There weren’t any major confrontations, but the Missouri women’s basketball team suffered a beatdown Monday in Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina dominated the Tigers in the rivalry game at Colonial Life Arena as the No. 19 Gamecocks (13-5, 5-1) moved into sole possession of second place in the Southeastern Conference with a 79-65 win.
South Carolina’s defensive pressure got to No. 25 Missouri (15-5, 4-2) early and often, forcing nine first-half turnovers and turning those into 17 points in the first half. The Gamecocks controlled the boards in the half, went on an 18-4 run and held a 14-point lead at halftime. Mizzou finished with 16 turnovers and lost the rebounding battle 35-29.
Four Gamecocks ended in double digits, including Tyasha Harris, who was 0 for 6 at halftime but finished with 16 points.
The Tigers shot 45 percent from the field, but the Gamecocks’ early pressure was too much for Missouri to overcome.
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“I think the thing I was most disappointed in was just the poise offensively with the turnovers that we had,” Mizzou coach Robin Pingeton said on her postgame radio interview on Columbia station KTGR (1580 AM). “The second half was much better, but you have to play 40 minutes.”
Missouri trailed by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Sophie Cunningham, fighting foul trouble early, finished with a game-high 24 points, most of those coming late, including 14 of MU’s 15 points in the fourth quarter.
After last year’s controversial game in Columbia, S.C., that included a scuffle and two ejections, coaches and players from both teams met in a circle in the middle of the court for the national anthem, signifying the programs’ push to move forward.
It was clear that officials wanted to make sure nothing erupted on the court. In the third quarter, Cunningham was called for her third foul defending LeLe Grissett in the post. Then Grissett made slight contact with Cunningham and was immediately called for a technical foul. MU’s Akira Levy was called for an offsetting technical when she tried to grab the ball out of Grissett’s hands. Levy fouled out in the fourth quarter but had a solid game with 12 points off the bench.
Missouri was without one bench player as the team announced before the game that freshman Grace Berg, the No. 36 ranked recruit out of high school, plans to transfer. She was averaging 3.8 points in 12 minutes per game.
Mizzou’s tough stretch continues at No. 15 Kentucky on Thursday.
“Coming back from losses are hard and we know how good Kentucky is, so it’s definitely not going to be easy,” Pingeton said. “But I really like our team. They’re showing toughness, but man, we just have to play with a little more poise.”
Elsewhere in college basketball (compiled from wire-service reports):
No. 6 Michigan 69, No. 13 Maryland 55 • Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins scored 14 points each to help Michigan State beat Maryland with balanced offense and stifling defense.
The Spartans (17-2, 8-0 Big Ten) have won 12 straight this season to take sole possession of first in the conference. They have won 20 consecutive Big Ten regular season games dating to last year.
Maryland’s leading scorer, Anthony Cowan, was held to a season-low seven points. (AP)
No. 9 Kansas 80, No. 24 Iowa State 76 • Dedric Lawson had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Devon Dotson hit the clinching free throws with 5.9 seconds left and Kansas beat Iowa State.
Marcus Garrett added 16 points and Lagerald Vick had 14 for the Jayhawks (16-3, 5-2 Big 12). Dotson finished with 11 points for Kansas.
Talen Horten-Tucker had 16 for the Cyclones, while Michael Jacobson finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Nick Weiler-Babb had 10 points. (AP)
No. 11 North Carolina 103, No. 10 Virginia Tech 82 • Freshman Coby White scored 27 points and North Carolina knocked down a season-high 16 3-pointers to beat Virginia Tech.
Fellow rookie Nassir Little added a season-high 23 points for the Tar Heels (15-4, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who struggled out of the gate to fall behind by nine while making just 1 of their first 12 3s. (AP)
Notebook
Tennessee moves to No. 1 as Duke drops to 2 • Top-ranked Duke went down early in the week. No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Virginia, the last of Division I’s unbeaten teams, both fell over the weekend. In all, six top-10 teams lost.
Tennessee kept rolling amid chaos across the AP Top 25.
The Vols are the new No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll on Monday, climbing three spots to earn their first top ranking since the 2007-08 season.
Tennessee received 48 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel, well ahead of No. 2 Duke with 11. No. 3 Virginia received three first-place votes and No. 6 Michigan State two. Gonzaga and Michigan rounded out the top five.
The only other time Tennessee (16-1, 5-0) was No. 1, it lost the next night to Vanderbilt — the Vols’ opponent on Wednesday
St. Louis University received a vote at No. 23 from John Feinstein. It’s the Bills’ second time receiving votes this season. (AP)