STORRS, Conn. — Paige Bueckers scored 23 points and No. 3 UConn overcame a sluggish start to rout Providence 87-50 on Saturday and give coach Geno Auriemma his 1,098th win, tying the late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt for the second most wins in Division I women’s basketball history.
Aubrey Griffin added a season-high 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds off the bench for the Huskies (7-0, 6-0 Big East).
Kyra Spiwak and Alyssa Geary each had 10 points to lead Providence (5-7, 3-4). Mary Baskerville, the Friars’ leading scorer at 14 points per game, spent much of the game in foul trouble and finished with eight points.
Tennessee transfer Evina Westbrook finished with 13 points for UConn and Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 11.
WEST VIRGINIA 92, No. 17 TEXAS 58
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kysre Gondrezick scored 14 of her 24 points in the first half and West Virginia routed Texas, snapping the Longhorns’ five-game win streak.
Gondrezick posted on Twitter on Friday that her father, 57-year-old Grant Gondrezick, had died. He played at Pepperdine in the mid-80′s and spent two seasons in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.
Gondrezick was 10 of 23 from the field and has posted 20-plus points in consecutive games. She is one of two seniors for the Mountaineers and has scored in double figures 32 times including nine this season.
Esmery Martinez had 19 points and 10 rebounds for West Virginia (8-2, 2-2 Big 12), which has won four of its last five games. Madisen Smith added 17 points and Kirsten Deans had 12.
No. 18 SOUTH FLORIDA 80, HOUSTON 51
TAMPA, Fla. — Maria Alvarez scored a career-high 23 points with six 3-pointers, Bethy Mununga scored 12 points with 14 rebounds and South Florida blitzed Houston after intermission.
South Florida (9-1, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) has won eight straight.
With a 44-38 halftime lead, the Bulls put the clamps on Houston (5-4, 2-3 American Athletic Conference), holding the Cougars to 13% shooting in the third quarter and outscoring them 19-5. Miya Crump was the only Cougar to score in the third as they missed 13 of 15-shot attempts.
No. 21 GONZAGA 75, PORTLAND 43
SPOKANE, Wash. — Jenn Wirth scored 21 points, twin sister LeeAnne added 12 and Gonzaga rolled over Portland.
The Bulldogs (10-2, 5-0 West Coast Conference) were never challenged after scoring the first 11 points of the game, cruising to their eighth-straight win this season and 22nd-straight at home.
Alex Fowler scored 11 points for the Pilots (6-4, 3-1), who shocked the Bulldogs in their last meeting. That was in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament in March when Gonzaga was ranked a school-best No. 11. Portland trailed by 20 in the first quarter but won 70-69.
No. 22 NORTHWESTERN 77, IOWA 67
EVANSTON, Ill. — Jordan Hamilton scored 19 points, Veronica Burton had 18 points and seven assists, and Northwestern beat Iowa.
Sydney Wood added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Wildcats (6-2, 4-2 Big Ten).
The Hawkeyes (8-1, 4-1) closed within 66-60 with 7:01 left in the game. From there, Wood scored seven of Northwestern’s final 11 points to help the Wildcats close it out.
Monika Czinano scored a career-high 28 points to go with a season-high 12 rebounds for Iowa.
