TOP 25 ROUNDUP Thursday's games
WOMEN
No. 2 Tennessee 75, Arkansas 68, OT
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Candace Parker scored 29 points as Tennessee dodged a huge upset bid. Alexis Hornbuckle added 12 points for the Volunteers, including four straight free throws late in the extra period that sealed the win. Tennessee (26-2, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) extended its winning streak to nine. Arkansas (18-11, 3-10) has lost eight in a row.
No. 4 North Carolina 96,Wake Forest 47
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Camille Little scored 19 points and Ivory Latta had 14 for the Tar Heels. Latta was just 4-of-14 from the floor and spent the final minutes of the first half in the trainer's room after taking an elbow to the eye. The Tar Heels (27-2, 11-2 in the ACC) took an early 18-3 lead, then to 29-5 thanks largely to their relentless pressure defense. UNC had 13 steals in the first half, led by Latta's four and Little's three. Yolanda Lavender had 20 points for Wake Forest (9-18, 0-13 ACC).
No. 12 Vanderbilt 68, No. 7 LSU 58
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Carla Thomas scored 23 points, and Vanderbilt won its seventh straight. With the win, Vanderbilt (24-4, 10-3) snapped a tie with LSU and took sole possession of third in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers (23-6, 9-4) now have lost three of their last four.
No. 15 Purdue 76, Iowa 52
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Katie Gearlds scored 28 points and Erin Lawless added 18 to close their home careers for Purdue. Gearlds made 11 of 20 shots from the field in her first game since scoring a school-record 41 points at Wisconsin. Lawless had career highs of 13 rebounds and five steals and notched her second double-double of the season for the Boilermakers (24-5, 13-2 Big Ten). Kristi Smith led Iowa (13-15, 5-10) with 11 points, but was held scoreless in the second half.
No. 17 Middle Tennessee 68, Troy 60
TROY, Ala. -- Chrissy Givens had 31 points and 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Krystle Horton had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Raiders (25-3, 17-0 Sun Belt Conference), who started the second half with a 16-5 run to set a Sun Belt record with their 17th straight conference win.
Illinois 56, No. 20 Michigan St. 46
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Lori Bjork had 12 points and Chelsea Gordon and Erin Wigley added nine apiece to help Illinois pull the upset. Victoria Lucas-Perry led Michigan State (21-7, 12-3) with 14 points and six rebounds, while guard Mia Johnson added 11 points. Illinois (18-9, 8-7 Big Ten) held a comfortable 31-21 lead going into halftime, but Michigan State's 6-foot-9 freshman center Allyssa DeHaan made a big push for the Spartans after the break, starting the second half with back-to-back baskets.
Delaware 77, No. 22 James Madison 67
NEWARK, Del. -- Tyresa Smith scored 32 points to help Delaware upset James Madison, ending the Dukes' 16-game winning streak. It was Blue Hens' second victory over a Top 25 team this season. Delaware (23-4, 14-2 Colonial Athletic Association) beat then-No. 20 Kentucky 86-70 on Nov. 24. Merideth Alexis led James Madison (24-3, 15-1) with 22 points and Taemra Young had 15.
No. 24 Wis.-Green Bay 73,Wright State 42
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Kayla Groh and Katy Harty each scored 12 points to lead Wisconsin-Green Bay to its 19th straight win. The Phoenix (22-3, 13-0 Horizon League) stretched their home winning streak to 12 games.
MEN
No. 7 Memphis 99, Rice 63
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Willie Kemp scored 20 points to help Memphis clinch its second-straight Conference USA title. The victory extended Memphis' winning streak to 16 straight, longest in the nation. Memphis also has won 28 straight at home. Memphis, which started the game 0-for-7 from 3-point range, ended up shooting 47 percent from outside the arc. Kemp hit four of his six 3-pointers. Jeremy Hunt finished with 16 points for Memphis, while Antonio Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts added 14 each. Robert Dozier scored 10 points. Anderson was also in charge of the defensive assignment on Rice guard Morris Almond, the conference's leading scorer, and third-best in the nation. He is averaging 27.2 points, but was held to just 15. Almond was 5-for-14 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds. Cory Pflieger scored 10 for the Owls.
Loyola of Chicago 75, No. 15 Butler 71
INDIANAPOLIS -- Blake Schilb scored 28 points and Tracy Robinson hit five free throws in the final 36 seconds as Loyola of Chicago won its first game over a ranked opponent in 21 years.
Associated Press
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