Louisville and NC State stay unbeaten

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Dana Evans hit a driving shot for the go-ahead three-point play with 8.0 seconds left to help top-ranked Louisville barely avoid a huge upset by holding off Wake Forest 65-63 on Sunday. Evans’ driving shot against Gina Conti and free throw finally gave the Cardinals their winning margin. But Louisville had to survive a final shot from the Demon Deacons, with Ivana Raca missing a 3-pointer from the right at the horn that would’ve given Wake Forest its first-ever win against a No. 1-ranked opponent. Instead, the Cardinals survived to remain unbeaten less than a week after ascending to the top spot in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time. Evans scored 25 points for Louisville (14-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who trailed by nine midway through the fourth quarter before going on a 14-2 run to push back in front and set up a tense finish. Conti scored 13 points while Raca had 12 to lead the Demon Deacons (7-6, 4-5), who erased an early nine-point deficit by getting on the boards. No. 2 N.C. STATE 89, VIRGINIA TECH 87 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Kai Crutchfield scored 10 of her 20 points in the last 4½ minutes, Jakia Brown-Turner finished with 23 points and North Carolina State rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated, beating Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack (11-0, 6-0 ACC) hadn’t played since Jan. 3, and the three-week layoff showed. The lone absence related to the coronavirus test or contract tracing was a big one, with standout center Elissa Cunane missing the game. She is likely out for at least the next game, also against the Hokies. Georgia Amoore’s 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds to play for Virginia Tech (7-7, 2-7) cut the gap to 88-87 before Raina Perez hit a free throw for the Wolfpack. A heave from near midcourt was well off the mark. No. 4 SOUTH CAROLINA 69, LSU 65 BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Aliyah Boston scored 11 of her 20 points in the second half and grabbed 14 rebounds to help South Carolina secure a victory over LSU. Destanni Henderson added 16 points and eight assists while Zia Cooke had 11 points for South Carolina (12-1, 7-0 SEC), which won its 26th straight game against conference competition. Khayla Pointer scored 18 and Tiara Young 16 for the Lady Tigers (6-7, 4-3) who’d defeated No. 8 Texas A&M earlier this month and looked primed to stage their second upset of a top 10 team in two weeks when they carried a lead into the fourth quarter. LSU took a 45-43 lead into the fourth quarter after Faustine Aifuwa’s jumper beat the clock at the end of the third period, and Awa Trasi’s layup briefly widened the lead to 47-43 before South Caroina suddenly seized momentum with a 9-0 run. No. 25 TENNESSEE 70, No. 12 KENTUCKY 53 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tamari Key scored a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, Rennia Davis added 15 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, and Tennessee throttled Kentucky. The Lady Vols (10-3, 4-1 SEC) took control in the third quarter when Key scored the first six points of the second half to start an 11-1 run for a 38-23 lead. Tennessee scored the last eight points for a 49-31 lead entering the fourth quarter, which started with a 9-1 run for a 26-point lead. Chasity Patterson led Kentucky (11-4, 4-3) with 15 points and Howard added 14, six below her average, but was 3 of 16 shooting. No. 16 INDIANA 74, No. 21 NORTHWESTERN 61 EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) – Mackenzie Holmes scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Indiana took over after trailing by 13 midway through the fourth quarter to beat Northwestern.