UConn avoids consecutive losses, routs DePaul

Christyn Williams scored a career-high 29 points, Paige Bueckers added 22 points and personal-best 10 assists, and No. 3 UConn bounced back from a rare loss to beat No. 17 DePaul 100-67 on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies (11-1, 9-0 Big East) haven’t dropped consecutive games in 28 years. And they weren’t about to let it happen this time, after losing at No. 19 Arkansas on Thursday. UConn used a dominant second quarter to build a 14-point halftime lead. The Huskies remained in control the rest of the way and improved to 19-1 all-time against DePaul (9-4, 6-2) – 19-0 under Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma. Williams made 12 of 15 shots. Bueckers nailed a personal-best 5 of 7 3-pointers. The star freshman also had seven rebounds and just one turnover. No. 4 SOUTH CAROLINA 87, ALABAMA 63 COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Zia Cooke scored 12 of her 21 points in the third quarter as South Carolina won its 18th straight over Alabama and 28th in a row over Southeastern Conference opponents. Cooke, the team’s leading scorer, struggled to find her touch early on with just four points at the half as the Gamecocks (14-1, 9-0 SEC) trailed. But Cooke, the lightning quick 5-foot-9 sophomore, got it going in a major way after halftime as she led a 15-5 surge that put South Carolina ahead for good. Alabama (12-4, 5-4) looked for a while like it was ready to end its long losing streak to the Gamecocks, who last lost to the Crimson Tide in 2008 before coach Dawn Staley arrived. No. 6 STANFORD 74, WASHINGTON 48 SEATTLE (AP) – Hannah Jump matched her season-high with 15 points off the bench and Stanford used a fast start beat shorthanded Washington. The Cardinal (15-2, 12-2 Pac-12) led by 19 after scoring a season-high 28 points in the first quarter and were never threatened in completing a three-game sweep of the Washington schools this week. The Cardinal defeated Washington State twice before knocking off the Huskies to complete the extended road trip. Lexie Hull and Kiana Williams both added 12 points for the Cardinal. Quay Miller led Washington (4-8, 1-8) with 14 points. No. 8 TEXAS A&M 60, No. 22 GEORGIA 48 COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) – N’dea Jones had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Texas A&M to a victory over Georgia. The Aggies (16-1, 7-1 in SEC) added 13 points from Kayla Wells and 10 from Ciera Johnson 12 to complement Jones’ 12th double-double of the season. Gabby Connally had 18 points for Georgia (13-4, 5-4) and Que Morrison added 12. No. 9 BAYLOR 85, IOWA STATE 77 AMES, Iowa (AP) – Nalyssa Smith scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Baylor held on to beat Iowa State and remain alone atop the Big 12 standings. The Lady Bears (12-2, 7-1 Big 12) had lost their last two meetings with the Cyclones, including a 75-71 defeat on Jan. 6. Baylor had not lost three in a row against a Big 12 rival since Oklahoma put together a four-game winning streak against the Lady Bears from 2005 to 2007. Dijonai Carrington contributed 17 points to the Lady Bears’ victory. Moon Ursin added 11 points and 15 rebounds. Ashley Joens led Iowa State (11-6, 7-3) with 25 points and seven rebounds. No. 15 KENTUCKY 61, MISSOURI 55 LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Rhyne Howard scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Kentucky closed the game with an 11-2 run to defeat Missouri. In the final three minutes, after the Tigers scored nine straight pints to take a 53-50 lead, the Wildcats were 9 of 10 from the foul line while Missouri went 1 of 4 from the field, missed two critical free throws and had a shot clock violation.