WOMEN'S TOP 25 Ninth-ranked LSU captures opener

The Lady Tigers advanced to the final of the Women's Sports Foundation Classic.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
EUGENE, Ore. -- Seimone Augustus scored 19 points, and ninth-ranked LSU beat Villanova 63-56 Saturday to advance to the championship game of the Women's Sports Foundation Classic.
Scholanda Hoston had 13 points and Doneeka Hodges 11 for the Lady Tigers in the opener for both teams. Augustus, the national freshman of the year last season, scored 14 points in the second half as LSU erased a 12-point deficit.
Temeka Johnson, held scoreless in the first half, finished with nine points, six assists and eight rebounds.
Liad Suez led Villanova with 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting.
Courtney Mix made a basket with 15:40 remaining to give the Wildcats a 38-26 lead.
LSU took its first lead of the second half on a three-point play by Hoston with 4:16 to go. The Lady Tigers hit 12-of-16 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Villanova took a 10-2 lead on a 3-pointer by Kelly Nash. The Lady Tigers committed 10 first-half turnovers and trailed 25-20 at the break.
No. 18 UC Santa Barbara 82,San Diego 44
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Kristen Mann scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds as No. 18 UC Santa Barbara beat San Diego 82-44 in the opening round of the pre-season women's NIT on Saturday.
Lisa Willett added 13 points for the Gauchos, who extended their home winning streak to 24 -- the second-longest active streak in the nation behind top-ranked Connecticut.
Lindsay Helvey led San Diego with nine points, and Marta Menuez had eight points and 11 rebounds.
UCSB jumped out to a 43-18 halftime lead after a 27-5 run led by Mann and Willett. Mann and Willett each scored 10 points in the first half as the Gauchos outrebounded the Toreros 27-14.
UCSB forward Kate Bauman left with seven minutes to go in the first half after she sprained her right ankle. Forward Brandy Richardson suffered a concussion during pre-game warmups when she collided with another player and didn't play.
The Gauchos play host to Utah on Monday in the second round of the pre-season NIT.