MISSISSIPPI 55, NO. 18 GEORGIA 52
OXFORD, Miss. -- Erika Sisk hit three consecutive free throws in the final :28 to give Mississippi a 55-52 upset victory over No. 18 Georgia in a Southeastern Conference game Thursday night.
Krista Donald hit a three-pointer with 7:31 left to give Georgia a 49-43 lead, but the Bulldogs did not score a field goal after that.
Tia Faleru converted a pair of free throws, then scored on a layup to cut the Georgia lead to 52-49 and added a free throw make it a two-point game. Danielle McCray made two free throws to tie the game, 52-52 with 1:26 left before Sisk gave the Rebels the lead with :28 left, 54-52.
Faleru and Sisk each scored 12 points to lead Mississippi (14-4, 4-1 SEC), with McCray and Gracie Frizzell (Central Arkansas Christian) adding 11 each.
Erika Ford led Georgia (15-3, 3-2) with 20 points, but was the only Bulldog to reach double figures.
NO. 6 TENNESSEE 54, AUBURN 42
AUBURN, Ala. -- Andraya Carter hit three first-half three-pointers, scoring 11 points, and No. 6 Tennessee smothered Auburn defensively.
The Lady Vols (15-2, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) weren't threatened much in the second half, with both teams matching season-lows in points. They carry an 11-game win streak into Monday night's game at No. 7 Notre Dame.
Jordan Reynolds also had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to match her career high for Tennessee, which held its fifth consecutive opponent below 60 points. Cierra Burdick scored 10 points and Isabelle Harrison had nine points and 11 rebounds after a scoreless first half.
Tra'Cee Tanner led the Tigers (9-9, 0-5) with 14 points. Hasina Muhammad, Brandy Montgomery and Katie Frerking scored eight apiece for Auburn.
NO. 10 KENTUCKY 62, FLORIDA 56
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Makayla Epps scored 20 points and kept No. 10 Kentucky ahead with perfect foul shooting in a victory over Florida.
Epps made all eight of her free throws, including six in the final two minutes. She shot 6 for 10 from the field and also had four assists.
Kentucky (15-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a 68-60 loss at top-ranked South Carolina on Sunday. The Wildcats lost starting point guard Janee Thompson to a season-ending ankle injury in that defeat.
Linnae Harper had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.
Kentucky welcomed the return of senior Bria Goss, who had missed the previous six games because of a thumb injury. She didn't score, but had a crucial offensive rebound that led to Epps' two foul shots with 32 seconds left.
Cassie Peoples led Florida (9-9, 1-4) with 12 points and Kayla Lewis added 10.
LSU 71, NO. 15 MISS. STATE 69, 2OT
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Danielle Ballard scored 24 points, including the goahead bucket in double overtime, and grabbed 10 rebounds to help lift LSU to an upset over No. 15 Mississippi State. Raigyne Moncrief contributed 18 points and DaShawn Harden added 13 for LSU (9-8, 3-2 SEC), which shot 50 percent from the floor and sank late buckets to force both overtime periods. The first overtime was forced by Moncrief, who hit a free throw to tie it at 53-53 at the end of regulation.
Mississippi State (18-2, 3-2) took a 61-58 lead with Ketara Chapel’s free throw with six seconds left in OT but Ballard hit a three-pointer just ahead of the buzzer to tie it again. Dominique Dillingham led Mississippi State with 18 points.
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 60,
MISSOURI 49
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Tiffany Mitchell scored 19 points, Alaina Coates added 15 and Aleighsa Welch grabbed 14 rebounds to lead top-ranked South Carolina past Missouri.
The victory pushed South Carolina’s record to 17-0 and 5-0 in SEC play, the best start for the program since joining the league in 1991. The Gamecocks had outscored opponents by about 80 points to 50 this season, but struggled to separate themselves from Missouri. South Carolina led for more than 34 minutes but couldn’t relax until Coates capped a 6-0 run with two free throws for a 53-43 lead with 1:16 to go.
Sierra Michaelis scored a career-high 22 points but finished as the only player in double figures for Missouri (11-7, 1-4).
SEC MEN
FLORIDA 75, AUBURN 55
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Dorian Finney-Smith scored 14 points, Eli Carter added 12 and Florida beat Auburn, winning its 24th consecutive Southeastern Conference game.
The Gators (10-6, 3-0 SEC) never trailed in this one, building a double-digit lead early and going up by as many as 24 early in the second half.
All 10 regulars scored, with Carter getting most of his in the first 20 minutes and Finney-Smith taking over after the break. Finney-Smith, who was limited in the first half because of foul trouble, scored just about every way imaginable. He had put-backs, tip-ins, made 2 three-pointers and was perfect from the free-throw line.
Antoine Mason led Auburn (9-7, 1-2) with 13 points. Cinmeon Bowers added 11 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.
Florida shot 49 percent from the floor and was 7 of 17 from beyond the arc.
Sports on 01/16/2015