Brooks scores career-high 33 and No. 13 N.C. State beat No. 1 Notre Dame in double OT

By Canadian Press on February 23, 2025.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Zoe Brooks scored a career-high 33 points to help No. 13 N.C. State beat top-ranked Notre Dame 104-95 in double overtime Sunday, ending the Fighting Irish’s 19-game winning streak while keeping alive their hopes to share the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

Brooks had 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack (22-5, 14-2 ACC), while Aziaha James added 20 points. That included a highlight-reel transition layup in which James took the ball around her back to change hands and avoid a strip by Olivia Miles, a sequence that had the packed Reynolds Coliseum erupting in a roar.

By the end, the Wolfpack had hung on in a game featuring 21 lead changes while denying the Irish (24-3, 15-1) the chance to clinch the ACC regular-season title outright.

Hannah Hidalgo had 26 points for Notre Dame, while Sonia Citron added 23, including a tough 3-pointer over James with 0.6 seconds left in regulation to extend the game.

NO. 3 UCLA 67, IOWA 65

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Elina Aarnisalo made two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining to give No. 3 UCLA a comeback win over Iowa.

Lauren Betts had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Bruins (26-1, 14-1 Big Ten), who trailed by 12 points twice in the third quarter before rallying.

Iowa tied it at 65 when Lucy Olsen made three free throws with 6 seconds left. Aarnisalo was fouled when she was tripped by Olsen after she had fallen to the court trying to defend.

Iowa had a final shot to tie or win, but Addison O’Grady’s 3-pointer fell short.

Kiki Rice added 12 points for UCLA.

Olsen led Iowa (18-9, 8-8) with 17 points. Hannah Stuelke had 11 points, and O’Grady and Taylor McCabe each had 10.

NO. 4 SOUTHERN CAL 76, NO. 25 ILLINOIS 66

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen scored 22 points each and No. 4 Southern California defeated 25th-ranked Illinois to retain sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

The Trojans (25-2, 15-1) needed their eighth win over a ranked team to avoid falling into a tie with No. 3 UCLA, which edged Iowa on the road to stay in second at 14-1.

USC got 12 points and 13 rebounds from Rayah Marshall as the Trojans finished 14-1 at Galen Center after their home finale.

Illinois (21-7, 11-6) was led by Genesis Bryant with 22 points. Kendall Bostic had 18 points and 16 rebounds.

The Illini made a final push in the closing minutes after trailing by 18. They outscored the Trojans 11-2 to close to 72-63. Berry Wallace and Bryant had back-to-back 3-pointers.

Bryant hit another 3 that left Illinois trailing by eight, but Watkins closed the game with four straight free throws.

NO. 6 SOUTH CAROLINA 82, VANDERBILT 54

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 24 points as sixth-ranked South Carolina beat Vanderbilt women for the Gamecocks’ second straight win.

South Carolina (25-3, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) improved to 23-21 all-time, winning its 17th straight in this series dating back to Vanderbilt’s last win Jan. 27, 2011, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Joyce Edwards added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Gamecocks. Te-Hina Paopao had 13.

Vanderbilt (19-9, 6-8) lost its second straight since Mikayla Blakes set the NCAA freshman single-game scoring record with 55 points at Auburn. Blakes scored 19 on Sunday, and Khamil Pierre had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Paopao scored the first seven points as the Gamecocks never trailed. She and Fulwiley each had nine helping South Carolina lead 24-11 after the first quarter. Vanderbilt outscored South Carolina 14-11 to trim the Gamecocks’ halftime lead to 35-25.

South Carolina outscored Vandy 21-12 and led 56-37 after the third.

NO. 7 LSU 65, NO. 14 KENTUCKY 58

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Mikaylah Williams scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half as No. 7 LSU rallied from 16 points down to beat No. 14 Kentucky.

The Tigers (27-2, 12-2 Southeastern Conference) fell behind 38-22 in the first half, but outscored the Wildcats 23-6 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter featured four lead changes before Williams hit a wide open 3-pointer with 50 seconds left to put the game away.

Georgia Amoore led Kentucky (21-5, 10-4) with 16 points, but shot just 6 of 22, including 3 of 15 from beyond the arc.

LSU leading scorer Flau’Jae Johnson was held to 13 points and 13 rebounds.

NO. 8 OHIO STATE 98, PURDUE 46

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Chance Gray led all scorers with 21 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 20 and the No. 8 Ohio State women cruised to a win over Purdue.

Cotie McMahon added 16 points while Ajae Petty had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds for Ohio State (23-4, 12-4 Big Ten).

Rashunda Jones had 11 points for Purdue (9-18, 2-14), the only Boilermakers player to score in double figures. Reagan Bass added eight points.

NO. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 79, LOUISVILLE 75

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Trayanna Crisp scored 19 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds left, freshman Lanie Grant added a career-high 19 and No. 9 North Carolina earned a comeback victory over Louisville.

The Tar Heels (25-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) were down by 12 with 2:25 left in the first quarter and trailed for more than 36 minutes. However, they went 8 for 10 in the fourth quarter and shot 68% (17 of 25) after halftime to extend their winning streak to seven.

The Tar Heels played without wing Alyssa Ustby, who missed her second game after suffering a knee injury against N.C. State last week.

Louisville (19-8, 12-4) dominated early and maintained the lead until Grant hit a four-point play with 2:28 remaining. Louisville regained the lead twice in the next minute, but North Carolina scored the final six points.

Jayda Curry led the Cardinals with 18 points.

NO. 10 TCU 71, NO. 17 WEST VIRGINIA 50

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hailey Van Lith scored 26 points, Sedona Prince had 20 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks, and No. 10 TCU rolled to a victory over 17th-ranked West Virginia.

The 21st consecutive home victory for the Horned Frogs (26-3, 14-2) dating back to last season also set a school record for overall and Big 12 Conference victories along with home wins (18).

TCU pulled even with Baylor atop the Big 12 standings with two games remaining, including a regular-season finale between the Texas rivals in Waco next Sunday.

J.J. Quinerly, the fourth-leading scorer in the conference at nearly 20 points per game, was limited to a team-high 13 points for the Mountaineers (21-6, 11-5), who lost for just the third time in 11 games.

Quinerly and second-leading scorer Jordan Harrison, who had 11 points, were held to a combined 8-of-32 shooting.

NO. 11 DUKE 80, SYRACUSE 49

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Toby Fournier scored 22 points, Oluchi Okananwa added 13 points, and No. 11 Duke routed Syracuse.

Both Fournier and Okananwa came off the bench for the Blue Devils, who got 39 points from their reserves. Among the starters, Delaney Thomas scored 12 points, Reigan Richardson 11 and Ashlon Jackson 10.

Duke (21-7, 12-4 ACC) had 14 steals among 23 turnovers by Syracuse and the Blue Devils had a 26-4 advantage in points after turnovers.

Duke led comfortably 41-19 at halftime and a 10-0 run pushed the lead to 60-30 late in the third quarter. To open the fourth quarter, Thomas scored six points and Richardson had a three-point play leading the Blue Devils to a 69-35 lead with seven minutes remaining. The lead reached 36 points when Fournier converted a layup with 59 seconds left.

NO. 15 TENNESSEE 86, FLORIDA 78

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Talaysia Cooper scored 18 points, Zee Spearman had 16 points including a key three-point play, and No. 15 Tennessee rallied in the second half to defeat Florida.

The Lady Vols scored 21 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, erasing a nine-point halftime deficit and going ahead 49-45. Jewel Spear had one 3-pointer and two three-point plays in the surge.

By the end of the quarter, Tennessee had scored 37 points, including 17 points following nine Florida turnovers. The Lady Vols led 65-57 heading to the final period.

A 3-pointer by Cooper gave Tennessee an 11-point lead to open the fourth, but Ra Shaya Kyle and Laila Reynolds combined for 16 points and Florida got within four points several times, the last at 82-78 with 56 seconds remaining.

Spearman then completed a three-point play with 44 seconds left and grabbed the defensive rebound after a missed 3-pointer by Florida. Tennessee’s Samara Spencer made one free throw with 13 seconds left and Florida missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 94, ARKANSAS 54

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Raegan Beers scored 30 points for a second straight game and No. 16 Oklahoma upped its win streak to five with a victory over Arkansas.

Beers scored a career-high 30 three days earlier in a 101-81 victory over Vanderbilt. She became the first Sooner to reach 30 points in back-to-back games since Courtney Paris accomplished the feat as a sophomore in 2007. The junior made 12 of 14 shots against Arkansas, including a career-high three 3-pointers without a miss and added seven rebounds.

Sahara Williams finished with 15 points and six rebounds for the Sooners (21-6, 9-5 Southeastern Conference). Skylar Vann had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Payton Verhulst totaled 12 points, four assists and three steals.

Izzy Higginbottom, fifth in the nation with a 23.6 scoring average, had 22 points on 8-for-21 shooting for the Razorbacks (9-20, 2-12), who have lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11.

NO. 18 ALABAMA 66, AUBURN 50

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Aaliyah Nye hit six 3-pointers and finished with 29 points to help No. 18 Alabama overcome a 16-point first-half deficit and beat in-state rival Auburn.

Sarah Ashlee Barker added 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals for Alabama (22-6, 9-5 SEC) and Zaay Green scored 12 points.

DeYona Gaston hit a jumper that made it 34-all about 3 1/2 minutes into the third quarter but Nye responded with back-to-back 3s to spark a 15-3 run. After Yuting Deng’s three-point play trimmed Auburn’s deficit to five points, Nye scored eight points in a 10-0 run that made it 63-48 with 2:29 to play.

Gaston led the Tigers with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Auburn (12-15, 3-11), which has lost four games in a row and five of its last six, committed nine of its 21 turnovers in the fourth quarter.

FLORIDA STATE 73, NO. 20 GEORGIA TECH 70

ATLANTA (AP) — Sydney Bowles scored a career-high 32, Makayla Timpson had a double-double and Florida State knocked off No. 20 Georgia Tech.

Bowles had two layups as the Seminoles scored the first five points of the fourth quarter for a 62-49 lead with 8:25 remaining. Reserve Tianna Thompson answered with a basket and two 3-pointers — the final one capping a 17-4 run that pulled Georgia Tech even at 66 with 2:03 left.

Bowles and Timpson sandwiched baskets around a layup by Georgia Tech’s Dani Carnegie and the Seminoles led 70-68 with 32 seconds left. Bowles made two foul shots for a two-possession lead with 11 seconds left. The Seminoles missed 3 of 4 free throws from there, but Carnegie had her 3-pointer blocked by Amaya Bonner at the buzzer with a chance to tie.

Bowles made 11 of 23 shots with two 3-pointers and 8 of 11 free throws for the Seminoles (22-6, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won the last three in the streak without Ta’Niya Latson — the nation’s leading scorer at 26.2 points per game. Latson has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Timpson totaled 19 points and 16 rebounds for her 14th double-double this season. She blocked three shots and leads the conference with a school-record 91 this season.

Thompson hit three 3-pointers, scoring 19 to lead the Yellow Jackets (21-7, 9-7) who have lost two straight and three of four. Carnegie added 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

NO. 22 MICHIGAN STATE 73, INDIANA 65

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten scored 17 points to help spark No. 22 Michigan State to a win over Indiana snapping a two-game losing streak.

The Spartans (20-7, 10-6 Big Ten) bounced back after falling by six at No. 1 UCLA and eight at No. 4 USC. Indiana (17-10, 9-7) came into the game after upsetting No. 8 Ohio State at home.

Indiana jumped to a 10-3 lead five minutes into the game only to have the Spartans score 12 straight points to take a five-point lead after a quarter, then extend the lead to 32-24 at intermission. Michigan State led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter.

VanSlooten hit 7 of 13 from the floor, grabbed five rebounds and dished four assists to lead the Spartans. Theryn Hallock added 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals and Jocelyn Tate finished with 16 points and four steals. Jaddan Simmons contributed 11 points and six rebounds. The Spartans shot 25 of 63 from the field (39.7%), including 5 of 25 from distance, and converted 18 of 22 from the free throw line,

NO. 23 CREIGHTON 83, DEPAUL 74

CHICAGO (AP) — Lauren Jensen scored 28 points and No. 23 Creighton used a strong second half to defeat DePaul.

Creighton led by three points at halftime and the Bluejays’ lead was three points late in the third quarter before Molly Mogensen and Kennedy Townsend hit 3-pointers for a 62-53 lead heading to the final period. Creighton’s 8-0 run in the middle of the fourth put the game well in hand at 77-60.

Morgan Maly had 15 points and seven rebounds and Mogensen had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for Creighton (23-4, 15-1 Big East). Mallory Brake contributed 11 points.

Taylor Johnson-Matthews scored 26 points and Jorie Allen had 22 points and seven assists for DePaul (12-17, 7-9). Meg Newman collected 13 rebounds.

The Associated Press