David Murray scored at the buzzer to force overtime and the Connecticut College men’s basketball team beat Bates 74-71 on Sunday in New London, Connecticut.
Bates (5-8, 0-1 NESCAC) took a 63-61 lead with five seconds left in the second half on a 3-pointer by Steph Baxter before Murray’s jumper tied it for the Camels (11-4, 2-0).
Baxter finished with 21 points for the Bobcats, while Devin Harris had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Brady Coyne added 17 points and Elliot Cravitz 11.
Murray scored 27 for the Camels.
(1) PURDUE 76, PENN STATE 63: Zach Edey scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and helped a furious 12-0 run to start the second half as the Boilermakers (15-1, 4-1 Big Ten) rallied to defeat the Nittany Lions (11-5, 2-3) before a sold-out crowd at the Palestra in Philadelphia.
Fletcher Loyer scored 17 points while Braden Smith added 15 to help the Boilermakers improve to 15-1 overall and post back-to-back road conference wins after Monday’s home loss to Rutgers knocked Purdue from the ranks of the undefeated.
(2) HOUSTON 72, CINCINNATI 59: Jarace Walker scored a game-high 21 points, J’Wan Roberts added 14 points and 11 rebounds and the Cougars (16-1, 4-0 AAC) defeated the Bearcats (11-6, 2-2) in Cincinnati.
The Cougars, who defeated the Bearcats in each of the last two American Athletic Conference tournaments, extended their winning streak to seven straight over their soon-to-be Big 12 Conference foe.
NORTHWESTERN 84, (15) INDIANA 83: Boo Buie scored 26 points and the Wildcats (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) beat the Hoosiers (10-5, 1-3) for their second road victory against a ranked opponent this season.
MARYLAND 80, (24) OHIO STATE 73: Jahmir Young scored 30 points, and the Terrapins (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) opened the second half with an 18-2 run on their way to a victory over the Buckeyes (10-5, 2-2) in College Park, Maryland.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BATES 59, CONNECTICUT COLLEGE 35: Meghan Graff scored 19 points, Morgan Kennedy added 14, and the Bobcats (7-5, 1-0 NESCAC) held the Camels (4-9, 0-2) to 29 percent shooting in a win at Lewiston.
(1) SOUTH CAROLINA 58, MISSISSIPPI STATE 51: Zia Cooke scored 16 points and Aliyah Boston added 12 to help the Gamecocks (16-0, 3-0 SEC) remain unbeaten with a win over the Bulldogs (12-5, 1-3) in Starville, Mississippi.
The Gamecocks were held to a season-low point total on 19 of 65 (29%) shooting, but were able to find a way. Boston added 15 rebounds in the win.
(2) STANFORD 60, CALIFORNIA 56: Haley Jones scored the go-ahead layup with 1:17 to play, Cameron Brink had 25 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots as NBA pal Stephen Curry watched courtside, outdueling Leilani McIntosh down the stretch as the Cardinal (16-1, 4-0 Pac-12) held off the Golden Bears (10-5, 1-3) in Berkeley, California.
Jones wound up with 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Cardinal ran their winning streak to 11 games since losing 76-71 in overtime to No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 20.
(3) OHIO STATE 87, ILLINOIS 81: Taylor Mikesell scored a game-high 31 points as the Buckeyes (17-0,6-0 Big Ten) erased a halftime deficit and avoided an upset by the Fighting Illini (14-3, 4-2) in Columbus, Ohio.
Trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, a 13-0 run in the third quarter helped the Buckeyes tie the game at 58 with 2:16 to go in the period.
Entering the fourth quarter tied at 65, Rikki Harris made a 3-pointer and Ohio State didn’t trail again.
(6) INDIANA 72, NORTHWESTERN 50: Mackenzie Holmes of Gorham scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Hoosiers (14-1, 4-1 Big Ten) to a win over the Wildcats (6-9, 0-5) in Evanston, Illinois.
Holmes had 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting in the first half as fellow senior Grace Berger returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a right knee injury.
Berger did not look limited as she swapped out a thigh-to-ankle knee brace for a standard knee brace and finished with 16 points and five assists.
Holmes took over with 14 points in the second quarter, including eight straight points, as the Hoosiers outscored the Wildcats 20-12 to take a 40-24 lead into halftime. She finished 10 of 14 from the field and added two blocks.
(7) LSU 67, KENTUCKY 48: Flau’jae Johnson scored 26 points, including eight during a 12-0, second-quarter run to break the game open, Angel Reese also scored 26 and the Tigers (16-0, 4-0 SEC) blew out the Wildcats (8-8, 0-4) in Lexington, Kentucky for their best start in school history.
MIAMI 77, (9) VIRGINIA TECH 66: Jasmyn Roberts scored a career-best 23 points, Haley Cavinder added 19 and the Hurricanes (10-6, 3-2 ACC) held off the Hokies (13-3, 3-3) in Coral Gables, Florida.
(10) NORTH CAROLINA STATE 87, VIRGINIA 62: Jada Boyd scored 13 points and the Wolfpack (13-3, 3-2 ACC) snapped a two-game home losing streak by beating the Cavaliers (13-3, 2-3).
(17) OKLAHOMA 82, (11) IOWA STATE 79: Ana Llanusa scored 23 points, Skylar Vann hit the final go-ahead basket, and the Sooners (12-2, 2-1 Big 12) defeated the Cyclones (10-3, 2-1) in Norman, Oklahoma in a matchup of the Big 12’s top two offenses.
(24) ST. JOHN’S 71, XAVIERS 52: Jayla Everett scored a season-high 26 points, Jillian Archer had a double-double and the Red Storm (14-1, 5-1 Big East Conference) bounced back from its first loss of the season with a win over the Musketeers (7-9, 0-7) in New York.
(25) CREIGHTON 68, MARQUETTE 42: Lauren Jensen scored 19 points and the Bluejays (10-4, 4-3 Big East) defeated Marquette (10-6, 3-4) in Omaha, Nebraska after holding the Golden Eagles to 14 points in the first half.
Creighton rolled to a 20-6 lead through one quarter and led 35-14 at halftime. Marquette shot 24% in the first half, making seven field goals in 29 attempts. Meanwhile, Creighton shot 52% and made the only free throw attempted in the first half.
FOOTBALL
FCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Mark Gronowski threw three touchdowns passes and ran 51 yards for another one as South Dakota State (14-1) won its first national championship with a 45-21 win in Frisco, Texas over North Dakota State (12-3), which lost for the first time in its 10 FCS title game appearances.
As a true freshman two seasons ago, Gronowski tore the ACL in his left knee on the opening series of the Football Championship Subdivision title game. Now nearly 20 months after a loss in that unprecedented spring finale, and after the quarterback missed the entire 2021 season, the Jackrabbits beat their border-state rival for the biggest prize in Coach John Stiegelmeier’s 26th season at his alma mater.
Amar Johnson rushed for 126 yards and Isaiah Davis had 119 for his ninth 100-yard game this season, and both scored touchdowns for South Dakota State. Gronowski, who completed 14 of 21 passes for 223 yards, had his scoring run on the third play of the second half to stretch the lead to 38-14.
Cam Miller was 17-of-26 passing for 256 yards with two TDs and two interceptions for the Bison, who went from Fargo to Frisco for the 10th time in 12 seasons.
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