds. Robinson was second in points with 15, while Lampkin added 12 for the night.
UTSA 81, Charlotte 80 (2OT)
As the clock winded down in double-overtime, a freshman Idara Udo game-winner allowed the UTSA women's basketball program to take down the American Athletic Conference's top squad, with the Roadrunners besting Charlotte, 81-80 on Sunday inside the Convocation Center.
Following a 49er three-pointer with 13 seconds on the clock, Udo hauled in an offensive rebound and got a second-chance layup to fall, handing UTSA the lead with 1.8 seconds remaining. The Roadrunners then swarmed Charlotte's in-bounder as graduate student Hailey Atwood poked the ball free, authorizing the final buzzer to sound and cement an 81-80 UTSA victory.
The Roadrunners (9-7, 3-2 The American) issued the 49ers (11-6, 4-1 The American) their first loss in league play, as Udo recorded the best game of her career, scoring 26 points at a 69% clip and collecting nine rebounds with three blocks.
Meanwhile, fellow newcomer Aysia Proctor led the contest with 13 boards and used 17 points on five triples to secure her second double-double of the season.
Senior Kyra White delivered a solid all-around performance, falling just short of a triple-double to the tune of nine points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Additionally, redshirt junior Elyssa Coleman has maintained a hot hand, dropping 12 points in what represented her sixth straight game with double-digit scoring figures.
As a team, UTSA shot 41% from the field to the Niners' 34%, snagged 13 more rebounds than their opponents, and scored seven more second-chance points.
Udo got UTSA on the board early before Charlotte embarked on a 6-0 run midway through the first quarter. Udo snapped the streak with a trio of free throws, seeing a 6-5 score line, with a Coleman jumper shortly after resulting in a 7-7 tie. The Niners knocked down a triple, and the squads traded buckets for a 12-9 CLT lead at the conclusion of the quarter.
Coleman opened up the second stanza with back-to-back Udo baskets, issuing a 15-12 UTSA lead. Again, exchanging blows, Atwood connected on a triple for a 20-18 Roadrunner advantage. Charlotte quickly tied things up, but a Proctor layup sparked a 10-1 UTSA surge, with five points coming courtesy of White. The Niners sunk two free throws en route to a 29-25 Roadrunner lead as the teams headed into the locker room.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Proctor helped UTSA work a 35-27 edge early in the third before Charlotte answered with consecutive triples of their own. Sophomore Sidney Love then connected from beyond the arc for a 38-33 lead for the 'Runners. Proctor sunk her third triple of the quarter, ahead of five consecutive 49er points that saw a 43-42 score line, still favoring UTSA. Back-to-back buckets for Udo permitted a 50-44 Roadrunner advantage before a Niner free throw sent the squads into the fourth quarter, with UTSA leading 50-45.
Another triple by Proctor allowed the 'Runners to maintain a 56-51 lead midway through the final frame. Charlotte cut their deficit to one with five consecutive points, but a Coleman jumper kept UTSA in front, 62-59. The Niners then nailed a three-pointer, knotting the contest, 62-62 with under a minute in regulation. From there, neither team could find the bottom of the net, sending the game into overtime.
A senior Kyleigh McGuire hook shot and a pair of Coleman freebies helped UTSA to a slim 66-65 lead in overtime. A three-minute scoring drought ensued, with a 49er free throw tying the contest 66-66 with 38 seconds remaining in the period. Udo was fouled, sending her to the charity stripe with nine seconds on the clock. She converted both, working a 68-66 UTSA lead, but Dazia Lawrence beat the buzzer for Charlotte, prompting a second overtime period.
Charlotte knocked down a three-pointer to open double overtime and sunk a free throw for a 72-68 advantage. Udo nailed two freebies, and Love scored on a floater, retying the game at 72. The 49ers converted a pair of their own from the charity stripe ahead of a Proctor three-pointer, resulting in a 75-74 UTSA lead. The squads exchanged blows, and another Niner free throw saw a 77-77 deadlock. Atwood tickled the twine on a jumper, and the 49ers again responded, sinking a triple with 13 seconds remaining before Udo's heroics secured the Roadrunner's win.