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West Virginia goes wire-to-wire to upset UConn

 
Published Nov. 24, 2014

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — If West Virginia can be disruptive on the defensive end this season, Bob Huggins thinks it will mean good things in the long run.

The Mountaineers (5-0) put that theory to the test against the defending national champions, and it worked well.

Juwan Staten had 23 points and West Virginia held off several second-half runs to beat No. 17 Connecticut 78-68 in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Jonathan Holton and Daxter Miles added 10 points each for the Mountaineers, who never trailed and forced 19 turnovers in the victory over their former Big East rival.

"I've got my kind of guys again," Huggins said. "I've got guys that are just going to keep swinging, you know? These two freshmen (Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles) are special freshmen. You just don't find freshmen that have the courage to take the shots that those guys take."

Staten was named the tournament MVP. Teammate Devin Williams also joined him on the all-tournament team.

Staten said the team didn't start working on its fullcourt pressure until a few days before the tournament. Huggins said it's a little sporadic and in need of fine tuning, but Staten said he and his teammates like the pace it creates.

"Coaches have us pumped up from the start of the season, just letting us know that we're a special team and that we really have a chance to do something special," Staten said.

Ryan Boatright led the Huskies (3-1) with 17 points.

NO. 1 KENTUCKY 86, MONTANA ST. 28: Devin Booker scored a career-best 18, Aaron Harrison added 14 and the host Wildcats (5-0) held the Bobcats scoreless for several stretches to compensate for 29-of-67 shooting from the field.

NO. 11 WICHITA ST. 105, NEWMAN 57: Ron Baker scored 16 of his 18 in the first half to lead the host Shockers (3-0) past the Division II Jets.

NO. 18 OKLA. 90, N'WESTERN ST. 68: Isaiah Cousins scored 20 to help the host Sooners (2-1) rebound from a loss to Creighton.

NO. 20 OHIO ST. 106, SACRED HEART 48: D'Angelo Russell scored 32 and Shannon Scott set a school record with 16 assists to lead the host Buckeyes (3-0).

Women

FSU 73, UMASS 47: Adut Bulgak had 14 points, and the Seminoles (4-0) played shutdown defense at the Hospitality Hill Challenge in Denton, Texas. FSU finished with 14 steals and scored 25 off turnovers.

NO. 1 UCONN 96, CREIGHTON 60: Breanna Stewart had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the host Huskies (2-1) bounced back from their first loss in 48 games. Connecticut hasn't lost consecutive games since 1993.

NO. 2 S.C. 89, SAN DIEGO ST. 38: Tiffany Mitchell made all six of her 3-pointers and scored 20 for the host Gamecocks (3-0), who forced 29 turnovers and held the Aztecs to 29 percent (14-of-49) shooting.

NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 104, HOLY CROSS 29: Brianna Turner had 19 points and seven rebounds for the host Irish (4-0), who used a 39-2 second-half run to blow it open in the first round of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Challenge.

NO. 7 DUKE 83, MARQUETTE 51: Rebecca Greenwell had 22 points and 12 rebounds and fellow freshman Azura Stevens added 18 and 10 for the host Blue Devils (3-0).

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NO. 10 TEXAS 75, UCLA 65: Freshman guard Brooke McCarty scored 20 off the bench for the visiting Longhorns (3-0), who outrebounded the Bruins 50-34.

NO. 11 UNC 76, OREGON 59: Stephanie Mavunga had 23 points and career highs of 16 rebounds and six blocks as the visiting Tar Heels (4-0) rolled the Ducks in the second half.

NO. 12 L'VILLE 69, BALL ST. 56: Mariya Moore had 22 points to tie her career high and made 6 of 9 3-pointers for the host Cardinals (4-0).

NO. 15 MICH. ST. 64, IUPUI 45: Tori Jankoska scored 22 and Aerial Powers added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the host Spartans (2-1), who used their physical advantage to get to the line and made 19 of 23 free throws.

NO. 16 NEBRASKA 66, UTAH 43: Emily Cady had 25 points with nine rebounds and Rachel Theriot added 20 points and six assists for the host Cornhuskers (4-0), who had a 28-14 advantage in the paint.

NO. 24 GEORGIA 64, GA. TECH 57: Shacobia Barbee scored a career-high 24 and Marjorie Butler hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds for the visiting Bulldogs (4-0).

NO. 24 PURDUE 66, TOLEDO 48: April Wilson had 12 points and five assists for the host Boilermakers (2-1).

AMHERST SETS HOME MARK: The Amherst Jeffs won their 100th straight home game, breaking UConn's record with a 73-63 win over Baruch. The Division III school's streak started with a one-point win over Colby on Jan. 31, 2009. Amherst (3-0) has not been challenged much at home since.

Women's soccer

UF 3, TEXAS TECH 2: Senior striker Annie Speese scored the deciding goal with just less than nine minutes to play as the host Gators (17-4-1) recovered after blowing a two-goal lead in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. Second-seeded Florida is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 and plays at top-seeded Stanford on Friday.

FSU 1, UCF 0: Kristin Grubka squeaked a ball inside the near post in the 60th minute as the host Seminoles (21-1-1) defeated the Knights (18-5) to reach the NCAA Elite Eight. Top-seeded Florida State is scheduled to host third-seeded South Carolina on Friday.