SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 23 points and Zia Cooke added 16 to help No. 1 South Carolina top 21st-ranked Gonzaga 79-72 on Sunday in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
It was the second straight game that the Gamecocks faced a tough challenge from their opponent.
After Jill Townsend’s 3-pointer for Gonzaga gave the Bulldogs a 62-60 lead with six minutes to play, South Carolina (3-0) got the lead back up to eight in the final 90 seconds. The Bulldogs hit nine 3-pointers, including one by Cierra Walker with 54 seconds to play to cut it to 74-70.
Jenn Wirth scored 16 points, two shy of her career high, to lead Gonzaga (0-1).
No. 5 LOUISVILLE 101, EASTERN KENTUCKY 58
LOUISVLLE, Ky. (AP) - Hailey Van Lith scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Louisville to a victory in its home opener over Eastern Kentucky.
The Cardinals (2-0) used a 16-2 run to start the second quarter, take a 35-14 lead with 5:17 left in the half and put the game away. They would lead by as much as 40-16 in the half.
Senior guard Dana Evans also scored 20.
Amerah Steele’s 11 points led the Colonels (0-2),
No. 6 MISSISSIPPI STATE 88, JACKSON STATE 58
STARKSVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Preseason All-SEC player Rickea Jackson was one of four Mississippi State players to score in double figures as the Bulldogs opened up the Nikki McCray-Penson era with a victory over Jackson State.
The Bulldogs played the Tigers in a game that was scheduled late in the week unexpectedly. They were slated to play in the Women’s Hall of Fame Challenge in Connecticut before participant UConn shut down team activities for two weeks due to COVID-19 concerns.
No. 7 ARIZONA 76, NORTHERN ARIZONA 63
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Cate Reese scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Aari McDonald added 18 points and Arizona opened its season with a victory over Northern Arizona.
McDonald, a preseason AP All-America selection, scored in double figures for a 67th straight game, which is the nation’s longest active streak. She made just 6 of 17 of her shots but finished with eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
Northern Arizona (1-1) was playing its second game after beating UNLV 79-75 in the opener. The Lumberjacks jumped out to a 13-8 lead midway through the first quarter but Arizona recovered to take an 18-15 lead by the end of the period and didn’t trail again.
No. 8 N.C. STATE 108, N.C. CENTRAL 70
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Elissa Cunane’s 17 points led six players in double figures for North Carolina State in a rout of North Carolina Central.
The Wolfpack (2-0) shot 68.3% from the field in a final tune-up before a game at top-ranked South Carolina. Cunane made all six of her shots.
Jakia Brown-Turner, Raina Perez and Kayla Jones all scored 15 points, Jada Boyd added 11 and Kai Crutchfield had 10.
Necole Hope’s 17 points led N.C. Central (1-1).
No. 11 KENTUCKY 70, BELMONT 50
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Dre’una Edwards scored a career-high 27 points, matched her career best with 15 rebounds and Kentucky pulled away for a win over Belmont.
Edwards, the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year at Utah two seasons ago, was 11-of-19 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers and had three steals and an assist.
It was Edwards’ turn to step up as the Wildcats (2-0) played their second-straight game without All-American Rhyne Howard and starting forward Tatyana Wyatt.
Madison Treece led Belmont (0-1) with 14 points.
No. 12 MARYLAND 115, No. 14 ARKANSAS 96
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Katie Benzan scored a career-high 28 points, drained eight 3-pointers, led five Terrapins into double-figure scoring and Maryland roared past Arkansas for its highest-scoring defeat of a ranked opponent.
Chloe Bibby added 23 points and 12 rebounds, hitting 5 of 7 shots from distance, Diamond Miller scored 19 with 10 rebounds, freshman Angel Reese scored 16 and Ashley Owusu 12.
The Terrapins (2-1), stung by a loss to No. 24 Missouri State Saturday night, came out fired up. Benzan hit a 3 and Bibby two more, sparking a 19-4 run early in the first quarter to take control.
Makayla Daniels scored 21 to lead the Razorbacks (3-1), who trailed by 20 at the half and got as close as 15 only inside the final two minutes.
No. 20 OHIO STATE 82, DUQUESNE 47
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Jacy Sheldon scored 20 points, Dorka Juhasz had a double-double and Ohio State overwhelmed Duquesnen the season opener for both teams.
Though Duquesne entered with a veteran team that includes four graduate students and two seniors, they were outmatched by an Ohio State squad that brought back all five starters and six of its top seven scorers from a year ago.
The Buckeyes broke it open in the second quarter when they outscored the Dukes 19-7 and held Duquesne to 2-of-15 shooting from the field, including 0 for 8 from beyond the 3-point arc.
No. 22 NOTRE DAME 88, MIAMI, Ohio 68
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Destinee Walker scored 24 points, Maddy Westbeld added 19 and Notre Dame gave new head coach Niele Ivey her first victory, beating Miami (Ohio).
Ivey took over for Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw, who retired with 939 career wins. Ivey’s Fighting Irish (1-1) gave her the lead for good just over three minutes into the game, extended it to 15 points at halftime and kept it in double figures the rest of the way.
Peyton Scott scored 18 points, Katie Davidson had 16 along with 10 rebounds and Kelly McLaughlin scored 10 points for the RedHawks, who were playing in their opener.
No. 23 SYRACUSE 50, STONY BROOK 39
STONY BROOK, N.Y. (AP) - Tiana Mangakahia’s return from a battle with breast cancer was impressive as she had 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead Syracuse past Stony Brook.
She grabbed the rebound when Stony Brook misfired on its first possession, drove down the court and found Amaya Finklea-Guity for the first points of the game. A few minutes later she made a steal and drove down the court to make it 4-0.
Mangakahia, who missed all of last season after undergoing chemotherapy and then a double mastectomy in November, had not played a competitive game in 615 days.
WAKE FOREST 68, No. 24 MISSOURI STATE 59
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Ivana Raca scored 10 of her 23 points in the third quarter when Wake Forest pulled away and went on to beat Missouri State at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Raca had a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter, and her two free throws and a layup by Gina Conti to end the period extended Wake Forest’s lead to 53-40. Raca, who had nine rebounds and five assists, opened the fourth quarter with a basket for the Demon Deacons’ largest lead at 15.
The Lady Bears got within six with just over a minute left in the game but Wake Forest made 7 of 8 from the line to secure the win.
Missouri State (2-1), which beat No. 12 Maryland in its previous game, was led by Abby Hipp with 16 points,
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