No. 2 South Carolina beats No. 5 LSU for Tigers’ 1st loss

COLUMBIA, S.C.>> Joyce Edwards scored 14 points and Sania Feagin added 12 points and seven rebounds, and No. 2 South Carolina beat fifth-ranked LSU 66-56 on Friday night to end the Tigers’ undefeated season.

The Gamecocks won their 17th straight over LSU and all five since Kim Mulkey took over as Tigers coach.

The showdown, delayed from a scheduled Thursday night prime-time slot due a winter storm, had all the drama typical of meetings between the teams that have won the past three national titles.

Aneesah Morrow had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Flau’jae Johnson added 13 for LSU.

South Carolina opened a 10-point lead in the third quarter and LSU (20-1, 5-1) could not respond. The Tigers’ loss leaves No. 1 UCLA, the only team to beat South Carolina this season, as the country’s only remaining unbeaten team.

South Carolina has won 69 straight at home and 54 in a row in SEC regular-season games.

The Gamecocks held the Tigers to 5-for-20 shooting in the third quarter. Johnson, LSU’s leading scorer, had just two points in the second half.

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No. 11 Purdue routs No. 21 Michigan

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.>> Braden Smith had 24 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals to help No. 11 Purdue rout No. 21 Michigan 91-64.

Smith was 10 of 17 from the field and had only one turnover in 37 minutes to nearly join Joe Barry Carroll as the only Purdue players with a triple-double. Carroll had 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks against Arizona in December 1977.

Fletcher Loyer added 18 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 15 as the Boilermakers rebounded from their first home loss of the season Tuesday night against Ohio State with a resounding celebration in the 500th Big Ten game at Mackey Arena.

NO. 10 MARQUETTE 87, ST. JOHN’S 74>> Stevie Mitchell matched a career high with 21 points and No. 10 Marquette continued its recent domination of Villanova.

Chase Ross added 18 points and Kam Jones had 16 to help Marquette beat Villanova for an eighth consecutive time and tie No. 20 St. John’s for first place in the Big East.

The Golden Eagles haven’t lost to Villanova since Shaka Smart took over as Marquette’s coach in 2021.