NC State reaches ACC title game, topping Virginia Tech

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – Elissa Cunane had 20 points and 13 rebounds and No. 3 North Carolina State used a strong second half to pull away from No. 21 Virginia Tech 70-55 on Saturday and return to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game. Jada Boyd added 16 points and Raina Perez had nine points for NC State (28-3), which is seeking its third straight tournament title. The Wolfpack (28-3) will face the Miami-Notre Dame winner on Sunday. Kayan Traylor had 18 points for Virginia Tech (23-9), which was without Elizabeth Kitley. The ACC women’s player of the year injured her right shoulder in the Hokies’ 87-80 quarterfinal win over North Carolina on Friday. Kitley participated in warmups, but did not play. Without the 6-foot-6 Kitley in the middle, the Hokies faced a severe size disadvantage. No. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 61, MISSISSIPPI 51 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Aliyah Boston posted her 23rd consecutive double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds as South Carolina beat Mississippi in the Southeastern Conference women’s tournament semifinals. The Gamecocks (29-1) won their 17th straight to reach their seventh tournament championship game in eight seasons. They will play either No. 18 Tennessee or seventh-seeded Kentucky on Sunday looking for South Carolina’s third straight title and seventh overall. Ole Miss (23-8) tried to rally, scoring 20 of the first 25 points in the fourth to get within 58-50 on Shakira Austin’s three-point play with 1:40 left. That was the last bucket the Rebels would make as South Carolina clinched their latest berth in the title game. No. 7 UCONN 84, GEORGETOWN 38 UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) – Paige Bueckers came off the bench and scored 16 points in her third game back from knee surgery and UConn routed Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. Bueckers, who suffered a tibia plateau fracture and torn meniscus in her left knee on Dec. 5, played 18 minutes. She shot 6 of 9 overall, and was 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Christyn Williams added 15 points, Aaliyah Edwards had 14 and Azzi Fudd scored 11 for the Huskies (23-5). Mary Clougherty had 10 points for Georgetown, which had won three in a row and finished at 10-19. No. 9 TEXAS 65, OKLAHOMA STATE 50 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Senior Lauren Ebo scored a career-best 17 points and Rori Harmon added 13 along and four steals to help No. 9 Texas extend its winning streak to eight games with a victory against Oklahoma State in the final regular season game ever at the 45-year-old Frank Erwin Center. Texas (23-6, 13-5 Big 12) finished the regular season with those eight straight wins after losing three in a row, including two to No. 5 Baylor. Lexy Keys and Lauren Fields scored 10 apiece to lead Oklahoma State (8-19, 3-15), which finished the regular season with five straight defeats. No. 14 INDIANA 70, No. 13 OHIO STATE 62 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Nicole Cardano-Hillary led a balanced attack with 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Indiana moved within a game of making Big Ten Conference history with a win over Ohio State in the semifinals on Saturday. If the fifth-seeded Hoosiers can beat the winner of the Nebraska-Iowa game in Sunday’s championship game they will become the first team to win four straight to win the tournament. Indiana was a five-seed in 2002 when it won the title but there were fewer teams in the league and hasn’t been back to the title game since. Ali Patberg scored 15 points for the Hoosiers (22-7), Jacy Sheldon scored 22 points for top-seeded Ohio State (23-6), league co-champion with Iowa, and Taylor Mikesell and Braxtin Miller had 12 apiece. MIAMI 57, No. 20 NOTRE DAME 54