No. 5 UConn holds off Providence 64-54 Wisconsin News

PROVIDENCE, RI (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 recorded their 14th straight win. The pursuit of a 15th straight win will include a repeat of last year’s National Championship when UConn take on leaders South Carolina on Sunday.

The Huskies (21-2, 13-0 Big East) shot 51% and held the Friars at 36%. UConn has committed 20 turnovers, many of which helped keep Providence (13-11, 4-9) in the picture. Olivia Olsen led Providence with 13 points while Janai Crooms and Nariah Scott had 11 points each.

#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 lucky home game 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 night of 2-on-10 shooting.

Mallory Heyer had 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 are 0-7 against the top seven teams in the conference with an average loss margin of 21 points.

No. 10 OHIO STATE 90, WISCONSIN 67

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) — Taylor Thierry posted a career-high 25 points and Taylor Mikesell added 21 to help Ohio State beat Wisconsin and snapped the Buckeyes’ three-game sled.

Thierry also had seven rebounds for Ohio State (20-3, 9-3 Big Ten Conference), who started the season with 19 straight wins before losing three in a row.

Serah Williams had 23 points and Avery LaBarbera added 17 for Wisconsin (7-16, 2-9), which has lost five of its last six games.

KANSAS STATE 78, #12 IOWA STATE 77

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Gabby Gregory scored 25 points and teamed with Serena Sundell for 7 of 8 free throws in the last 22 seconds, and Kansas State defeated Iowa State, the co-leader of the Big 12 Conference.

Gregory got it on free throws with 2.3 seconds to go when the Cyclones hit a 3-pointer on the buzzer.

Iowa State went from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter but only tied the game once, by 64 points, when Ashley Joens hit a layup with three minutes remaining. Emilee Ebert responded with a layup and then Big 12 steals leader Jaelynn Glenn stole the ball for an undisputed layup. After an ISU basket, Glenn drilled a clutch 3-pointer that put the Wildcats 71-66 with 1:41 to go.

Glenn finished with 15 points and Sundell 14 for the Wildcats (14-9, 3-7), who defeated No. 4 Iowa 84-83 on Nov. 17.

Lexi Donarski had 18 points and Joens had 17 for Iowa State (15-5, 7-3).

No. 19 VILLANOVA 73, MARQUETTE 54

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Maddy Siegrist had 24 points, Lucy Olsen added 16 points and Villanova retired in the second quarter to beat Marquette.

Siegrist scored 10 points during an 18-0 run in the second quarter that gave Villanova a 31-15 lead. Marquette missed 13 straight shots during the seven-minute stretch and the Wildcats led by double digits 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 while Marquette was just 7 of 33 (21%) off the field. The Golden Eagles finished 19th of 61 (31%) with 15 turnovers.

Siegrist, the nation’s leader with 28.4 points per game, has scored at least 20 points in every game for Villanova this season (19-4, 10-2 Big East).

Jordan King, who posted a game-high 23 points in a 54-52 loss to Villanova on December 28, scored 18 points for Marquette (14-8, 7-6). Chloe Marotta had 12 points and nine rebounds.

#24 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 56

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Sonya Morris scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, Rori Harmon scored nine of her 14 points and Texas returned West Virginia to remain at the top of the Big 12 Conference scoring.

The Longhorns led from the start and ran their stretch clean for 143 minutes, but it wasn’t until Harmon scored Texas’ final seven points over 2 1/2 minutes that victory was secured. The final lead was the largest of the game.

With No. 12 Iowa losing to Kansas state, Texas stands alone at the top of the Big 12.

Taylor Jones had 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting for Texas (17-6, 8-2) who kept their seven opponents under 60 points. Shaylee Gonzales added 11 points.

AP Women’s College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll