Holding on to a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter, No. 4 Texas kicked off the final 10 minutes of their rematch with No. 5 LSU with a 10-0, a scoring spurt that would lead the Longhorns to the 77-64 get-back win, and their 39th-straight home victory.
Madison Booker led the Longhorns with 18 points, albeit on 6-for-21 shooting from the field. Booker, however, earned six free throws, making five; overall, Texas’ 17-for-20 free throw advantage, compared to LSU going just 9-for-14, helped give Texas the edge they needed in an otherwise statistically-equal contest.
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The Longhorns also benefitted from the contributions of Aaliyah Crump, with the freshman going 2-for-2 from 3 and 7-for-10 overall to score 16 points in her 24 off-the-bench minutes. Rori Harmon set the defensive tone for Texas, securing six steals to set the program record with 351. The super senior point guard, who also had 11 points and five assists, is now Texas’ all-time leader in assists and steals.
For LSU, Mikaylah Williams had 20 points, but her team-best scoring was balanced by five turnovers. MiLaysia Fulwiley also coughed up the ball six times as the Tigers had 19 turnovers to 14 assists. On top of those lost opportunities, Flau’Jae Johnson and Jada Richard struggled with their shots, going a combined 4-for-24 from the field; Johnson finished with 11 points, while Richard scored just two points.
The top-five showdown in Austin, however, was not the most exciting game of a night where 14 ranked teams were in action. Here’s more on how three other top-20 teams—No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 17 Duke, No. 19 Tennessee—secured critical conference wins:
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No. 7 Vanderbilt 84, No. 16 Kentucky 83
With No. 7 Vanderbilt down by four points to No. 16 Kentucky entering the fourth quarter, a quick layup and 3 from Mikayla Blakes reclaimed the lead for the Commodores. After those five points, Blakes would pour in 14 more in the final period, with Vandy needing every one of them to outlast Kentucky in Lexington.
Blakes finished the night with 37 points, powered by a 6-for-9 effort from behind the arc. The Commodores also got 16 points and seven assists from Aubrey Galvan, plus 15 points, on perfect 7-for-7 shooting, from Sacha Washington.
The Wildcats could have sent the game into overtime, as Amelia Hassett got off a potential game-tying 3-pointer on Kentucky’s final possession. She missed, and the 2-point putback from Teonni Key didn’t change the outcome.
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Key, once again, proved herself to be essential for the Wildcats, as she scored a team-best 27 points, grabbing 12 rebounds for the double-double. She, however, was responsible for five of Kentucky’s 20 turnovers. Those miscues led to 25 Vanderbilt points.
No. 17 Duke 59, No. 6 Louisville 58
Of course, No. 17 Duke was not going to win their 14th-straight game with an offensive showcase.
However, the Blue Devils did make their first seven shots, racing out to a 16-1 lead over No. 6 Louisville. From there, the matchup between the ACC’s best teams devolved into a defensive battle. The Blue Devils struggled with turnovers as the Cardinals experienced their worst shooting game of the season.
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Despite their shooting woes, Louisville still managed to make this highly-competitive contest, taking the lead on Laura Ziegler’s only 3 of the night early in the fourth quarter. After that, Duke would reclaim the lead, stretching their advantage to as many as seven points before the Cards again clawed back.
As the game clocked ticked toward a minute remaining, Imari Berry brought Louisville within one point with a layup. After an empty possession for Duke, Berry the had an opportunity to vault Louisville into the lead with a 3, only for Toby Fournier to block her attempt. Berry would get one more opportunity. Ziegler stole the ball and fired a pass ahead to Berry. Riley Nelson hacked Berry, preventing the a breakaway layup that, with one second on the clock, likely would have sent the game to overtime. At the line, Berry still had that chance, except, after making the first free, she missed the second.
Duke survived, 59-58, taking sole control of first place in the ACC standings at 12-0.
In addition to the crucial block, one of three swats, Fournier led Duke with 15 points and nine boards. Nelson and Taina Mair both had 13-point and nine-rebound nights for the Blue Devils. Ziegler finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for Louisville, while Elif Istanbulluoglu had 13 points and six boards.
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No. 19 Tennessee 82, Georgia 77 (OT)
In Athens, Dani Carnegie was clutch at the free throw line.
With five seconds remaining in the game and Georgia trailing No. 19 Tennessee by three points, Carnegie was fouled on a 3-point attempt, sending her to the line for three free throws. She made them all to extend the game into overtime.
The Lady Vols, however, took immediate control in the extra period with a 5-0 run. While the Bulldogs would cut the margin to three points twice during OT, the Vols successfully responded each time, with Mia Pauldo eventually icing the 82-77 win with two late free throws, ensuring Tennessee avoided a third-straight loss.
The freshman point guard finished with 21 points for Tennessee, just behind Zee Spearman and her team-best 23 points. Georgia was led by Carnegie’s 25 points.
