Iriafen lifts USC to Big Ten title game

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP

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Michigan guard Jordan Hobbs (10) celebrates a 3-pointer as USC forward Kiki Iriafen looks on during the first half Saturday's game in the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis. Michael Conroy/ap

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Associated Press

Kiki Iriafen scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half Saturday, JuJu Watkins added 20 points and each pulled down 11 rebounds to send No. 2 Southern California past fifth-seeded Michigan 82-70 and into the Big Ten championship game.

The Trojans (28-2) won the leagues regular season by sweeping the two-game series against the Bruins. The Trojans also won their only contest against the Buckeyes this season.

USC won its ninth straight despite Watkins, the league’s player of the year, having an off night. Iriafen made 10 of 19 shots.

Syla Swords finished with 26 points and Olivia Olson added 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wolverines (22-10).

USC trailed 31-29 at halftime but turned the game when Iriafen scored eight straight points late in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 50-48 lead. They closed it out with a 16-2 run midway through the fourth.

Again, the Trojans were sloppy. They struggled with taking care of the ball, shot poorly and didn’t take control until late. Still, though, they managed to do just enough.

NC State women beat North Carolina to advance to ACC Tournament final: Aziaha James scored 19 points and No. 7 N.C. State jumped out to a big lead to beat No. 14 North Carolina 66-55 in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.

Madison Hayes and reserve Lorena Awou each had 10 points as the Wolfpack (26-5) avenged a one-point regular-season road loss. N.C. State will face No. 11 Duke in Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference final.

Indya Nivar had 13 points and Maria Gakdeng had 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead North Carolina (27-7), which shot 27.9% from the field.

The Wolfpack rattled off the last 16 points of the first quarter for a 16-5 lead, delighting the decidedly pro-N.C. State crowd. North Carolina’s scoring drought extended for almost 11 minutes, creating a 21-5 hole.

It marked the second day in a row that North Carolina was limited to five points in a quarter. Unlike against No. 22 Florida State in the quarterfinals, the Tar Heels couldn’t recover.

The Wolfpack will play in the ACC final for the fourth time in five years. To win it, they’ll have to defeat a ranked opponent for the seventh time this season.

Bueckers scores 20 points as UConn rolls into Big East semis: Paige Bueckers had 20 points to lead No. 3 UConn to a 71-40 win over St. John’s in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Saturday.

Sarah Strong had 10 points and 14 rebounds while Azzi Fudd finished with 11 points for UConn (29-3) as the Huskies won their 13th consecutive Big East tournament game and recorded their 34th win in a row in a conference tournament.

Ariana Vanderhoop and Kylie Lavelle each had 11 points and three 3-pointers. Lashae Dwyer had 10 points for the Red Storm (16-15)

UConn used a 22-0 run to take command of the game after the Red Storm scored the first two points of the game.

UConn held St. John’s without a basket for nearly nine minutes, Ber’Nyah Mayo gave St. John’s the early lead but the Red Storm missed their next 12 shots as the Huskies scored the next 22 points. Fudd led the way with five points while Kaitlyn Chen, Bueckers and Jana El Alfy added four points each.

The Huskies advanced to the semifinals in their conference tournament for the 37th season in a row. The last time the Huskies failed to reach the semifinals was in 1988.

Meyer, Timmer have double-doubles, South Dakota State reaches Summit final: Brooklyn Meyer had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Haleigh Timmer also had a double-double and No. 25 South Dakota State advanced to the Summit League championship game for the 14th time in 17 seasons with an 83-55 win over North Dakota on Saturday.

Paige Meyer had 17 points for the Jackrabbits (29-3), the two-time defending champions who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fifth-straight season. Timmer had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Mesa Byom added 11 points.

South Dakota State is seeking it’s 12th title since becoming eligible in 2009. The Jackrabbits are 40-5 all-time in the tourney, went undefeated in league for the third year in a row and have an 18-game winning streak since losing to now No. 1 Texas. South Dakota State held the fighting Hawks to 29% shooting and had a 52-26 rebounding edge.