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USF women rout SMU in AAC tournament

 
Published March 6, 2016

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Courtney Williams had an American Athletic Conference tournament record 29 points, and No. 20 USF eliminated SMU 73-60 Saturday.

In today's semifinals, the second-seeded Bulls (22-8) face No. 3 seed Temple. The game will air at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Williams was 12-of-26 from the field with four 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds. She broke Memphis star Ariel Hearns' mark of 27 points set two years ago.

"I actually was told by an uncle of mine, 'Once you get in that zone, you've got to stay in that zone because it's so vulnerable. Once you're in a zone like that, anything can take you out of it,' " Williams said. "I tried to just stay in the zone and keep shooting when I was open."

Ariadna Pujol added 16 points for the Bulls.

USF led 23-15 after the first quarter, then limited SMU to eight points in the second and led 39-23 at the break. Williams outscored the Mustangs in the half with 24 points.

"Courtney had a special half offensively," Bulls coach Jose Fernandez said.

SMU (13-18) rallied a bit in the second half but got no closer than 10 points.

NO. 1 UCONN 92, ECU 51: Morgan Tuck and Katie Lou Samuelson scored 16 each for the Huskies (30-0), who earned their 11th straight 30-win season and won their 67th straight game in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament.

NO. 2 N. DAME 78, NO. 21 MIAMI 67: Brianna Turner scored 17 for the Fighting Irish (30-1), who took over late in the third quarter to beat the Hurricanes (24-8) in an ACC tournament semifinal in Greensboro, N.C.

NO. 3 S.C. 93, NO. 13 KENTUCKY 63: Tiffany Mitchell scored 20 for the Gamecocks (30-1) in the semifinals of the SEC tournament in Jacksonville.

NO. 4 BAYLOR 82, TEXAS TECH 51: Kalani Brown scored 17 and Kristy Wallace added 15 to help Bears (31-1) win their 18th straight in a Big 12 quarterfinal in Oklahoma City.

NO. 5 MARYLAND 83, N'WESTERN 62: Brionna Jones had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Terrapins (29-3) in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.

NO. 6 TEXAS 66, KANSAS 50: Celina Rodrigo scored 13 for the Longhorns (27-3) in a Big 12 quarterfinals.

NO. 17 SYRACUSE 80, NO. 7 L'VILLE 75: Cornelia Fondren matched her career high of 18 points and hit two critical free throws with 18.1 seconds left as the Orange (25-6) outlasted the Cardinals (25-7) in the semi­finals of the ACC tournament.

NO. 19 MICH. ST. 82, NO. 9 OHIO ST. 63: Aerial Powers scored 31 and Tori Jankoska added 23 for the Spartans (24-7) in a Big Ten tournament semifinal. Michigan State won its sixth straight and handed the Buckeyes (24-7) their most lopsided loss this season.

NO. 12 UCLA 73, CAL 67, OT: Jordin Canada scored eight of her 26 in overtime for the Bruins (24-7), who held on win in the Pac-12 semifinals in Seattle.

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NO. 16 MISS. ST. 58, TENN. 48: Victoria Vivians scored 30, her most since mid December, to lead the Bulldogs (26-6) in an SEC tournament semifinal.

NO. 22 W. VA. 74, KANSAS ST. 65: Tynice Martin had 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting for the Mountaineers (24-8) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

NO. 24 OKLA. 61, OKLA. ST. 43: Vionise Pierre-Louis had 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Sooners (21-9), who pulled away in the second half in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

SSC TOURNEY: Ellen Nurmi had 23 points as fifth-seeded Tampa beat Nova Southeastern 73-63 in the Sunshine State Conference tournament semifinals in Daytona Beach. The Spartans (18-12) play second-seeded Florida Tech in the finals at 4 p.m. today.

OVC: Sally McCabe led five players in double figures with 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Belmont routed Eastern Kentucky 95-63 in Nashville for its first Ohio Valley Conference tournament title and second NCAA Tournament berth.