LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Keyla Snowden scored 14 points and A'dia Mathies added 13 as No. 6 Kentucky jumped on Alabama with a big first-half run in an 82-68 victory Sunday to move the Wildcats within one game of matching the best start in school history.
Kentucky (20-2, 9-0) is vying for its first Southeastern Conference title in 30 years and looking to match the squad one year later that won 21 of its first 23 games on the way to the NCAA tournament.
Alabama (10-12, 0-8) held an early 13-10 lead, but Kentucky used a 32-4 run where the Crimson Tide hit just 1 of 14 shots from the field and committed 10 turnovers in a span of just under 12 minutes and the Wildcats held on from there.
No. 7 TENNESSEE 67, No. 17 GEORGIA 50
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Shekinna Stricklen scored 24 points, including six in Tennessee's 11-0 run to open the second half, and the Lady Vols beat Georgia.
Stricklen helped Tennessee (16-5, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) pull away after leading by only one point at halftime. Ariel Massengale had 16 points, including 13 in the second half, for the Lady Vols.
Meredith Mitchell had 13 points and Jasmine Hassell had 11 for Georgia (16-6, 5-4).
MINNESOTA 76, No. 9 OHIO STATE 65
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Rachel Banham scored 20 points and made three 3-pointers, helping Minnesota take down Ohio State.
Kiara Buford added 15 points and seven assists for the Golden Gophers (12-11, 4-5 Big Ten), who beat a ranked team for the first time in nearly three years. They did it by dominating the post, outscoring the Buckeyes 36-20 in the paint with Katie Loberg and Micaella Riche taking it to the young Ohio State frontcourt.
Samantha Prahalis, the reigning Big Ten player of the week, snapped to life in the second half with 19 of her 25 points. The Buckeyes (20-2, 7-2) pulled to 63-59 on a 3-pointer by Prahalis but would get no closer in the final 15 minutes.
No. 10 MIAMI 88, BOSTON COLLEGE 57
BOSTON (AP) - Shenise Johnson scored 16 of her 22 points in the opening half to lead Miami to its eighth straight win, a rout over Boston College.
The Hurricanes (19-3, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed and pulled to a double digit lead on Riquna Williams' basket in the lane 5:44 into the game. Their advantage never dropped into single digits the rest of the way.
Williams had 15 of her 18 points in the first half while Stefanie Yderstrom added 15 points for Miami, which hasn't lost since dropping its conference opener at North Carolina on Jan. 2.
Tessah Holt paced Boston College (5-16, 0-8) with 12 points. The Eagles have lost eight straight.
Williams, who needs six points to become the program's fifth player to reach 2,000, also grabbed eight rebounds. Johnson became the fourth to reach the 2,000-point mark earlier this season.
No. 20 GEORGETOWN 54, No. 11 RUTGERS 36
WASHINGTON (AP) - Tia Magee scored 21 points and Georgetown held Rutgers to a season-low for points.
Sugar Rodgers added 19 points for the Hoyas (17-5, 6-3 Big East). Magee and Rodgers added five steals apiece as Rutgers committed 22 turnovers.
Georgetown led by nine at intermission and Magee's steal and layup capped a 7-0 run to open the second half. The Hoyas extended the lead to as many as 27 late in the game.
April Sykes led Rutgers (17-4, 6-2) with 13 points.
Rutgers lost second leading scorer Khadijah Rushdan (13.1 ppg) with 5:33 left in the first half. The Scarlet Knights were trailing by eight when Rushdan and Magee jumped for a pass. Rushdan fell, hitting the back of her head on the court.
She remained down through the ensuing timeout and was eventually helped off the court in a wheelchair. She didn't return to the game, but was on the Rutgers bench for the second half.
No. 14 TEXAS A&M 66, IOWA STATE 64
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Sydney Carter made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to lift Texas A&M to a win over Iowa State.
Iowa State's desperation heave down the court as time expired was grabbed by A&M's Kelsey Bone.
The Cyclones' possession before Carter's free throws ended when Nikki Moody, apparently thinking the game clock was the shot clock, didn't try to get a shot off as the shot clock expired with 7.3 seconds remaining.
Carter went 0 for 4 on Sunday and her only points came on the late free throws. Adaora Elonu had 19 points and Tyra White added 14 for Texas A&M (14-5, 5-3 Big 12).
The Cyclones (11-8, 2-6) were led by Chelsea Poppens, who had 22 points and nine rebounds.
No. 15 DELAWARE 72, JAMES MADISON 65
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - Elena Delle Donne scored 23 points and No. 15 Delaware rallied from a seven-point deficit to beat James Madison 72-65 on Sunday night.
The Blue Hens (18-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) made 33 of 37 free throws and snapped a nine-game losing streak to James Madison, which beat them in the 2011 CAA championship game.
Lauren Carra added a season-high 22 points for Delaware, which trailed 58-51 with 7½ left in the game.
Delle Donne scored the next five points and the Blue Hens went on an 11-3 run over the next 3 minutes. Danielle Parker's jumper with 5:28 left gave the Blue Hens the lead for good. Delaware hit eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Tarik Hislop scored 17 points to lead the Dukes (15-5, 6-3).
MICHIGAN STATE 83, No. 18 PENN STATE 77
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Porsche Poole scored a career-high 32 points and Michigan State rallied to beat Penn State.
Following a 28-point effort in a loss to Illinois, Poole was 10-for-15 from the field, including hitting three 3-pointers, for the Spartans (13-9, 5-4 Big Ten). She also had six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The win ended a three-game skid for Michigan State and completed a sweep of the Nittany Lions (16-5, 6-3).
Maggie Lucas had 21 points and Mia Nickson added 18.
No. 19 NEBRASKA 67, ILLINOIS 47
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Lindsey Moore scored 20 points to help Nebraska beat Illinois.
The Huskers (18-3, 7-2 Big Ten) jumped to an early 6-0 lead and never trailed the rest of the game.
Jordan Hooper recorded her Big Ten-leading 10th double-double, grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds and scoring 12 points. Emily Cady also contributed 17 points for Nebraska.
Ivory Crawford led Illinois (7-15, 1-8) with 12 points.
No. 25 NORTH CAROLINA 75, WAKE FOREST 71
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half and North Carolina finally took command late to beat Wake Forest.
Laura Broomfield (20 points and 18 rebounds) and Chay Shegog (19 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles, and Candace Wood added 10 points for the Tar Heels (16-5, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their fourth straight despite trailing by four points with four minutes remaining.
Lakevia Boykin had 21 points, Chelsea Douglas added 13 and Secily Ray 11 for the Demon Deacons (12-9, 2-6).