Montgomery lifts UConn to victory
If Renee Montgomery wants to shoot from several feet behind the 3-point line with the game in the balance, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma isn’t going to say anything to dissuade her.
Montgomery connected from about 25 feet with 2 minutes left, and again from a couple feet behind the 3-point line with 6.7 seconds to go, lifting No. 5 Connecticut to a 72-71 victory over No. 7 LSU on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.
Porsha Phillips hit a buzzer-beater from the top of the key, sending the home crowd and LSU bench into a brief moment of pandemonium before referees confirmed by looking at a TV replay that Phillips’ foot was on the line, meaning it was a two-point shot, not a tying 3.
It wasn’t just an impressive victory over another Top 10 team. UConn became the first visiting team to win in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center since February of 2004, snapping LSU’s 43-game home winning streak.
(1) Duke 77, Wake Forest 45: At Winston-Salem, N.C., Lindsey Harding and Joy Cheek scored 13 points apiece and the Blue Devils (26-0, 11-0 ACC) overcame a sputtering offense to remain the nation’s only unbeaten team with a win over the Demon Deacons (9-15, 0-10).
(3) Tennessee 84, Kentucky 62: At Knoxville, Tenn., Candace Parker scored 22 of her 31 points in the first half and the Lady Vols (23-2, 10-0 SEC) cruised to a victory over the Wildcats (16-10, 5-6).
(4) Ohio State 69, Illinois 60: At Champaign, Ill., Jessica Davenport scored 28 points and Marscilla Packer added 17 as the Buckeyes (23-1, 12-0 Big Ten) beat the Illini (16-8, 6-6).
(6) Maryland 83, Virginia 74: At Charlottesville, Va., Crystal Langhorne had 19 points and 15 rebounds and the Terrapins (24-3, 8-3 ACC) coasted to a victory over the Cavaliers (14-11, 3-7).
(8) George Washington 75, St. Bonaventure 41: At Washington, Sarah Jo Lawrence and Kenan Cole had 15 points and Jessica Adair and Kimberly Beck added 11 to lead the Colonials (21-2, 10-0 Atlantic 10) past the Bonnies (13-12, 3-7).
(9) Georgia 81, South Carolina 57: At Athens, Ga., Tasha Humphrey had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (21-5, 8-3 SEC) over the Gamecocks (14-12, 4-7).
Michigan St. 54, (13) Purdue 52: At West Lafayette, Ind., Mia Johnson hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to help the Spartans (19-6, 10-2 Big Ten) top the Boilermakers (21-5, 10-2).
(14) Vanderbilt 80, Auburn 54: At Nashville, Tenn., Carla Thomas led a balanced scoring effort with 15 points as the Commodores (21-4, 7-3 SEC) beat the Tigers (17-9, 4-6).
(19) Middle Tennessee 78, W. Kentucky 63: At Bowling Green, Ky., Amber Holt scored 24 points, Chrissy Givens had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Blue Raiders (23-3, 15-0 Sun Belt) beat the Hilltoppers (17-6, 11-3).
(22) Rutgers 55, West Virginia 49: At Piscataway, N.J., Essence Carson recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Scarlet Knights (15-7, 8-3 Big East) to a win over the Mountaineers (16-9, 7-5).
(25) James Madison 85, Northeastern 63: At Harrisonburg, Va., Meredith Alexis had 21 points and 17 rebounds as the Dukes (22-2, 13-0 CAA) beat the Huskies (3-21, 2-11).