WOMEN
SOUTH CAROLINA 75, FLORIDA 59
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Aliyah Boston had a career-high 28 points along with 16 rebounds and No. 5 South Carolina opened Southeastern Conference play with its 13th straight win over Florida, 75-59 on Thursday.
Boston, the 6-foot-5 sophomore, was dominant throughout as the Gamecocks (6-1) won their third in a row since the season’s lone loss, to No. 3 North Carolina State, 54-46 on Dec. 3.
Toledo native Zia Cooke had 26 points for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina hadn’t played in two weeks since its 103-41 home victory over Temple on Dec. 17. And it looked as if the Gamecocks wouldn’t get this one in, either, when originally scheduled opponent Ole Miss had to postpone due to coronavirus issues.
But Florida (7-2) stepped in — the Gators were originally scheduled to come to South Carolina on Feb. 25 — to start SEC play.
Early on, the Gators looked fully capable of hanging with the Gamecocks and were down only 16-13 after Lavender Briggs had two straight baskets in the second quarter. That’s when Boston and the Gamecocks got going with a 15-0 run to take control.
Boston had nine points in the surge and Cooke, the team’s top scorer this season, had four points.
When Boston slipped in a 3-pointer, the Gamecocks were up 31-13 and cruising.
Boston closed the half in dominating fashion, pulling down a missed shot under the Florida basket with six seconds left, rushing up the court and stopping to pop a short jumper.
She reached a double-double by halftime with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Boston had her third double-double this season and 16th of her career. She also had four of South Carolina’s 10 blocks and a career best with three 3-pointers.
Briggs tied her career high with 23 points to lead the Gators.
No. 14 MARYLAND 96, PENN STATE 82
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ashley Owusu scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Diamond Miller added 17 points and No. 14 Maryland beat Penn State for its ninth straight win in the series.
Owusu tied WNBA standouts Kristi Toliver and Crystal Langhorne, and Tara Heiss for 11th on the Maryland single-game scoring list.
NEBRASKA 65, No. 15 NORTHWESTERN 63
LINCOLN, Neb. — Sam Haiby made a game-winning putback just before the buzzer as Nebraska beat No. 15 Northwestern 65-63 on Thursday.
Haiby drove from the right wing, spun into a double team and her scoop shot was short, but she grabbed the rebound and curled it in before getting mobbed by her teammates.
Haiby missed nearly four minutes of the fourth quarter after dealing with a leg cramp, but returned to make Nebraska’s only two field goals in the final three minutes. She finished with 18 points, on 8-of-20 shooting, eight rebounds, and five assists.
No. 20 INDIANA 79, ILLINOIS 56
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Mackenzie Holmes scored 18 points, Grace Berger added 15 and No. 20 Indiana beat Illinois for its 11th straight win in the series dating to 2014.
Indiana scored 23 points in the first quarter and held Illinois to 20 first-half points. Holmes scored 12 points in the first half as Indiana led by 22 points.
MEN
No. 6 WISCONSIN 71, No. 21 MINNESOTA 59
MADISON, Wis. — Micah Potter had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 6 Wisconsin to a victory over No. 21 Minnesota.
The Gophers (9-2, 2-2 Big Ten) scored a season-low 22 points in the first half with a brutal shooting performance before the Badgers (9-2, 3-1) opened the second half on a 16-5 run. Potter added the exclamation point with a dunk off a pick-and-roll from D’Mitrik Trice that put Wisconsin up 45-27.
Wisconsin pushed the lead to 26 and Minnesota didn’t get the deficit under 15 points until the final minute.
First Published January 1, 2021, 4:01 a.m.
