COLLEGE WOMEN'S HOOPS Thursday's games

No. 7 North Carolina 87, Wofford 50
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- La'Tangela Atkinson had 15 points and six assists to help undefeated North Carolina rout Wofford for its 24th straight home victory. Alex Miller added 13 points for North Carolina (9-0), Ivory Latta had 11 and Camille Little 10. Erlana Larkins was 4-for-4 from the field and had eight points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes of play. North Carolina was 31-of-55 (56.4 percent) from the floor, its most accurate shooting this season. The Tar Heels made 10 3-pointers, with Miller and Heather Claytor each making three. K.C. Correll led Wofford (4-2) with 11 points. The Tar Heels hit 19 of their first 33 shots (57.6 percent) and led 45-25 at the half. They took their biggest lead, 85-48, on Miller's layup with 3:01 left.
No. 8 Connecticut 72, Villanova 56
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Ann Strother scored a season-high 24 points and had 10 rebounds, Renee Montgomery added 14 points and No. 8 Connecticut bounced back from its worst home loss in 21 years. The Huskies (7-1, 1-0 Big East) were challenged for a half before Strother scored a string of baskets to help them avoid consecutive losses for the first time since 1992-93. UConn was coming its worst home loss in coach Geno Auriemma's 21 seasons, losing 77-54 to No. 7 North Carolina on Monday night. The loss was the earliest home setback for the five-time NCAA champs in 15 years.
Certainly, if any team could have made a serious run at dealing the Huskies their second loss in a week, it's the Wildcats (5-2, 0-1). Villanova snapped UConn's 70-game winning streak in the 2003 Big East tournament title game and followed that up a season later with a win over the top-ranked Huskies.
Too talented and too determined to avoid what would have been an embarrassment at the basketball powerhouse, the Huskies scored the first six points of the second half to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a five-point lead and they cruised from there. Strother, who entered averaging a team-high 14.4 points and finished 10-for-14, hit a pair of jumpers to get the run rolling. Kalana Greene used a nice pump-fake to drive the baseline and get fouled on a layup. She sank the free throw to give the Huskies a 37-32 lead. Lisa Karcic led the Wildcats with 14 points and Jackie Adamschick had 13.
No. 21 Vanderbilt 57, Northern Arizona 41
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Liz Sherwood scored nine of her 13 points during a key stretch of the second half, leading Vanderbilt. Alyssa Wahl scored 16 points to lead Northern Arizona (5-2). Vanderbilt (7-2) used an 11-2 run, capped by two baskets by Nicole Jules, to erase an early three-point deficit. Sade' Cunningham scored with 5 seconds left in the half to rally Northern Arizona within 23-19 at the break.
The Commodores extended their lead to 26-19 two minutes into the second half, but the Lumberjacks closed within 29-27 on a basket by Alyssa Wahl basket with 14:19 remaining.
Associated Press
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