Women’s Top 25 roundup: No. 3 UConn women beat No. 23 Tennessee in rivalry renewal

HARTFORD, Conn. – Crystal Dangerfield scored 14 points and No. 3 UConn used a dominant third quarter to beat 23rd-ranked Tennessee 60-45 on Thursday night – the first matchup in 13 years between the teams whose rivalry dominated the sport for over a decade.

Trailing by three at the half, the Huskies (17-1) scored 17 of the first 19 points in the third quarter, taking a 45-33 lead on Dangerfield’s 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the period. UConn led by 11 after three and Tennessee could get no closer in the fourth quarter.

Rennia Davis scored 16 points to lead the Lady Vols (15-4).

Thursday night provided a little bit of nostalgia for those who remembered how these two teams carried women’s basketball for over a decade since their first historic meeting in 1995 that was a 1 vs 2 showdown. They played 22 times over a 12-year span, with each one being a circle-the-calendar game whether it was in Tennessee, Connecticut or the NCAA Tournament.

The series ended after the 2007 season when then-Tennessee coach Pat Summitt called it off. Geno Auriemma said at the time that Summitt had accused the Huskies of a recruiting violation. Summitt never went public into specifics about why she ended the series. She died in 2016 at age 64 of Alzheimer’s disease.

Former Tennessee coach Holly Warlick, a longtime assistant of Summitt’s who helped set up Thursday’s game, told the AP that the reason she agreed to restart the series was because it will benefit the Pat Summitt Foundation. The two teams will play in Knoxville next season. Proceeds from both games will go to it, along with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

UConn donated $10,000 to Summitt’s foundation with Auriemma and Tennessee coach Kellie Harper taking part in a ceremony at the half. The Huskies also are auctioning off the black uniforms they wore for the game with the proceeds going to the foundation.

No. 5 Louisville 71, Virginia 56

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dana Evans scored 21 points and Louisville beat Virginia for its 11th straight victory.

The Cardinals (19-1, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) used a 16-2 run over a nearly seven-minute stretch in the first half to take control. Louisville shot 71.4% in the first quarter and led by 20 in the second.

Evans, the league’s reigning player of the week, kept her hot hand early as she scored 15 points in the first half. In a matchup of the ACC’s top scorers, she outdueled league leader Jocelyn Willoughby to give coach Jeff Walz his 350th career victory.

Shemera Williams led Virginia (7-12, 2-6) with 20 points.

No. 8 North Carolina State 88, Pittsburgh 44

PITTSBURGH – Jakia Brown-Turner scored 13 points and North Carolina State used a 30-4 scoring outburst in the third quarter to beat Pittsburgh.

The Wolfpack (18-1, 7-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference) had a 28-2 run around the halftime break and used the lopsided scoring advantage in the third period to turn it into a round.

Dayshanette Harris had 16 points for Pittsburgh (3-15, 0-7).

No. 9 Mississippi State 68, Vanderbilt 52

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jessika Carter scored 10 of her 22 points in the first quarter and Mississippi State held off Vanderbilt for a rare victory at Memorial Gym.

The Bulldogs (17-3, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) bounced back quickly from their 81-79 loss at No. 1 South Carolina on Monday night by notching their seventh straight victory over Vanderbilt. This was just the fifth time Mississippi State has won in 24 games at Memorial.

Koi Love led Vanderbilt (12-7, 2-4) with 19 points.

No. 13 Gonzaga 70 Pepperdine 36

SPOKANE – Jill Townsend had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Gonzaga had its best defensive game of the season, routing Pepperdine to run its winning streak to 17.

Katie Campbell had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Jenn Wirth added 10 points and 10 rebounds and the Bulldogs (19-1, 8-0 West Coast Conference). outrebounded the Waves 57-32. Melody Kempton also had 12 points.

Hannah Friend had 15 points for Pepperdine (9-9, 3-5).

No. 14 Florida State 70, Wake Forest 65

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – River Baldwin scored all 12 of her points in the second half to help Florida State beat Wake Forest 70-65.

Nicki Ekhomu scored all 14 of her points and Kiah Gillespie eight of her 14 in the first half when the Seminoles (16-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) jumped out to 35-19 lead.

Ivana Raca scored 14 of her 27 points and grabbed six of her seven rebounds in the third quarter when the Demon Deacons (11-8, 4-4) scored 25 points to get within eight.

No. 15 Texas A&M 79, Alabama 74

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – N’dea Jones had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Aaliyah Wilson hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds to play and Texas A&M overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to beat Alabama.

Shambria Washington added 20 points and Ciera Johnson and Kayla Wells added 15 apiece for the Aggies (16-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). Texas A&M is 9-0 against the Crimson Tide (11-8, 1-5).

Jasmine Walker led the Crimson Tide with 18 points. Jordan Lewis added 17 points and seven assists.

No. 17 Indiana 76, Penn State 60

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Ali Patberg had 18 points and nine assists, Mackenzie Holmes also scored 18 points and Indiana beat Penn State.

Holmes was 9 of 11 from the field to help Indiana (15-5, 5-3 Big Ten) snap a three-game losing streak and extend Penn State’s skid to four games.

Kamaria McDaniel led Penn State (7-12, 1-7) with 24 points.

No. 18 Iowa 77, Oho State 68

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kathleen Doyle scored 13 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter for Iowa.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder picked up her 200th Big Ten win, while the Hawkeyes (16-3, 7-1) won their seventh straight and 31st consecutive at home. They are tied atop the Big Ten with No. 22 Northwestern.

Makenzie Meyer added 19 points for Iowa. Dorka Juhasz had 22 points and 16 rebounds for Ohio Sate (11-5, 4-4).

No. 20 Maryland 79, Illinois 60

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kaila Charles had 20 points and nine rebounds in Maryland’s victory over Illinois.

Shakira Austin added 14 points and Sara Vujacic had 11 for the Terrapins (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten).

Ali Andrews scored 20 points for Illinois (10-9, 1-7).

Georgia 64, No. 21 Arkansas 55

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gabby Connally scored 18 points and Georgia bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 15-0 run to beat Arkansas.

Que Morrison added 11 points for Georgia (12-7, 3-3 Southeastern Conference).

Erynn Barnum led Arkansas (15-4, 3-3) with 14 points.

No. 22 Northwestern 76, Michigan State 48

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Lindsey Pulliam and Veronica Burton each scored 22 points and Northwestern beat Michigan State for its fifth straight victory.

Northwestern (17-2, 7-1 Big Ten), ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2016, is 8-0 at home.

Moira Joiner made five 3-points and scored 17 points for Michigan State (11-8, 4-4).