South Carolina beats Missouri for 30th straight SEC win

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Destanni Henderson had seven of her 11 points in a decisive third-quarter run as No. 1 South Carolina pulled away from Missouri 77-62 Thursday night for its 30th straight win against Southeastern Conference competition. It was a satisfying win for South Carolina (16-2, 11-0 SEC), which was beaten at No. 2 UConn on Monday night only hours after returning to No. 1. But Missouri (7-8, 3-7) made it difficult, trailing just 45-44 midway through the third quarter before Henderson took over. She hit a jumper, and then another driving basket where she was fouled. After missing the free throw, South Carolina rebounded and Henderson was open for a 3-pointer and a 52-44 lead with 2:30 left in the period. Missouri could not respond and lost for the fifth time in its past seven games and fourth in a row to South Carolina. No. 3 LOUISVILLE 85, GEORGIA TECH 70 Dana Evans scored 25 points in her home finale, Kianna Smith scored 13 of her 21 points in the third quarter and Louisville beat Georgia Tech. The Cardinals (19-1, 12-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their third consecutive game and improved to 8-0 against the Yellow Jackets, with the senior All-American guard setting the initial tone. Evans had 13 points at halftime for her school-record 36th consecutive double-figure scoring effort that broke Angel McCoughtry’s previous mark set over the 2007-08 and ’08-09 seasons. Kierra Fletcher had 19 points, Loyal McQueen 14 and Nerea Hermosa 13 for the Yellow Jackets (11-5, 9-4). No. 4 NC STATE 86, CLEMSON 65 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Kayla Jones scored 21 points and North Carolina State regrouped from an upset loss by beating Clemson. Jakia Brown-Turner added 13 points for the Wolfpack, who had lost at unranked rival North Carolina last weekend. Against Clemson, N.C. State scored the first 12 points of the game on the way to a 17-2 lead in the opening 5 1/2 minutes. N.C. State (13-2, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished the game shooting nearly 52% while making 10 of 21 3-pointers, securing a 12th straight win in the series with that streak now stretching back more than a decade. Delicia Washington had 24 points and eight rebounds for Clemson (10-8, 5-8). No. 12 MICHIGAN 62, PURDUE 49 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – Naz Hillmon scored 21 points, Leigha Brown added 20 and Michigan returned from a three-week COVID layoff with a win over Purdue. The Wolverines had not played since Jan. 21, a memorable game in which Hillmon set school record for points – male or female – with 50 in an 81-77 loss to No. 11 Ohio State. A department-wide pause in athletic activity followed and six games were postponed. The Wolverines (11-1, 6-1 Big Ten Conference) may have been a little rusty on offense but certainly not on defense. M Kayana Traylor had 15 points for the Boilermakers (6-10, 3-6), who have lost four straight No. 20 KENTUCKY 71, No. 16 TENNESSEE 56 Chasity Patterson scored 21 points and Kentucky was 10 of 20 from 3-point range to pull away for a win over Tennessee. The Lady Vols, who won the first meeting 70-53 on Jan. 24, were without Rennia Davis, their leading rebounder (8.9) and second-leading scorer (14.5) because of COVID-19 protocol. Tennessee was off last week because of a coronavirus break. The Wildcats (14-5, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) took control in the fourth quarter, going 5 for 5 from 3-point range and outscoring Tennessee 25-9. Patterson and Jazmine Massengill, who scored 11 points, both hit two treys in the fourth quarter. Rae Burrell scored 22 points for the Lady Vols (12-4, 5-2) and Jordan Horston added 11. RUTGERS 70, No. 21 NORTHWESTERN 54