No. 2 USC tops Michigan, hits Big Ten title game

INDIANAPOLIS — Kiki Iriafen scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half Saturday, JuJu Watkins added 20 points and each pulled down 11 rebounds to send No. 2 Southern California past fifth-seeded Michigan 82-70 and into the Big Ten championship game.

The Trojans (28-2) will face No. 4 UCLA, a 75-46 winner over No. 13 Ohio State, on Sunday. USC won the league’s regular season by sweeping the two-game series against the Bruins.

USC won its ninth straight despite Watkins, the league’s player of the year, having an off night. Iriafen made 10 of 19 shots.

Syla Swords finished with 26 points and Olivia Olson added 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wolverines (22-10).

USC trailed 31-29 at halftime but turned the game when Iriafen scored eight straight points late in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 50-48 lead. They closed it out with a 16-2 run midway through the fourth.

Watkins’ midrange leaner with 6:14 to play broke a 60-60 tie. Malia Samuels then completed a three-point play.

The Trojans had a 17-12 scoring edge in second-chance points.

Michigan will find out next week where it’s headed and who it plays in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 3 UCONN 71,

ST. JOHN’S 40

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Paige Bueckers had 20 points to lead No. 3 UConn to a 71-40 win over St. John’s in the quarterfinals of the Big East women’s basketball tournament on Saturday.

Sarah Strong had 10 points and 14 rebounds while Azzi Fudd finished with 11 points for UConn (29-3) as the Huskies won their 13th consecutive Big East tournament game and recorded their 34th win in a row in a conference tournament.

Ariana Vanderhoop and Kylie Lavelle each had 11 points and three 3-pointers. Lashae Dwyer had 10 points for the Red Storm (16-15)

UConn used a 22-0 run to take command of the game after the Red Storm scored the first two points of the game.

Lavelle had eight points in a span of 1:48 as the Red Storm cut into the UConn lead. However, Bueckers had four of her 10 first-half points in the final 49 seconds of the second quarter as the Huskies led 34-17 at halftime.

UConn held St. John’s without a basket for nearly nine minutes, Ber’Nyah Mayo gave St. John’s the early lead but the Red Storm missed their next 12 shots as the Huskies scored the next 22 points. Fudd led the way with five points while Kaitlyn Chen, Bueckers and Jana El Alfy added four points each.

UConn didn’t commit its first turnover until 7:59 remained in the third quarter. St. John’s came into the game ranking third in the Big East with an average of 8.97 steals per game. The Red Storm had just one steal in the first three quarters.

UConn plays Villanova in Sunday’s Big East tournament semifinals.

No. 4 UCLA 75,

No. 13 OHIO STATE 46

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Londynn Jones made six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 22 points Saturday, leading No. 4 UCLA to a 75-46 rout over No. 13 Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The victory sets up a third showdown between the league’s regular-season champ, No. 2 Southern California, and the runner-up Bruins on Sunday. The Trojans swept the first two meetings, and Round 3 of the cross-town rivalry is what many hoped to see.

Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez each scored 12 points in limited action. Betts had six rebounds, Jaquez had five as UCLA (29-2) won its second straight by double digits.

Jaloni Cambridge scored 10 points to lead the Buckeyes (25-6).

But this game was never really close after the Bruins took a 16-5 lead less than five minutes into the game. UCLA then closed the first half on a 9-0 spurt, keeping Ohio State scoreless over the final 3:09, to take a 44-21 lead.

Betts scored her first points on back-to-back baskets early in the second quarter and her presence helped fuel the closing first-half run from which the Buckeyes never recovered.

Ohio State was outrebounded 21-9 in the first half and was outscored 22-4 in second-chance points during the first two quarters.

The Buckeyes have a week to figure out what went wrong before starting NCAA Tournament play.

No. 11 DUKE 61,

No. 6 NOTRE DAME 56

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa had 14 points off the bench and Ashlon Jackson scored 12 to help No. 11 Duke beat No. 6 Notre Dame 61-56 in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.

Duke (25-7) will meet No. 7 N.C. State, the top seed, in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Sunday. It’s the Blue Devils’ first time playing in that game in eight years. N.C. State beat No. 14 North Carolina 66-55 in the first semifinal matchup.

Hannah Hidalgo had 14 of her 23 points in the first half and Olivia Miles had 10 points for second-seeded Notre Dame (26-5).

Notre Dame was held to 25 second-half points.

Duke scored the last six points of the third quarter for a 47-42 lead as the Irish didn’t score for three-plus minutes. The first points of the fourth quarter came on Okananwa’s 3-pointer.

Notre Dame made only 3 of 15 attempts on 3-pointers. The Irish missed their lone fourth-quarter attempt.

Notre Dame awaits the NCAA Tournament selections as a probable first- and second-round host.

No. 7 N.C. STATE 66, No. 14 N. CAROLINA 55

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Aziaha James scored 19 points and No. 7 N.C. State jumped out to a big lead to beat No. 14 North Carolina 66-55 in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.

Madison Hayes and reserve Lorena Awou each had 10 points as the Wolfpack (26-5) avenged a one-point regular-season road loss. N.C. State faces either No. 11 Duke or No. 6 Notre Dame in Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference final.

Indya Nivar had 13 points and Maria Gakdeng had 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead North Carolina (27-7), which shot 27.9% from the field.

The Wolfpack rattled off the last 16 points of the first quarter for a 16-5 lead, delighting the decidedly pro-N.C. State crowd. North Carolina’s scoring drought extended for almost 11 minutes, creating a 21-5 hole.

James, who exited for a stretch after a hard first-quarter fall, scored the Wolfpack’s first six points of the second half to rebuild a double-figure lead after North Carolina made it 33-26 at halftime.

It marked the second day in a row that North Carolina was limited to five points in a quarter. Unlike against No. 22 Florida State in the quarterfinals, the Tar Heels couldn’t recover.

North Carolina awaits a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a possible first- and second-round host.

No. 23 CREIGHTON 72, GEORGETOWN 70

Uncasville, Conn. (AP) — Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly combined for 42 points, and Kiani Lockett’s two clutch free throws capped No. 23 Creighton’s 72-70 come-from-behind victory over Georgetown in a Big East Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday night.

Creighton trailed 52-40 early in the third quarter but took a 70-68 advantage with 1:17 to play after Jensen and Mallory Brake made consecutive layups. It was the Bluejays’ first lead since it was 36-34 with 3:19 left in the second quarter.

Georgetown’s Kelsey Ransom made two free throws to tie it 70-all with 49 seconds remaining. Creighton missed two shots on its next possession and Ransom missed a jumper, but Lockett grabbed the rebound and then made the go-ahead free throws with four seconds left. Victoria Rivera missed a 3-pointer for the Hoyas to end it.

Second-seeded Creighton (25-5), which rebounded from a 72-53 loss at then-No. 5 UConn that ended a seven-game win streak, will face the Xavier-Seton Hall winner in a semifinal on Sunday.

Jensen finished with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Maly made three 3-pointers and was 8 of 17 from the field. The pair also combined for 13 rebounds. Lockett made all six of her free-throw attempts and finished with eight points.

Ransom scored 20 points and had 10 assists to lead No. 10 seed Georgetown (12-19). Ariel Jenkins added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hoyas ended the second quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 46-38 lead at the break. Ransom and Jenkins each scored nine points in the second quarter as the Hoyas outscored the Bluejays 30-16.

No. 25 S.D. STATE 83, NORTH DAKOTA 55

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Brooklyn Meyer had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Haleigh Timmer also had a double-double and No. 25 South Dakota State advanced to the Summit League championship game for the 14th time in 17 seasons with an 83-55 win over North Dakota on Saturday.

Paige Meyer had 17 points for the Jackrabbits (29-3), the two-time defending champions who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fifth-straight season. Timmer had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Mesa Byom added 11 points.

South Dakota State, seeking it’s 12th title since becoming eligible in 2009, faces the winner of Kansas City-Oral Roberts in Sunday’s championship The Jackrabbits are 40-5 all-time in the tourney, went undefeated in league for the third year in a row and have an 18-game winning streak since losing to now No. 1 Texas.

South Dakota State held the fighting Hawks to 29% shooting and had a 52-26 rebounding edge, 18-5 on the offensive glass. That lead to a 42-12 advantage in points in the paint and 22-4 on second-chance points.

Kiera Pemberton had 23 points for fifth-seeded North Dakota (12-19).

The only tie was at 6 then Timmer scored the next seven points for the Jackrabbits, igniting a 12-3 run. Despite missing all seven 3-pointers and going 5 of 20 from the field in the second quarter, SDSU upped its lead to 34-21 at the half.

Brooklyn Meyer had a pair of three-point plays and eight points and Paige Meyer had a pair of 3-pointers in a 16-3 run in the third quarter, with the second 3 just before the midpoint making it 53-28.