Top-ranked South Carolina women rout Bowling Green in reunion with former assistant coach

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Chloe Kitts scored a career-best 21 points, Bree Hall added 18 and No. 1 South Carolina quickly ended any thoughts Bowling Green may have had of pulling off an historic upset, rolling to a 93-62 win Tuesday night.

Hall made three 3-pointers and the Gamecocks (11-0) hit their first 10 shots while opening an 18-point lead in the first quarter against the Falcons (6-3), who were facing the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time in school history.

It was more than an average non-conference game for South Carolina as the matchup was also a reunion with first-year Bowling Green coach Fred Chmiel, an assistant with the Gamecocks for eight seasons under Dawn Staley.

While Chmiel was at South Carolina, the Gamecocks went 247-32, developed numerous All-Americans and won national championships in 2017 and 2022. His relationship with Staley stretches back nearly 20 years to when he was an assistant for the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting and she was their best player.

NO. 24 NORTH CAROLINA 61, OKLAHOMA 52

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Deja Kelly scored 21 points, Alyssa Ustby added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and North Carolina started slow before beating cold-shooting Oklahoma at the Women’s Jumpman Invitational.

Ustby also blocked three shots and Lexi Donarski had 10 points for North Carolina (8-4), which committed a season-high 21 turnovers but limited the Sooners to 16 second-half points — four in the third quarter.

Payton Verhlust led Oklahoma (6-4) with 15 points. Skylar Vann added 10 points and 12 rebounds but shot just 3 of 17 from the field.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball