SEC/TOP 25 WOMEN
NO. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 78, NO. 18 KENTUCKY 68
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Alaina Coates had 27 points and 13 rebounds as No. 2 South Carolina overcame an injury to star Tiffany Mitchell to defeat No. 18 Kentucky 78-68 Thursday night and head to its showdown with top-ranked Connecticut at 22-0.
Coates had her fourth double-double in the past five games for the Gamecocks (10-0 SEC), who needed every bit of it to hold off the Wildcats (15-6, 4-6) after Mitchell, the two-time defending SEC player of the year, crashed hard to the floor in the second quarter.
Mitchell spent several minutes face down in obvious pain before being helped off the court. She returned to the bench in the third quarter with what the team said was a lower back bruise.
Makayla Epps scored 17 points, all in the second half, for Kentucky, which had lost four of five games.
A'ja Wilson had 18 points for South Carolina.
As time ran out, fans began to chant "We want UConn." Be careful what you wish for. The three-time defending NCAA champions ended South Carolina's 22-0 start and reign at No. 1 a year ago in blowout fashion, 87-62. The Huskies, behind Breanna Stewart, look even stronger this season -- and the job will get even tougher with an injured Mitchell.
The Gamecocks won their 45th consecutive home game.
Kentucky cut an 11-point deficit to 68-66 on Taylor Murray's three-pointer with 2:36 left. But Coates finished off a three-point play on the next series to push the Gamecocks forward once more. Coates had her 12th double-double this season and the 34th of her career.
South Carolina entered trying to stay perfect for a second consecutive year heading to its showdown against three-time defending NCAA champion No. 1 Connecticut here Monday night.
Instead, the Gamecocks may have lost the engine that drives them in Mitchell, who crashed to the floor on a driving layup against two Kentucky defenders.
Taking down the powerhouse Huskies would become much more difficult minus Mitchell.
The Gamecocks were already without senior starter Asia Dozier, who injured her right hand in beating Texas A&M last Sunday night.
Still, South Carolina pushed past Kentucky with a 15-9 burst to close the second quarter and take a 35-30 lead into the break.
Epps, the SEC's second leading scorer, was held without a point in the opening two quarters. But she turned that around after halftime, making eight consecutive baskets in the Wildcats comeback.
In other games involving SEC/Top 25 women's teams, Madison Cable matched her career-high with 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead No. 3 Notre Dame to an 82-46 victory over North Carolina State. The Wolfpack (16-7, 7-3 ACC) couldn't stop Cable early as she scored 13 of Notre Dame's first 19 points and the Irish (22-1, 10-0) jumped to a 19-12 lead. ... Ameryst Alston scored 21 points as No. 7 Ohio State cruised to an 87-61 victory over Wisconsin. The Buckeyes (18-4, 10-1) took control late in the first quarter and never looked back as five players scored in double figures for Coach Kevin McGuff's team. ... Ronni Williams scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and No. 23 Florida held off No. 12 Texas A&M 83-81. Courtney Williams stole the ball for the Aggies with seven seconds left but Jordan Jones missed a shot at the buzzer. ... Mariya Moore scored 22 points, Asia Durr added 21 and No. 13 Louisville rolled to a 78-60 victory over North Carolina. Myisha Hines-Allen contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds as Louisville (18-5, 10-0 ACC) extended its win streak to 15. ... Jessica Thomas scored 14 points, Adrienne Motley added 13 and No. 16 Miami beat Boston College 67-62. The Hurricanes (19-4, 7-3 ACC) have won six of their last eight, and pulled into a fourth-place tie in the conference standings with North Carolina State (16-7, 7-3).
Sports on 02/05/2016