LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - 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. 1 CONNECTICUT 80, NO. 21 CALIFORNIA 47
NEW YORK (AP) - Breanna Stewart matched her career high with 29 points in Connecticut's victory over California in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Stewart had 10 rebounds for the Huskies (12-0). She had 13 of Connecticut's first 16 points and finished the half with 21 - one more than Cal.
UConn led by 20 at halftime and Cal (7-3) could get no closer in the second half.
Brittany Boyd, Cal's star guard, had nine points. She was 3 for 23 from the field.
NO. 4 NOTRE DAME 106, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 72
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Jewell Loyd had a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds to help Notre Dame rout Central Michigan for the program's 800th victory.
Kayla McBride added 18 points for the Irish (10-0), and reserve Michaela Mabrey tied a career high with four 3-pointers to finish with 17. Crystal Bradford led Central Michigan (4-6) with 30 points and 13 rebounds.
NO. 10 SOUTH CAROLINA 70, SOUTH CAROLINA ST. 26
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Freshman Alaina Coates scored a season-high 23 points on perfect shooting to lead South Carolina to its 21st straight win over South Carolina State.
The 6-foot-4 Coates made all seven of her field goal attempts and was 9 of 9 at the free throw line for the Gamecocks (11-1). Mykala Jones led the Lady Bulldogs (1-8) with seven points.
NO. 17 PENN STATE 85, ALCORN STATE 62
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Dara Taylor had 20 points and seven steals for Penn State against Alcorn State.
Maggie Lucas, the NCAA leader in free throw percentage, was 11 for 11 from the line and had 19 points for Penn State (8-3). Tierro Frost had 28 points for Alcorn State (1-9).
NO. 18 PURDUE 57, BOWLING GREEN 48
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - KK Hauser grabbed a defensive rebound and followed with two free throws with 21 seconds left to help Purdue hold off Bowling Green.
April Wilson led Purdue (9-2) with 18 points, and Hauser finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Alexis Rogers had 16 points for Bowling Green (9-2).