Sixteen ranked teams are in action this Sunday, and it’s been an exciting one thus far with upsets and top teams tested.
Here’s what you need to know:
No. 1 South Carolina outlasts Mississippi State to remain undefeated
South Carolina typically beats opponents by 38.3 (second in the nation), but the defending champs found themselves in a dogfight, pulling out a victory 58-51 over Mississippi State.
The Gamecocks scored a season-low 58 points on just 30.3% shooting. Both South Carolina and the Bulldogs rank top-10 defensively with the Gamecocks sitting at the top.
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Zia Cooke recorded a game-high 16 points. Aliyah Boston added 12 points and 15 rebounds, six on the offensive end. As South Carolina missed 46 shots, the Gamecocks picked up 22 offensive rebounds turning that into 20 second-chance points.
Mississippi State took an eight-point lead in the first quarter, and the Bulldogs hung around behind Jerkaila Jordan’s 13 points and Jessika Carter’s 11 second-half points. South Carolina sealed the victory with its first double-digit lead in the final seconds.
Miami (FL) upsets No. 9 Virginia Tech
For the second this week, Miami (FL) knocked off a ranked ACC opponent. The Hurricanes stunned No. 9 Virginia Tech 77-66 after defeating No. 22 North Carolina on Jan. 5.
Jasmyne Roberts notched a game-high 23 points with five three-pointers. Haley Cavinder contributed 19 points and four assists.
TOP-10 DUB CELLY pic.twitter.com/MLcAwJyepC
— Canes Women’s BBall (@CanesWBB) January 8, 2023
The Hurricanes pounded the paint, scoring 38 points in the key and controlled the tempo throughout leading the majority of the game.
The Hokies fall to a second-unranked conference opponent, now 13-3 on the season. Next Miami travels to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech faces Louisville.
No. 17 Oklahoma pulls off scrappy win over No. 11 Iowa State
In a back-and-forth affair that saw 25 lead changes between two rising Big 12 talents, Oklahoma bested Iowa State 82-79.
After a tight first half, the Sooners looked to run away with it outscoring the Cyclones 24-12. Then Iowa State came roaring back to make it interesting in the fourth outdoing the Sooners 31-21 but it wasn’t enough to overcome the home team.
Ana Llanusa scored a team-high 23 points — 16 in the second half. Llanusa made a huge three-pointer in the final minutes to put Oklahoma up 76-74 then assisted on a layup that pushed the Sooners ahead by one with less than 10 seconds left.
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Ashley Joens led all scorers with 27 points, 12-13 from the free throw line. Lexi Donarski also scored 20 points. Double-double machine Stephanie Soares, who leads Iowa State in rebounds and second in scoring, injured her knee in the opening minutes.
The Cyclones fall to their third ranked opponent of the season and first in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Oklahoma picks up its first ranked win this season.
No. 22 North Carolina takes down No. 4 Notre Dame
North Carolina broke its four-game losing streak by handing Notre Dame just its second loss of the season. The Tar Heels pulled out a 60-50 win at home.
Off the bench, Paulina Paris scored a game-high 16 points shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point land. Despite a rough 4-of-16 shooting night, Deja Kelly added 14 points.
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The Tar Heel defense held the Irish to just 28.1% shooting and a shocking 9.1% from the arc. Notre Dame averages 49.8% on field goals for a top-5 rank in the nation. The Irish also committed 19 turnovers which became seven North Carolina points.
The Tar Heels tasted victory for the first time since Dec. 16 and picked up their first ACC victory, and an impressive one at that, over top-5 Notre Dame — ending the Irish’s six-game winning streak.