COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Aleighsa Welch had a season-high 19 points and 14 rebounds, Tiffany Mitchell hit two foul shots with 17 seconds left and No. 2 South Carolina outlasted No. 6 Tennessee to remain perfect in Southeastern Conference play, 71-66 Monday night.
The Gamecocks (26-1, 14-0 SEC) led 67-57 with five minutes left and a raucous crowd yelling to end a run of home losses to the Lady Vols that stretched to 1980.
But Tennessee (23-4, 13-1) rallied to score nine straight points and close within 67-66 on Bashaara Graves' basket with 20.2 seconds left. That's when Mitchell hit two foul shots to extend the lead.
After Tennessee's Cierra Burdick turned the ball over on the next possession, Asia Dozier secured South Carolina's victory with the final two foul shots.
1-Connecticut 94
Tulane 47
NEW ORLEANS -- Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 21 points and No. 1 UConn beat Tulane 94-47 on Monday night.
The Huskies (27-1, 16-0 American Athletic Conference) used a three-pointer by Morgan Tuck right before the half to take a 45-25 lead into the break.
Tuck then hit two more threes to make the score 51-25 at the start of the second half, and UConn led by at least 24 the rest of the way.
Tuck finished with 16 points and Breanna Stewart added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, who won their 26th straight. Moriah Jefferson contributed 15 points, eight steals and five assists.
Courtnie Latham scored 12 points for Tulane (20-8, 11-6), which lost 87-39 in Storrs, Conn., on Valentine's Day. No one else reached double figures in points for the Green Wave.
No. 4 Notre Dame 68
No. 8 Louisville 52
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Jewell Loyd scored 20 points, Taya Reimer added 16 and Notre Dame took control with a 16-0 second-half run for its 12th-straight victory.
Notre Dame took charge after the Cardinals used a 9-4 spurt early in the second half to open a 37-35 lead on a layup by Mariya Moore. Loyd answered with a layup that sparked the decisive run. The Irish broke the game open by repeatedly scoring inside, with Loyd scoring eight points and Reimer and Briana Turner adding four points each. Two of the points came on free throws after Louisville coach Jeff Walz protested that Sara Hammond had been fouled on a blocked shot by Turner.
Notre Dame (26-2, 13-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) remained alone in first-place in league standings, while the Cardinals (23-4, 11-3) fell to third place.
No. 5 Maryland 65
Penn State 34
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Brionna Jones scored 11 of her 17 points in the decisive first half, and Maryland moved one notch closer to completing a perfect Big Ten regular season.
It was the 19th-straight victory for the Terrapins, their longest winning streak since a 21-game run in 1988-89.
After the game, Maryland was presented a trophy for winning the Big Ten regular-season title. The Terrapins (25-2, 16-0) clinched first place Saturday night when Ohio State beat Iowa.
Candice Agee led Penn State (6-21, 3-13) with 10 points and Lindsey Spann added eight, but missed 12 of her 16 shots.
Ole Miss 67
No. 13 Kentucky 59
OXFORD, Miss. -- Tia Faleru had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Gracie Frizzell hit five three-pointers to help Mississippi snap a six-game losing streak.
Frizzell finished with 15 points for Mississippi (16-11, 6-8 SEC), which earned its 400th win at Tad Smith Coliseum. Danielle McCray scored 11 of 13 points after halftime and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. Erika Sisk scored 10 to go with a career-high eight assists.
Linnae Harper had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Kentucky (19-8, 8-6), which was held well below its season average (76.9 per game) and has lost three in a row. Jennifer O'Neill scored 13 and Alexis Jennings added 10 and eight boards.
No. 18 Chattanooga 56
Mercer 51
MACON, Ga. -- Jasmine Joyner scored 18 points with six rebounds and seven blocked shots for Chattanooga (25-3, 13-0 Southern).
Precious Bridges led Mercer (16-13, 8-5) with 19 points.
Sports on 02/25/2015