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The Associated Press | December 22, 2013
Top 25: No. 18 Purdue fends off Bowling Green
Hauser, No. 18 Purdue hold off Bowling Green
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- KK Hauser pulled down a defensive rebound and followed it up with two clutch free throws with 21 seconds left in the game to allow No. 18 Purdue to escape with a 57-48 win over Bowling Green Sunday.
Alexis Rogers' layup with under a minute to play cut the Purdue lead to three points, 51-48, but the Boilermakers responded when Hauser fed Courtney Moses for a layup. The Falcons' Jasmine Matthews missed a 3-pointer and Hauser corralled the carom seconds later, then pushed the lead to 55-48. Bridget Perry was fouled after rebounding a second missed 3-pointer by Matthews and she converted both free throws for the final margin.
April Wilson scored 18 points to lead Purdue (9-2). Hauser finished with 13 points and nine rebounds and Liza Clemons and Courtney Moses each added 10 points.
Rogers finished with 16 points and Jillian Halfhill added 15 for Bowling Green (9-2).
Stewart helps No. 1 UConn women rout Cal 80-47
NEW YORK -- Geno Auriemma has coached some of women's basketball's best players at UConn and few have impressed him like Breanna Stewart.
The sensational sophomore matched her career high with 29 points to lift No. 1 Connecticut to an 80-47 rout of No. 21 California on Sunday in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.
''We never had anyone like her,'' Auriemma said of his young star. ''We've had some of the greatest players ever to play college basketball and never had anyone like her. Maya Moore was unique, Diana Taurasi was unique. We've never had anybody that has the God-given talent that Breanna has.''
Stewart had 10 rebounds for the Huskies (12-0), who were coming off a rout of No. 2 Duke on Tuesday night.
Just as in that game, Stewart made her presence felt early and often. She had 13 of the Huskies' first 16 points and finished the half with 21 - one more than Cal had at that point.
''We talked about getting her 20 shots every game and I've never done that with any other player,'' Auriemma said. ''The ball finds great players.''
UConn led by 20 at halftime and Cal (7-3) could get no closer in the second half thanks to Stewart and a stingy Huskies defense.
The 6-foot-5 Stewart left the game for good with more than 12 minutes left and her team up 30 points.
Second-ranked Duke beats No. 5 Kentucky 69-61
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Tricia Liston scored a season-high 28 points to help No. 2 Duke beat No. 5 Kentucky 69-61 before 23,706 fans at Rupp Arena on Sunday.
Five days after defending champion and No. 1 Connecticut soundly dealt the Blue Devils their first loss, they used their size and length to hand the Wildcats their first defeat before the largest crowd to see a women's game in Kentucky.
The 6-foot-1 Liston thrived on mismatches to shoot 10 of 19 from the field, including two 3-pointers, falling a point short of her career best. Duke's 6-3 center, Elizabeth Williams, was 6 of 10 to chip in 17 points and had eight rebounds.
The Blue Devils (12-1) stifled Kentucky (11-1) around the basket, limiting the Wildcats to 25-of-75 shooting (33 percent) and 3 of 15 from long range. Poor free throw shooting also doomed Kentucky, which made just 8 of 19 from the line.
No. 4 Notre Dame routs Central Mich. for 800th victory
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Amazing, outstanding, tremendous, fabulous.
Those are a few of the superlatives Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw tossed out Sunday to describe sophomore guard Jewell Loyd, an emerging star for the Irish.
Loyd scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting to go with 11 rebounds for No. 4 Notre Dame, which never trailed in a 106-72 blowout of Central Michigan.
''I thought Jewell was amazing, just simply amazing,'' McGraw said. ''She played just like she practiced [Saturday], and I was really happy to see that, because her effort was tremendous. Her efficiency was outstanding. Just a fabulous game for her.''
Kayla McBride added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Irish, and reserve Michaela Mabrey tied a career high with four 3-pointers to finish with 17.
Notre Dame (10-0) likely will move up in the polls after No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Tennessee lost earlier in the week. The Irish recorded their 800th win in school history, the 27th Division I program to do so.
Coates lifts No. 10 Gamecocks to 70-26 win
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Alaina Coates needed to figure out a few things in an up-and-down freshman season for No. 10 South Carolina. There aren't too many coaches better at hammering home the right message than the Gamecocks' fiery Hall of Famer Dawn Staley.
Coates, who had scored a total of five points in her three previous games, had a career-high 23 on perfect shooting to lead the Gamecocks to their 21st consecutive win against South Carolina State, 70-26 on Sunday.
''I had a talk with coach Staley and we got some things straight,'' said Coates, a 6-foot-4 center who was a McDonald's All-America at Dutch Fork H.S., not far from campus.
Staley, inducted into the Nasmith Memorial Hall of Fame in September, was known for his focus and single-minded desire for success, even as a freshman at Virginia in 1988-89. She understands freshmen lose their way at times, unaccustomed to the daily demands of what it takes to play winning basketball.
''I guess she straightened some things out,'' Staley said. ''She's in control of the effort she puts out on the floor. Alaina just has to understand the talent and ability that she has.''
There was no doubting that against overmatched South Carolina State (1-8).
No. 17 Penn State shoots past Alcorn State 85-62
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Dara Taylor scored 20 points and collected seven steals to lead No. 17 Penn State to an 85-62 win against Alcorn State on Sunday.
The Lady Lions (8-3) flexed their muscle early, building a 24-8 lead midway through the first half and extending it to a 21-point advantage by intermission. Maggie Lucas helped the first-half surge with 13 points, converting 7 of 7 from the free throw line. The NCAA leader in free throw percentage, converting 97 percent (72 for 74), finished the game 11 for 11 from the line with 19 points.
Tori Waldner grabbed 10 rebounds for Penn State, which held a substantial 47-21 edge on the boards, and Ariel Edwards added 10 points.
Alcorn State (1-9) could not overcome the early deficit, despite a 28-point effort by Tierro Frost. The Braves shot 37 percent from the field (21 of 57) and was 18 of 28 from the line.
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