Women’s Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Baylor women beat Oklahoma State for 19th straight win
WACO, Texas – Kalani Brown had 14 points and 13 rebounds in her last regular-season home game for No. 1 Baylor, and the Big 12 champion Lady Bears beat Oklahoma State 76-44 on Saturday for their 19th straight victory.
Baylor (27-1, 17-0 Big 12) had its lowest-scoring half in conference play this season while taking a 25-20 lead. Brown scored six points as the Lady Bears put together an 11-0 run right out of the break. They outscored Oklahoma State 51-24 in the second half.
Juicy Landrum also had 14 points to help Baylor run its Big 12 regular-season winning streak to 40, four short of the league record the Lady Bears set from 2011-14. They have won 37 home games in a row overall.
Vivian Gray scored 23 points for Oklahoma State (14-14, 5-12).
(2) UConn 83, Houston 61
STORRS, Conn. – Napheesa Collier had 29 points and nine rebounds to lead UConn on senior day.
Fellow senior Katie Lou Samuelson scored 11 points for UConn (27-2, 15-0 American) before injuring her back in a collision diving for a loose ball in the second quarter. She returned to start the second half but struggled with muscle spasms and was pulled after the first minute.
Jasmyne Harris, Octavia Barnes and Dorian Branch each had 14 points for Houston (15-13, 9-6).
(8) Maryland 71, Illinois 62
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Freshman Taylor Mikesell scored 20 points, Stephanie Jones had 14 points and nine rebounds and Maryland beat Illinois to lock up the Big Ten regular-season title.
Having already clinched at least a share of the conference crown, the Terrapins (26-3, 15-3) eliminated Iowa to secure the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Maryland has either won or shared the regular season title in four of its five years in the conference.
Alex Wittinger had 20 points and 11 rebounds for (10-19, 2-16).
(16) Gonzaga 68, Loyola Marymount 58
SPOKANE, Wash. – Laura Stockton scored 16 points, LeeAnne Wirth added 13 points and 13 rebounds, both career highs, and Gonzaga took the outright West Coast Conference championship.
The Bulldogs (27-3, 16-2) have won 14 of their 15 league titles since 2005.
Chelsey Gipson scored 14 points for the Lions (17-13, 10-8).
(20) Iowa State 82, No. 18 Texas 73
AUSTIN, Texas – Bridget Carleton and Ashley Joens each scored 12 points in the first half and Iowa State jumped out early and beat Texas.
The Cyclones started on an 18-4 run and had a double-digit lead until late in the fourth quarter. Carleton finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and surpassed 2,000 career points in the first quarter. Joens had 22 points. The pair combined for eight of Iowa State’s 12 3-pointers.
Iowa State (22-7, 12-5 Big 12) has won four of its last five games and has 12 conference wins for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Texas (21-8, 11-6) has lost three of four, including a 64-35 defeat to top-ranked Baylor on Monday. Sug Sutton had 16 of her 21 points in the second half to lead the Longhorns.
(24) Rice 78, Louisiana Tech 42
HOUSTON – Erica Ogwumike had 18 points with 14 rebounds, five assists and two steals and Rice used a 21-0 run in the first half to roll past Louisiana Tech, extending its school-record winning streak to 17 games.
Nichole Iademarco went 6 of 8 from 3-point range and also scored 18 points for the Owls (24-3, 15-0 Conference USA). The Lady Techsters (14-14, 6-9) were 2 of 15 in the first quarter and missed 14 straight shots during Rice’s run.