WOMEN'S ROUNDUP | SATURDAY'S GAMES
No. 5 Connecticut 65, Pittsburgh 54
PITTSBURGH -- Sophomore guard Mel Thomas scored 21 points to help Connecticut win for the 20th straight time against Pittsburgh. The Huskes improved to 33-9 all-time against the Panthers. Connecticut (17-2, 6-0 Big East) shot 45.8 percent in the first half and led 26-23 at the break. Ann Strother scored seven of her 14 points before intermission. Marcedes Walker had 12 points and 15 rebounds for Pittsburgh (12-6, 3-4). The Panthers outrebounded UConn 54-32, pulling down 31 offensive boards, but they shot 26 percent (18-of-70). In the first half, Connecticut turned the ball over 10 times and failed to control Pittsburgh in the paint. The Panthers shot 20 percent from the floor (8-of-40), but kept it close because of second-chance points from 20 offensive rebounds. Cheron Taylor went 0-for-6 from the floor, but had 11 rebounds for the Panthers. The Huskies have not lost to Pittsburgh since a 76-74 decision on Feb. 24, 1993.
No. 9 Rutgers 80, Louisville 55
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Cappie Pondexter scored 27 points and freshman Kia Vaughn added 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead Rutgers. Connie Neal scored 10 points to lead Louisville (13-4, 4-2 Big East). Rutgers, coming off a one-point loss to No. 21 Temple on Thursday, wasted no time putting Louisville away. The Scarlet Knights (13-3, 5-0) used a 27-1 run over a 9-minute stretch of the first half to build a 41-15 halftime advantage. Vaughn, who entered the game averaging 5.7 rebounds, dominated the glass with six offensive boards and nine on the defensive end. She had four blocks and scored all of her points in the second half. Matee Ajavon added 14 points and seven assists for Rutgers.
No. 10 DePaul 69, Seton Hall 56
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- Khara Smith scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half and Jenna Rubino added 17 for DePaul. Allie Quigley finished with 16 points for the Blue Demons (17-2, 4-2 Big East), who won for the 10th time in 11 games. Monique Blake scored 13 points for Seton Hall (6-11, 3-3), losers of three of four Big East games. Shantel Brown and Heta Korpivaara had 10 points apiece. After trading the lead six times in the first 10 minutes, DePaul used a 9-0 run to take a 20-12 lead. Quigley hit two free throws and a jumper in the run. The Blue Demons started the second half on a 12-2 spurt, pushing the lead to 47-29 with 15:58 remaining. Quigley scored five during that stretch.
No. 14 Stanford 84,No. 15 Arizona State 78
STANFORD, Calif. -- Candice Wiggins scored 33 points and Stanford rallied for its seventh straight win. Brooke Smith added 19 points as the Cardinal (13-4, 8-1 Pac-10) won their 42nd consecutive home conference game by overcoming a 13-point deficit. Emily Westerberg scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Sun Devils (14-5, 5-4).
No. 20 New Mexico 59, Air Force 54
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Dionne Marsh went 11-for-15 from the free-throw line and finished with 21 points. Brandi Kimble added 11 points for the Lobos (14-4, 4-1 Mountain West Conference). Alecia Steele and Dawn Higginbotham led Air Force with 12 points each.
No. 23 BYU 64, San Diego 39
PROVO, Utah -- Nancy Seljaas scored 15 points and BYU won its seventh straight. Mallary Gillespie added 13 points for BYU (15-1, 5-0 Mountain West), which missed its first nine field goal attempts. Erin Jackson and Michelle Strawberry each scored 10 points for San Diego (3-13, 0-6).
No. 24 Notre Dame 54, Georgetown 52
WASHINGTON -- Megan Duffy scored 16 points and Notre Dame avoided a late collapse to pick up its first Big East road win of the season. Melissa D'Amico had 10 rebounds for the Irish (12-5, 3-3 Big East). Bethany LeSueur scored 19 points and Kieraah Marlow added 12 for the Hoyas (8-9, 1-5).
Associated Press
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