In brief: No. 1 UConn women cruise past No. 2 South Carolina

Women’s basketball: Breanna Stewart had 25 points and 10 rebounds as No. 1 Connecticut again proved who rules the women’s game, running past No. 2 South Carolina 66-54 on Monday night in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Gamecocks had won their first 22 games and, in front of their first sold-out crowd at 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena, figured to give the three-time defending NCAA champion Huskies (23-0) their sternest test of the season.

Instead, Stewart and UConn led by 15 points in the second quarter and never let the Southeastern Conference champs get back in it. The Huskies’ win streak is at 60.

Buckeyes edge Terrapins: Kelsey Mitchell scored 33 points as No. 7 Ohio State beat fifth-ranked Maryland 94-86 in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State never trailed en route to sweeping the regular season series against the Terrapins (21-3, 10-2).

The Buckeyes (19-4, 11-1) took sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

Villanova latest to reach No. 1 in AP poll

Men’s basketball: Villanova joined an exclusive club. The Wildcats are now among the 57 schools to have been ranked No. 1 in the AP college basketball poll.

The Wildcats had been ranked No. 2 seven times, but had never made that one step up.

UCLA is the all-time leader with 134 weeks at the top and Duke is next at 127.

Duke upsets Louisville: Freshman Brandon Ingram had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Duke beat No. 13 Louisville 72-65 in Durham, North Carolina.

Grayson Allen scored 19 points and Luke Kennard had 11 for the Blue Devils (18-6, 7-4 ACC).

Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points for the Cardinals (19-5, 8-3).

Hield clutch for Sooners: Buddy Hield’s 3-pointer from the corner with 1.3 seconds remaining lifted No. 3 Oklahoma (20-3, 8-3 Big 12) to a 63-60 victory over No. 24 Texas (16-8, 7-4) in Norman, Oklahoma.

Hield struggled early, but scored 12 points in the final 3:11. He scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half.

James notches 40th triple-double in win

NBA: LeBron James recorded his 40th career triple-double while Kyrie Irving matched his season high with 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Sacramento Kings 120-100 in Cleveland.

James scored 21 points to go along with 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double of the season. Irving also tied his career high with 12 assists.

Blazers trip up Grizzlies in OT: Damian Lillard scored 33 points, C.J. McCollum had six of his 21 points in overtime as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 112-106 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Hawks stumble at home: Nikola Vucevic scored 25 of his 28 points after halftime, and Orlando rallied from 20 points down to beat Atlanta 117-110 in overtime in Atlanta, helping the Magic beat the Hawks for the second time in two nights.

George sparks Pacers: Indiana’s Paul George scored all seven of his second-half points in the final 71 seconds and Monta Ellis made two free throws with 20.6 seconds left to seal an 89-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Indianapolis.

Redick rallies Clippers: J.J. Redick had 23 points, including the tying 3-pointer late in regulation, and Jamal Crawford also scored 23 points to lead the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers to a 98-92 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia.

Warriors’ Ezeli has knee surgery: Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to remove debris and is scheduled to be re-evaluated in six weeks.

Lundqvist, Rangers hold off Devils

NHL: Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves and the New York Rangers posted their first three-game winning streak since November with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in New York.

J.T. Miller scored for the ninth time in 10 games for the Rangers.

Red-hot Crosby propels Penguins: Sidney Crosby scored on a pair of breakaways to extend his goal streak to a career-best seven games and added two assists to help the Pittsburgh Penguins cruise to a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Pittsburgh.

Florida has first female football coach

Miscellany: A reality TV star has been hired as the first female high school football head coach in Florida history.

The Miami Herald reports that Miami Jackson announced Lakatriona Brunson as the Generals’ new coach.

Brunson has gained notoriety in recent years on the reality series “South Beach Tow.”

The physical education teacher attended Miami Northwestern in the early 1990s.

Cuban brothers eye MLB careers: Star Cuban infielder Yulieski Gourriel and his younger brother Loudes slipped away from their hotel in the Dominican Republic in an apparent effort to launch careers in Major League Baseball.

The departure of Yulieski and his brother Loudes was confirmed by Granma, the Communist Party newspaper in Cuba that serves as an outlet for official government statements.