COLLEGE BASKETBALL

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Women’s roundup

No. 22 South Florida 71, Ohio State 47

COLUMBUS

Freshmen Beatriz Jordao had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Sydni Harvey scored 16, leading South Florida to a romp over Ohio State in the season opener for both teams. All-American candidate Kitija Laksa also had 17 points for the Bulls but she was 4-of-16 shooting while Jordao was 8 of 9 in her debut. The Buckeyes, one of just three teams to have to replace all five starters, as well as their top six scorers, was led by Carly Santoro, a Bowling Green graduate transfer. Dorka Juhasz, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Hungary, had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jordao had seven points, making all three of her shots, and six rebounds in the first quarter as the Bulls raced to a 21-11 lead in the first quarter. Ohio State shot just 30 percent, going 3 of 19 from 3-point range. The Buckeyes were 12 of 21 from the foul line and were outrebound 48-32. USF was 24 of 29 from the line with Harvey and Laksa both making 7 of 8.

No. 4 Baylor 100, Nicholls State 39

WACO, TEXAS

Preseason AP All-America post Kalani Brown scored the first four points for fourth-ranked Baylor, which opened the season by scoring the first 24 points and had seven players in double figures on the way to a victory over Nicholls State. Brown finished with 13 points, matching Moon Ursin for the team high. The 6-foot-7 Brown also had four rebounds while playing only 18 minutes. All 11 players who saw action for the Big 12 champion Lady Bears scored multiple points and had at least one rebound. Cassidy Barrios had 20 points and nine rebounds for Nicholls State. The senior guard was the leading scorer last season at 17.3 points a game for the Colonels, who were an NCAA Tournament team after winning the Southland Conference tournament. Their season ended with a loss to No. 1 seed Mississippi State. DiDi Richards set a career-high with 12 points for Baylor, and freshman Caitlin Bickle also had 12. Newcomers Chloe Jackson, NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo all had 10 points. Lauren Cox, the 6-4 junior who with Brown makes up maybe the best post combo in the nation, had nine points, seven rebounds and a game-high six assists in 19 minutes.

No. 18 Syracuse 85, North Dakota 49

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Kiara Lewis and McDonald’s All-American Emily Engstler each scored 13 points and Syracuse beat North Dakota to open the season. Syracuse is coming off its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, going 22-9, and returns all five starters with the addition of Engstler. Junior guard Tiana Mangakahia led the nation last year with 304 assists and an average of 9.8 per game — both program and ACC records. She had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists against UND. Syracuse made 12 3-pointers — with three apiece from Lewis, Engstler and Miranda Drummond. Gabrielle Cooper and Mangakahia each had four steals as UND turned it over 27 times and shot just 32.8 percent. UND returns leading scorer and rebounder Lexi Klabo, who averaged 19 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior. She had 12 points and seven boards against the Orange. North Dakota starts its season with seven straight road games.

No. 19 Marquette 91, South Dakota State 52

MILWAUKEE

Natisha Hiedeman made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points, reigning Big East player of the year Allazia Blockton scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half and Marquette beat South Dakota State in a season opener. Marquette returned all five starters from last season’s team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament — its latest exit since 2011. Hiedeman hit 4 of 7 3-pointers in the first half and Isabelle Spingola made all three of hers to help Marquette build a 44-25 halftime lead. The Golden Eagles were 10 of 19 from distance in the half, making 7 of 8 in the second quarter, and finished with 13 makes. South Dakota State is picked to win the Summit League after a 26-7 season a year ago, falling to Big East opponent Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Macy Miller, who was named the league’s preseason player of the year, finished with seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.

No. 25 Miami 94, Florida International 43

MIAMI

Sarah Mortensen scored 24 points, leading a 3-point barrage by making 8 of 9, and No. 25 Miami opened the season with a victory over cross-town rival Florida International. Mykea Gray added 15 points off the bench and Miami native Beatrice Mompremier had 15 points and 11 rebounds to surpass 550 points and 450 rebounds for the Hurricanes. Miami was 16 of 32 behind the arc, going 13 of 20 in the second half.

Associated Press