No. 5 UConn holds off Providence
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Dorka Juhasz had 19 points and 17 rebounds and Nika Muhl added 14 points as No. 5 UConn held off Providence 64-54 on Wednesday night.
Lou Lopez Senechal and Aubrey Griffin each finished with 13 points as the Huskies registered their 14th straight win. The quest for the 15th straight win will feature a rematch of last year’s National Championship as UConn squares off against top-ranked South Carolina on Sunday.
The Huskies (21-2, 13-0 Big East) shot 51% and held the Friars to 36%. UConn committed 20 turnovers, many of which helped Providence (13-11, 4-9) stay in the picture. Olivia Olsen led Providence with 13 points while Janai Crooms and Nariah Scott each had 11 points.
No. 4 INDIANA 77, MINNESOTA 54
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mackenzie Holmes scored 28 points with four blocks and Sydney Parrish added 23 points, eight rebounds and five steals to help Indiana beat Minnesota.
Sara Scalia had a happy homecoming against her former team with 10 points and four rebounds for the Hoosiers (21-1, 11-1), who won their ninth straight game to stay in first place in the top-heavy Big Ten. Grace Berger had nine assists despite a 2-for-10 shooting night.
Mallory Heyer scored 16 points, Mara Braun had 13 points and Alanna Micheaux added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Gophers (9-13, 2-9), who have lost eight of their last nine games. They’re 0-7 against the top seven teams in the conference with an average losing margin of 21 points.
No. 10 OHIO STATE 90, WISCONSIN 67
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Taylor Thierry scored a career-high 25 points and Taylor Mikesell added 21 to help Ohio State beat Wisconsin, snapping the Buckeyes’ three-game losing skid.
Thierry also had seven rebounds for Ohio State (20-3, 9-3 Big Ten Conference), which started the season with 19 straight wins before losing three in a row.
Serah Williams scored 23 points and Avery LaBarbera added 17 for Wisconsin (7-16, 2-9), which has lost five of its last six games.
No. 19 VILLANOVA 73, MARQUETTE 54
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Maddy Siegrist had 24 points, Lucy Olsen added 16 points and Villanova pulled away in the second quarter to beat Marquette.
Siegrist scored 10 points during an 18-0 second-quarter run that put Villanova ahead 31-15. Marquette missed 13 straight shots during the seven-minute stretch and the Wildcats led by double figures the rest of the way.
Siegrist was scoreless in the first quarter but ended the half with 14 points and the Wildcats led 37-17 as Marquette was just 7 of 33 (21%) from the field. The Golden Eagles finished the game 19 of 61 (31%) with 15 turnovers.
Siegrist, the nation’s scoring leader at 28.4 points per game, has scored at least 20 points in every game this season for Villanova (19-4, 10-2 Big East).
Jordan King, who scored a game-high 23 points in a 54-52 loss to Villanova on Dec. 28, scored 18 points for Marquette (14-8, 7-6). Chloe Marotta had 12 points and nine rebounds.
No. 24 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 56
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (AP) — Sonya Morris scored 17 points, Rori Harmon scored nine of her 14 in the fourth quarter and Texas turned back West Virginia to stay on top of the Big 12 Conference standings.
The Longhorns led from the start, running their stretch without trailing to 143 minutes, but it wasn’t until Harmon scored Texas’ last seven points over 2 1/2 minutes that the win was secured. The final margin matched the largest of the game.
With No. 12 Iowa State losing at Kansas State, Texas is alone at the top of the Big 12.
Taylor Jones had 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting for Texas (17-6, 8-2), which held its seven opponents below 60 points. Shaylee Gonzales added 11 points.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll