Women’s Top 25 roundup: No. 1 South Carolina evades upset bid

 

[February 19, 2024]  Led by Kamilla Cardoso's 16 points and 16 rebounds, No. 1 South Carolina rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to take down Georgia 70-56 on Sunday in Columbia, S.C., keeping its perfect record intact.

The Gamecocks (25-0, 12-0 Southeastern Conference) were down 35-28 at intermission before outscoring the Bulldogs 22-9 in the third quarter to take control. Cardoso scored 12 of her points in the second half and Chloe Kitts added 10 of her 12 points in the final 20 minutes.

Cardoso added five assists, three blocks and three steals, while Kitts contributed seven rebounds and Te-Hina Paopao finished with 15 points.

Javyn Nicholson scored a career-high 27 points for Georgia (11-14, 2-10). She also had three of the Bulldogs' 14 steals.

South Carolina set a record with its 43rd consecutive regular-season victory in SEC play. Tennessee had won 42 straight SEC games, a streak that ended in January 1996.

No. 6 North Carolina State 86, Georgia Tech 85 (OT)

Aziaha James dropped 30 points and the Wolfpack rallied to beat the upset-minded Yellow Jackets in Raleigh, N.C.

River Baldwin scored 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, Madison Hayes added 15 points and 11 rebounds and Saniya Rivers chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals for NC State (23-3, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Tonie Morgan had 23 points and 11 assists and Kayla Blackshear scored 16 points for Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets (15-12, 6-9) led for most of the fourth quarter before NC State pushed ahead 76-73 on Rivers' layup and free throw with nine seconds left. Kara Dunn (31 points) buried a last-second 3-pointer to force overtime and later tossed in an improbable 3-pointer from near midcourt down four in overtime, but it wasn't enough for Georgia Tech.

No. 9 UCLA 74, Oregon 55

Lauren Betts notched 17 points and nine rebounds and Charisma Osborne recorded a double-double as the Bruins blasted the Ducks in Eugene, Ore.

Osborne totaled 11 points and 12 boards and Londynn Jones had 15 points for UCLA (20-5, 9-5 Pac-12). The Bruins scored 14 of the game's first 16 points and never looked back en route to their third win in four games.

Grace VanSlooten went for 17 points and 10 rebounds and Chance Gray contributed 15 points, but Oregon (11-16, 2-12) saw its losing streak reach nine games. The Ducks made just one 3-pointer on six attempts.

No. 10 Southern California 58, No. 11 Oregon State 50

JuJu Watkins posted 18 points as the Trojans picked up a wire-to-wire victory over the Beavers in Corvallis, Ore.

Watkins opened the scoring with a three-point play 2:36 into the game, giving USC (20-4, 10-4 Pac-12) a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Watkins also grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Trojans got another double-double from Rayah Marshall (11 points, 17 rebounds).

Timea Gardiner finished with a game-high 22 points for Oregon State (21-4, 10-4), but she was the Beavers' only player to score in double figures.

No. 12 Virginia Tech 86, No. 18 Louisville 70

Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore posted double-doubles as the visiting Hokies cruised past the Cardinals.

Kitley scored 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Amoore had 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and dished 10 assists for Virginia Tech (22-4, 13-2 ACC), which won its ninth straight game. Matilda Ekh added 12 points.

Kiki Jefferson had 19 points to power Louisville (21-6, 10-4), which has lost three of five. Jayda Curry scored 13 points off the bench and Nyla Harris and Nina Rickards finished with 10 points apiece.

No. 19 Syracuse 85, Virginia 79

Dyaisha Fair went for 33 points, Georgia Woolley scored a season-high 26 and the Orange outlasted the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va.

Alaina Rice added 10 points and nine rebounds for Syracuse (22-4, 12-3), which led by 17 points at the half and had to withstand a late charge by Virginia. Fair made critical jumpers at the 2:06 and 1:04 marks to stem the tide and secure Syracuse's fifth straight win.

Camryn Taylor had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead Virginia (12-13, 4-10). Paris Clark had 16 points and seven boards, Kymora Johnson tallied 15 points, 10 assists and five steals and Sam Brunelle scored 10 points with five assists.

No. 21 Baylor 61, Texas Tech 32

The Bears put together a staunch defensive effort, forcing a whopping 29 turnovers while holding the Red Raiders to 29.5 percent shooting from the field to cruise to a win in Waco, Texas.

Sarah Andrews had 11 points and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs chipped in 10 for Baylor (19-6, 8-6 Big 12), which allowed just four points in the first quarter and 13 in the first half to set the tone.

Bailey Maupin netted nine points as Texas Tech (16-11, 5-9) dropped its fifth straight.

--Field Level Media

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