Paopao, Watkins lead No. 1 South Carolina to 43rd straight win

CLEMSON, S.C.>> Te-Hina Paopao had 13 points and Ashlyn Watkins added 10 points and 11 rebounds as No. 1 South Carolina set a school record with its 43rd straight win, 77-45, over rival Clemson on Wednesday night.

The Gamecocks (5-0) struggled to find the basket for about 15 minutes and trailed 17-12 midway through the second quarter before breaking off a 17-0 run to take control.

South Carolina’s previous best was 42 wins in a row, which started with the 2022 NCAA Tournament where it won the national championship and continued until the 2023 Final Four where it lost to Iowa 77-73.

no. 4 texas 83, tarleton state 41>> Madison Booker scored 25 points to lead No. 4 Texas (4-0) over Tarleton State 83-41.

NO. 7 LSU 85, TULANE 74>> Flau’Jae Johnson scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds, Aneesah Morrow had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and LSU held off Tulane.

Jersey Wolfenbarger scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench for the Tigers (6-0).

NORTHERN IOWA 87, NO. 8 IOWA STATE 75>> Maya McDermott scored a career-high 37 points and Kayla Laube added 21 as Northern Iowa beat Iowa State.

The Panthers (3-1) trailed 53-45 with 7:36 left in the third quarter before going on a 31-7 run over the next 12:17.

NO. 10 KANSAS STATE 111, MILWAUKEE 46>> Ayoka Lee had 25 points to lead six Kansas State women in double-figures scoring, and the Wildcats rolled to a victory over Milwaukee.

NO. 12 OHIO STATE 106, OHIO 42>> Elsa Lemmila had a career-high 21 points and 14 rebounds, and fellow freshman Jaloni Cambridge scored all 19 of her points in the first half when Ohio State built a 40-point lead en route to victory over Ohio.

No. 3 Gonzaga dominates Long Beach State

SPOKANE, Wash.>> Graham Ike and Khalif Battle each had 15 points as No. 3 Gonzaga routed Long Beach State 84-41.

Ryan Nembhard added 10 points and seven assists for the Bulldogs (5-0), who have opened with five straight wins for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Long Beach State’s leading scorer, Devin Askew, had 12 points.

NO. 8 ALABAMA 100, NO. 25 ILLINOIS 87>> Grant Nelson scored 23 points and Aden Holloway had 18 to lead Alabama to over Illinois in a matchup of Elite Eight teams from last season at Legacy Arena.

Freshman Labaron Philon had 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the Crimson Tide (4-1) overcome a scoreless night from preseason All-American Mark Sears.

NO. 23 TEXAS A&M 71, SOUTHERN 54>> Wade Taylor IV scored 17 points and fellow guard Zhuric Phelps added 16 as Texas A&M erased a 16-point deficit in a victory over Southern.

The slow-starting Aggies (4-1) shot 23% from the field in the first half (8 for 35) and fell behind 39-25 at the break. Texas A&M used a 19-0 run midway through the second half to repel Southern’s upset bid.

NO. 24 RUTGERS 74, MERRIMACK 63>> Freshman Ace Bailey scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Rutgers to a win.

— The Associated Press