(Photo credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images)

Joyce Edwards tallied 14 points and eight rebounds as No. 2 South Carolina gritted out a 68-65 win over No. 4 Texas on Thursday in Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks avenged their lone defeat of the season, a 66-64 loss to the Longhorns in the championship game of the Players Era event at Las Vegas on Nov. 27. South Carolina (18-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) posted its 11th win in a row.

Edwards shot 8 of 9 from the free-throw line for the Gamecocks. Tessa Johnson scored 13 points, Ta'Niya Latson added 12, Raven Johnson chipped in 10 points and six assists, and Madina Okot notched 10 points and five rebounds in the win.

Madison Booker led the way with a game-high 24 points, but Texas (18-2, 3-2) took back-to-back losses for the first time since a three-game skid in November 2022. Rori Harmon scored 16 while Jordan Lee added 10 points before fouling out.

No. 1 UConn 99, Villanova 50

Sarah Strong had 24 points and nine rebounds and the Huskies maintained their hold on first place in the Big East by routing the second-place Wildcats in Storrs, Conn.

Azzi Fudd added 14 points, KK Arnold and Blanca Quinonez scored 13 each, and UConn (18-0, 9-0) outscored Villanova (14-4, 7-2) 26-8 in the first quarter and 23-6 in the fourth.

UConn dominated inside, outscoring Villanova 58-12 in the paint and shooting 55% from the floor while holding the Wildcats to 28%. Kennedy Henry scored 12 points and Brynn McCurry added 11 for Villanova, which finished with its lowest point total of the season.

No. 5 Vanderbilt 89, Mississippi State 84

Mikayla Blakes scored a season-high 38 points and the Commodores stayed undefeated by holding off the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.

Justine Pissott added 12 points and Aiyana Mitchell had 10 points and eight rebounds for Vanderbilt (18-0, 5-0 SEC). Madison Francis had 15 points and eight rebounds, Favour Nwaedozi scored 14 before fouling out and Saniyah King had 13 before she fouled out as five players scored in double digits for Mississippi State (14-5, 1-4).

The Commodores outscored Mississippi State 30-20 in the third quarter to take a 66-55 lead into the fourth. The Bulldogs pulled within 77-73 with 4:21 remaining, but two 3-pointers by Mikayla Blakes and a layup by Mitchell pushed the lead back to 12 with 2:14 left.

No. 7 Kentucky 94, Florida 89

Tonie Morgan had game highs of 26 points and 13 assists and the Wildcats came from behind in the fourth quarter to get past the Gators in Lexington, Ky.

Clara Strack scored 21, Amelia Hassett had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Jordan Obi and Asia Boone added 12 points each for Kentucky (17-2, 4-1 SEC), which used a scoring advantage of 28-16 in the fourth quarter to avoid an upset.

Me'Arah O'Neal scored 23, Liv McGill had 20 points and 11 assists before fouling out, and Jade Weathersby scored 18 for Florida (12-8, 0-5), which outscored the Wildcats 35-21 in the third quarter before collapsing.

No. 8 Michigan 85, No. 25 Illinois 69

Olivia Olson led her team with 21 points and the Wolverines never trailed in defeating the Fighting Illini in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Te'Yala Delfosse added 15 points, Mila Holloway had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Syla Swords scored 11 for Michigan (15-2, 6-1 Big Ten).

Berry Wallace scored 26 points and Jasmine Brown-Hagger added 16 to lead Illinois (14-4, 4-3).

No. 9 Louisville 79, No. 23 Notre Dame 66

Reyna Scott scored 20 points, Tajianna Roberts added 19 and the Cardinals pulled away from the Fighting Irish in the fourth quarter in South Bend, Ind.

Elif Istanbulluoglu had 11 points and Mackenly Randolph 10 for Louisville, (17-3, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Hannah Hidalgo had 24 points and eight assists, Iyana Moore scored 16 and Malaya Cowles 12 to lead Notre Dame (12-5, 4-3).

The Cardinals trailed by one point after one quarter, led by four at halftime and by six after three quarters. Moore's 3-pointer pulled the Irish within 66-61 with seven minutes remaining, but Roberts responded with consecutive 3-pointers and Louisville coasted.

No. 11 Iowa 74, Oregon 66

Hannah Stuelke and Addie Deal scored 18 points each to lead a balanced scoring effort and the Hawkeyes never trailed in defeating the Ducks in Iowa City, Iowa.

Stuelke added eight assists and eight rebounds, Ava Heiden had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Kylie Feuerbach scored 11 for Iowa (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten), which outscored Oregon (14-5, 2-4) 24-13 in the third quarter to gain control.

Ehis Etute had 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Ducks.

No. 12 Maryland 62, USC 55

Addi Mack scored 12 points, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu and Yarden Garzon added 10 each, and the Terrapins held off the Trojans in Los Angeles.

Maryland (17-2, 5-2 Big Ten) trailed by one point at halftime but outscored USC (10-7, 2-4) 19-14 in the third quarter to grab the lead, then held on in the fourth.

Kara Dunn scored 21 points and Jazzy Davidson added 12 to lead the Trojans.

No. 15 Michigan State 73, No. 24 Nebraska 71

Grace Vanslooten scored a game-high 22 points and Juliann Woodard broke a tie with two free throws with five seconds remaining to lift the Spartans over the Cornhuskers in East Lansing, Mich.

Rashunda Jones scored 15 points, including two free throws to tie the score with 39 seconds left, and Kennedy Blair added 14 for Michigan State (17-1, 6-1, Big Ten).

Amiah Hargrove scored 21 off the bench and Britt Prince added 16 for Nebraska (14-4, 3-4).

Auburn 58, No. 21 Alabama 54

Khady Leye had 16 points and nine rebounds and the Tigers' defense keyed an upset of the Crimson Tide in Auburn, Ala.

Kaitlyn Duhon added 10 rebounds before fouling out for Auburn (13-6, 2-3, SEC).

Jessica Timmons scored 16 points before fouling out, as well, while Ta'Mia Scott scored 12 and Karly Weathers had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Alabama (17-2, 3-2).

--Field Level Media