Hare drains a buzzer-beating 3, Crooks adds 41 points and No. 10 Iowa State edges Kansas 79-76

By Canadian Press on December 21, 2025.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Kenzie Hare hit a winning 3-pointer as time expired, Audi Crooks scored 41 points and No. 10 Iowa State beat Kansas 79-76 on Sunday.

The Cyclones (13-0, 1-0 Big 12) fended off Kansas’ late run when Hare took a pass from Addy Brown and shot over Elle Evans from the corner in front of the Iowa State bench. The shot accounted for Hare’s only points in the game.

Crooks, who leads the nation in scoring, shot 19 of 28 from the field while going over 40 points for the third time this season. She has scored in double figures in 79 straight games. Brown had 16 points and eight rebounds and Jada Williams had 11 points, 10 assists and two steals.

S’Mya Nichols led Kansas (10-3, 0-1) with 29 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter as the Jayhawks came back from an 11-point deficit. Nicholls drove to the hoop against Arianna Jackson to tie it at 76 with 5.2 seconds left.

Williams inbounded the ball to Brown, who swung the pass to Hare for the winning shot. After the ball went through, teammates swarmed the smiling Hare.

NO. 2 TEXAS 70, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 51

Jordan Lee had 17 points and four steals to help Texas pull away from South Dakota State for a win.

The Longhorns visited the Jackrabbits in a home-and-home series with the Summit League power after needing to fill out last year’s schedule, coach Vic Schaefer said.

This one was a lot closer than the 103-57 outcome at Texas last season.

Texas (14-0) led South Dakota state (10-4) by eight points midway through the third quarter. Madison Booker scored six points in the final five minutes to help Texas take a 49-34 lead at the end of the period.

Booker had 14 points and nine rebounds but hit just 7 of 20 shots from the field. Rori Harmon had 11 points and seven assists. Harmon has 51 assists and only four turnovers in her last five game.

Brooklyn Meyer led South Dakota State with 20 points. Texas centers Breya Cunningham and Kyla Oldacre got into foul trouble while guarding her.

NO. 5 LSU 110, UT-ARLINGTON 45

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Grace Knox had season highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds and LSU routed UT-Arlington to improve to 13-0.

The Tigers are 32-0 in December in coach Kim Mulkey’s five seasons They used swarming defense and relentless rebounding to dismantle the Mavericks (6-6).

MiLaysha Fulwiley added 23 points, Amiya Joyner had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Flau’jae Johnson also scored 14 points and Jada Richard had 10.

Kendal Robinson and Kira Reynolds led UT-Arlington with seven points apiece.

LSU scored 42 points off 34 UT-Arlington turnovers and had 33 second-chance points.

NO. 6 MICHIGAN 97, OAKLAND 54

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Olivia Olson had 23 points and Michigan rolled past Oakland.

Syla Swords had 18 points and Brooke Quarles Daniels scored 11. Te’Yala Delfosse and Ashley Sofilkanich had 10 points apiece. Mila Holloway had seven assists to surpass 200 for her career. The Wolverines (10-1) reached the 90-point mark for the sixth time this season.

Michigan scored 29 points off 27 Golden Grizzlies turnovers. Wolverines opponents are averaging 25.8 turnovers per game. The Wolverines also converted 21 offensive rebounds into 31 points and their reserves outscored Oakland’s bench 26-0.

Lianna Baxter led the Golden Grizzlies (3-9), who have lost five straight, with 14 points. Angie Smith had 13 points and eight rebounds and Makenzie Luehring also scored 13.

Olson and Swords combined for 25 first-half points as Michigan built a 54-27 halftime lead.

The Golden Grizzlies committed turnovers on their first three possessions. The Wolverines forced 15 turnovers before the break, converting them into 17 points. They also scored 18 points off 11 offensive rebounds.

NO. 14 MISSISSIPPI 86, OLD DOMINION 57

CHEROKEE, N.C. (AP) — Christeen Iwuala had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Mississippi scored 53 points in the second half and the Rebels defeated Old Dominion at the Cherokee Invitational.

Cotie McMahon scored 19 points and Latasha Lattimore 15 for the Rebels (12-1).

En’Dya Buford scored 20 and Riley Stack added 12 points for Old Dominion (7-5).

The Rebels shot 56% in the first quarter and led 22-11. They took the lead for good with a 10-0 in the middle of the quarter. It was a different story in the second quarter when the teams combined to go 5-for-28 from the field. Ole Miss outscored the Monarchs 11-8 in the second and led 33-19 at halftime.

TEXAS TECH 61, NO. 15 BAYLOR 60

WACO, Texas (AP) — Snudda Collins scored 21 points and Bailey Maupin added 11, including the game-winning free throws, as undefeated Texas Tech beat Baylor in a Big 12 Conference opener Sunday, snapping the Lady Raiders’ 31-game losing streak in the series dating to 2011.

Yuting Deng, who led the Baylor (11-3) with 22 points, hit a 3-pointer from the left baseline to snap a tie with 53.7 seconds left. Collins sank two free throws with 39.6 remaining and Baylor missed its next shot. Maupin drove the baseline and was fouled with 3.4 seconds to go and made both free throws.

The Lady Raiders (14-0) ended an 11-game losing streak to ranked teams.

Deng had a final chance to steal the victory with a baseline drive of her own but missed at the basket.

NO. 18 NORTH CAROLINA 93, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 74

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Nyla Brooks scored 19 points off the bench and North Carolina pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Charleston Southern.

The Tar Heels (11-3) led by 25 at halftime and maintained control despite Charleston Southern’s hot shooting from long range. North Carolina finished with a 46-21 rebounding advantage and shot 49% from the field.

Charleston Southern (2-10) cut the deficit to 72-60 early in the fourth quarter after back-to-back 3-pointers by reserves Tyonna Bailey and Thelma Barbitch, but North Carolina answered with an 11-3 run to put the game out of reach. Elina Aarnisalo scored six points during the stretch, and Reniya Kelly added a layup to push the lead back above 20.

The Buccaneers continued to score from the perimeter, finishing 12 of 23 (52%) from 3-point range, but struggled to generate stops down the stretch. North Carolina closed the game by scoring 15 of the final 23 points, including two late 3-pointers from Brooks.

NO. 19 USC 61, CALIFORNIA 57

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Freshman Jazzy Davidson scored a go-ahead layup with 4:05 remaining and finished with a season-best 24 points, leading the USC women past California in the 2025 Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic.

After Davidson’s basket, Londynn Jones hit a jumper the next time down as USC used a 6-0 burst to take control. The Trojans answered each Cal threat with a key defensive play or big basket.

Cal called timeout with 43.8 seconds left and trailing 56-54 but as the Golden Bears tried to set up a play, USC’s Kennedy Smith made a steal on Sakima Walker’s bad pass.

Davidson, one of four Trojans averaging double digits, shot 9 for 21 with three 3-pointers. She scored 14 of her points by halftime as USC led 31-28 and held Cal to only five 3-point attempts while forcing 11 turnovers.

The Trojans scored 15 points off 18 total turnovers by Cal (8-5).

Walker led the Golden Bears with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lulu Twidale and Taylor Barnes each scored 11.

NO. 20 NOTRE DAME 110, BELLARMINE 38

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hildago had 30 points, 13 steals and 10 assists for her second career triple-double and Notre Dame defeated Bellarmine.

Hildago picked up the three assists she needed in the fourth quarter to get the triple-double then was subbed out. Hildago’s other double-double came in 2023. She also broke a tie with Arike Ogunbowale for the most 30-point games in program history with 12.

Cassandre Prosper added 20 points and 14 rebounds and Gisela Sanchez 17 points and 10 boards for the Fighting Irish (9-2), who won their fourth straight. Vanessa de Jesus scored 15 points, Iyana Moore 13 and Malaya Cowles 10.

Rose Jamison scored 17 points to lead the Knights (2-11), who lost their eighth in a row.

NO. 22 WASHINGTON 90, PACIFIC 50

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Sienna Harvey scored a career-high 22 points and Washington defeated Pacific.

Sayvia Sellers added 14 points and Avery Howell 11 for the Huskies (10-2). Thirteen Huskies played and a dozen scored. Washington shot 53%, made 12 of 25 3-pointers and got 48 bench points.

Winner Bartholomew scored 11 points to lead the Tigers (5-6), her seventh straight double-figure scoring game. Pacific shot 42% and made only 2 of 17 from the arc.

Howell hit a 3-pointer for the game’s first points and Washington led the entire way, going up 24-9 after one quarter and leading 44-25 at halftime. It was 66-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

NO. 23 NEBRASKA 87, CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 56

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jessica Petrie scored 17 points, Amiah Hargrove added 15 and Nebraska ran away from California Baptist in the fourth quarter for a victory and the Cornhuskers’ 12th straight win to open the season.

Nebraska matched the second-longest winning streak in school history, tying the 2021-22 squad that also won 12 to begin that season. The Cornhuskers also extended their school-record streak of 12 straight games scoring 80 or more points.

Britt Prince scored nine of her 11 points in the pivotal fourth quarter, and Callin Hake finished with 10.

Nebraska led by nine heading into the fourth quarter, then outscored the Lancers 32-10 to turn what had been a competitive game into a rout. Nebraska shot 57% in the final quarter when it scored 16 points off 10 turnovers.

Lauren Olsen scored 17 points and Emma Johansson 13 for the Lancers (6-7), who lost their sixth straight.

NO. 24 MICHIGAN ST. 115, INDIANA ST. 66

CHEROKEE, N.C. (AP) — Emma Shumate scored 22 points, leading seven in double figures, and Michigan State routed Indiana State at the Cherokee Invitational.

Shumate matched her career high in points and made a career-high seven 3-pointers. Kennedy Blair had 11 points and 10 rebounds. She came up a little shy of a triple-double, dishing out seven assists.

Isaline Alexander scored 15 points, Sara Sambolic 14, Jalyn Brown 13, Grace VanSlooten 12 and Rashunda Jones 10 for Michigan State (10-1).

Jayci Allen scored 13 and Kennedy Claybrooks 10 for the Sycamores (4-6).

VanSlooten scored all of her 12 points in the first quarter, all of them in a row as the Spartans turned a 3-2 lead into a 15-6 advantage. Michigan State scored the last nine points of the quarter and led 34-15 heading to the second. They were outscored 28-25 in the second quarter but led 59-43 at the half.

The Associated Press