South-Carolina
Bree Hall scores 21 points as No. 1 South Carolina beats Missouri, extends win streak to 65 straight
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Bree Hall scored a career-high 21 points, Te-Hina Paopao added 15 and top-ranked South Carolina pulled away in the second half for a 81-57 victory over short-handed Missouri on Thursday night.
The Gamecocks (15-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) led by just five points midway through the third quarter before the Tigers (9-7, 0-3) finally went cold from the perimeter, allowing coach Dawn Staley’s team to run its regular-season winning streak to 65 games.
South Carolina’s last loss was an overtime setback at Missouri on Dec. 30, 2021.
Hayley Frank and Ashton Judd had 16 points apiece to lead the Tigers.
NO. 6 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 93, VIRGINIA 66
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Zoe Brooks scored a season-high 19 points and North Carolina State beat Virginia.
Brooks shot 7 of 12 from the floor and had three assists while making her fifth start. The Wolfpack (15-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got 17 points from Madison Hayes, 15 points from Aziaha James, 14 points and nine rebounds from Mimi Collins, and 13 points from Lexi Steele.
Camryn Taylor paced Virginia (8-7, 0-4) with 22 points and six rebounds before fouling out, while Kymora Johnson added 14 points.
NO. 7 LSU 87, TEXAS A&M 70
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Angel Reese had 20 points and 18 rebounds, Aneesah Morrow scored 21 points and LSU beat Texas A&M.
Defending national champion LSU (16-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference), which had all five starters score in double figures, hasn’t lost since a season-opening defeat to Colorado.
Mikaylah Williams scored 16 points, Hailey Van Lith had 14 and Flau’Jae Johnson finished with 11.
Endyia Rogers led the Aggies (13-3, 1-2) with 27 points. Aicha Coulibaly added 16 points and Lauren Ware had 13.
NO. 11 VIRGINIA TECH 76, MIAMI 52
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Elizabeth Kitley matched her season high with 31 points, the eighth 30-point game of her career, and Virginia Tech beat Miami for its eighth straight win.
Kitley scored 13 of the Hokies’ 14 first-quarter points and had 23 at the half, when Virginia Tech (13-2, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 40-24. Georgia Amoore had 16 points and six assists for the Hokies.
Shayeann Day-Wilson scored 19 points for the Hurricanes (11-4, 1-3) and Ja’Leah Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 15 LOUISVILLE 74, PITTSBURGH 44
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sydney Taylor scored 13 points, Olivia Cochran and Kiki Jefferson each added 10 and Louisville beat Pittsburgh.
Louisville (14-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won its last 22 matchups against the Panthers.
Jala Jordan scored 11 points off the bench for Pitt (6-11, 0-4). Liatu King, Pitt’s leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, finished with six points.
NO. 16 GONZAGA 87, SANTA CLARA 49
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Yvonne Ejim scored 19 points, Eliza Hollingsworth added 18 and No. 16 Gonzaga won its 27th straight home game, beating Santa Clara.
Kayleigh Truong scored 13 points to surpass 1,000 for her career for Gonzaga (15-2, 2-0 West Coast Conference). Brynna Maxwell went 4 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 12 points, passing 1,700 career points with Gonzaga and Utah. The Bulldogs finished 10 of 22 behind the arc.
Tess Heal scored 10 points for the Broncos (13-4, 1-1).
NO. 17 OHIO STATE 90, RUTGERS 55
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Madison Greene scored 16 points and Ohio State handed Rutgers its seventh straight loss.
Celeste Taylor added 12 points for the Buckeyes (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) and Cotie McMahon and Jacy Sheldon each had 11.
Destiny Adams had 18 points for Rutgers (6-12, 0-5) and Mya Petticord scored 10. Chyna Cornwell had 13 rebounds.
NO. 18 NOTRE DAME 98, BOSTON COLLEGE 48
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Freshman Hannah Hidalgo had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Notre Dame rolled past Boston College.
Hidalgo, who entered play leading the Atlantic Coast Conference and fourth in the nation with a 23.9-point scoring average, made 9 of 15 shots for the Fighting Irish (11-3, 2-2). She sank 8 of 11 free throws, adding four assists and four steals.
Maddy Westbeld added 15 points and 15 rebounds for Notre Dame in her second game back from a concussion.
Dontavia Waggoner led the Eagles (9-8, 1-3) with 12 points.
NO. 21 FLORIDA STATE 70, NO. 20 NORTH CAROLINA 62
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Sara Bejedi sank five 3-pointers and scored 23 points, and Florida State beat North Carolina.
Mikayla Timpson had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Seminoles (13-4, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Deja Kelly scored 23 points to lead North Carolina (11-5, 3-1).
___
Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.
___
AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
South-Carolina
NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina
The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.
Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:
Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina
Projected round 2-3.
Concern level 2/10
While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.
With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.
What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
South-Carolina
Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
South-Carolina
South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Science1 week agoHow a Melting Glacier in Antarctica Could Affect Tens of Millions Around the Globe
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Science1 week agoI had to man up and get a mammogram
-
Sports6 days agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico5 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Business1 week agoDisney’s new CEO says his focus is on storytelling and creativity
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets