Madina Okot, Joyce Edwards pace No. 3 South Carolina over No. 25 Alabama 76-57

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Joyce Edwards had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Madina Okot scored 16 points and pulled in 16 rebounds, and No. 3 South Carolina beat No. 25 Alabama 76-57 on Thursday night.

South Carolina (26-2, 12-1 Southeastern Conference) opened the game on a 12-2 run and never relinquished the lead. The Gamecocks’ defense set the tone early, forcing five turnovers in the first quarter and holding Alabama to just 3-of-15 shooting from the floor.

Okot and Edwards were dominant inside — South Carolina outrebounded Alabama 39-31, including 12 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second-chance points and a 44-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Alabama (20-7, 6-7) was led by Ta’Mia Scott with 14 points Ace Austin with nine. The Crimson Tide outscored South Carolina in the second and third quarters, but the 21-8 deficit at the end of the first quarter proved too much to overcome.

NO. 2 UCLA 82, WASHINGTON 67

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauren Betts had 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds, and UCLA defeated Washington to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with its 20th consecutive victory.

The Bruins (24-1, 14-0) can win the title outright with a victory over visiting Wisconsin on Sunday. If they do, it would keep the title in Los Angeles for a second straight year. USC claimed it last season, the first playing in the Big Ten for both the Bruins and the Trojans.

Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice had 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic had 10 points each for the Bruins. They led 22-12 in the first quarter. Betts scored the Bruins’ first six points of the second as part of a 14-5 run that produced a 19-point lead.

From there, the Huskies closed with a 12-6 spurt to trail 42-29 at halftime, having been outscored by just three points in the second quarter. They were outscored by two points in the third quarter — when Betts had six of UCLA’s first eight points — and trailed 63-48 going into the fourth.

Freshman Brynn McGaughy came off the bench and scored 19 points — over double her average — to lead the Huskies (19-8, 9-7). Former USC player Avery Howell had 17 points. Sayvia Sellers, averaging a team-high 19.3 points, was held to 14 and seven assists playing with four fouls.

NO. 4 TEXAS 93, ARKANSAS 62

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Madison Booker scored 21 points to lead five Texas players in double figures as the Longhorns beat Arkansas.

Booker entered the game averaging 18.5 points and nearly hit that mark by halftime, scoring 16 as the Longhorns took a 20-point lead into the break. She shot 9 of 14 from the field, 3 of 5 from 3-point range and did not play the final 11:44.

Aaliyah Crump scored 16, Kyla Oldacre and Ashton Judd scored 13 apiece, and Jordan Lee added 11.

Texas (25-3, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) started slowly on offense, scoring just 18 points in the first quarter. But its defense forced Arkansas (11-17, 0-13) into an 0-for-7 start from the floor and the Razorbacks finished the first with just one more point scored (nine) than turnovers committed (eight) They trailed by nine at the end of the quarter.

The Longhorns ended the half on a 14-4 run that included six straight field goals.

Taleyah Jones led Arkansas with 16 points and Bonnie Deas added 14. The Razorbacks shot 29% from the floor and committed 20 turnovers, leading to 29 Texas points.

NO. 7 LSU 78, NO. 17 MISSISSIPPI 70

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 26 points as LSU erased an 11-point deficit in the final eight minutes and beat Mississippi.

Fulwiley capped her performance with a clinching layup with 46 seconds remaining as LSU (23-4, 9-4 Southeastern Conference) outscored Ole Miss (21-7, 8-5) 24-5 in the decisive game-closing rally.

Flau’jae Johnson added 18 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Tigers, despite missing most of the first half with a lower-body injury. Johnson played extensively in the second half before fouling out with 58 seconds remaining.

Cotie McMahon led Ole Miss with 25 points, including 18 in the first half, as Ole Miss built a 43-37 halftime lead. Christeen Iwuala scored 13 and Latasha Lattimore 12, and finished with eight rebounds apiece.

NO. 9 DUKE 83, NC STATE 65

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Toby Fournier had 26 points and 12 rebounds as Duke extended its winning streak to 17 games by beating N.C. State.

Arianna Roberson scored 15 points in 17 minutes off the bench, Ashlon Jackson had 14 points and Riley Nelson added 10 points — all in the first half — as Duke (20-6, 15-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), combined with Sunday’s topping of North Carolina, beat two in-state rivals in a five-day period.

With three regular-season games remaining, the Blue Devils are riding their longest winning streak since a 20-game stretch in 2010-11. They lead No. 8 Louisville by one game in the ACC.

Khamil Pierre scored 24 points and Zoe Brooks had 21 for N.C. State (17-9, 10-5), which has lost three of its last five games. The Wolfpack went 0 for 6 on 3-point attempts, marking the first time in more than three years that they did not have a 3-point basket in a game.

NO. 11 OKLAHOMA 71, NO. 24 GEORGIA 63

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Aaliyah Chavez racked up 27 points, five assists, and four rebounds as Oklahoma held off Georgia,.

Chavez was 9-for-17 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe for the Sooners (20-6, 8-5 Southeastern Conference). Oklahoma improved to 14-0 when Chavez leads the team in assists.

Sahara Williams added 11 points, six rebounds, and a team-high three steals.

Oklahoma started the game with a 9-0 run, and built a double-digit lead before five minutes had passed in the game. They took a 37-27 lead into the locker room at halftime, and Chavez scored 13 in the first half.

The Bulldogs rallied back, cutting the deficit to as little as two points down the stretch, but the Sooners answered each time. Raegan Beers made two free throws with 23 seconds on the clock that put the game out of reach.

Georgia (20-7, 6-7) was led by Mia Woolfolk’s 29 points and nine rebounds. Dani Carnegie added 14 points, and Trinity Turner had 10. Both had six rebounds.

NO. 13 IOWA 83, PURDDUE 74

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Ava Heiden scored 21 points and tallied a double-double to lead Iowa over Purdue.

Heiden was a ruthlessly efficient 10-of-12 shooting for the Hawkeyes (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten). She added 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Taylor Stremlow had 19 points, going 7 of 10, and dishing eight assists. Journey Houston scored 16 to go with five rebounds.

The Hawkeyes shot 59 percent (32-of-54) and 47 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-19). The win was the 10th in a row for the Hawkeyes over the Boilermakers (12-14, 4-11). It broke a deadlock in the historical series, giving Iowa a 41-40 lead.

Nya Smith scored 19 and Kiki Smith had 17 for the Boilermakers, with Nya Smith adding five rebounds and five assists. Tara Daye had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Kendall Puryear scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

TEXAS A&M 82, NO.21 TENNESSEE 74

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ny’Ceara Pryor scored 22 points and dished 10 assists, Fatmata Janneh added 17 and Lemyah Hylton put up 12 in Texas A&M’s win over Tennessee.

The Aggies (11-11, 4-9 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 10-0 run to start the game, with half the points coming from Pryor. She scored 13 in the first quarter.

Texas A&M was hot from the perimeter, shooting 7 of 11 (64%) as a team from 3-point range to take a 47-42 lead going into halftime. After the break, their lead mounted with a 14-0 run that lasted just over five minutes.

Tennessee (16-9, 8-5) was led by Janiah Barker, with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Zee Spearman put up 14 and Talaysia Cooper added 11.

NO. 22 NORTH CAROLINA 66, VIRGINIA TECH 63, OT

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Nyla Harris scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points and five assists and North Carolina took down Virginia Tech in overtime.

Aarnisalo, Harris, and Lanie Grant combined for all nine overtime points for the Tar Heels (22-6, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who bounced back from a 72-68 loss at then-No. 11 Duke on Sunday.

Grant made two clutch free throws with 25 seconds remaining in overtime to make it a three-point margin, and Virginia Tech missed three 3-pointers in the final seven seconds.

The game featured 11 lead changes and five ties, with neither team leading by more than nine points. Virginia Tech led 28-21 at the half.

Both teams struggled shooting, with UNC managing 37% from the floor and Virginia Tech shooting 34%.

Indya Nivar added 10 points and four steals for Carolina, and Nyla Brooks hauled in eight rebounds.

For the Hokies (20-8, 10-6), Carys Baker and Samyha Suffren each tallied 15 points. Kilah Freelon led with 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Baker grabbed eight rebounds of her own. Mackenzie Nelson dished four assists.