Connecticut Rolls Despite Missing Star

Shea Ralph didn’t miss a shot, and No. 2 Connecticut didn’t miss a beat Sunday without its injured leading scorer Svetlana Abrosimova.

The Huskies, 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big East Conference, coming off a loss to Tennessee, scored the first 11 points and cruised to a 75-39 victory over Villanova (15-6, 6-4) at Storrs, Conn.

Ralph had 14 points and made all five of her field-goal attempts.

No. 3 Tennessee 97, Alabama 75--Kara Lawson had 17 points and eight assists to lead the Lady Vols over the Crimson Tide (16-6, 4-5) in Southeastern Conference play at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Tennessee (23-1, 9-0) had six players score in double figures.

No. 6 Purdue 73, Michigan 64--Shereka Wright scored a career-high 25 points in place of an injured Katie Douglas, and Camille Cooper added 24 as the Boilermakers (21-3, 11-0) rallied to their 13th consecutive victory in a Big Ten Conference game at West Lafayette, Ind.

Alayne Ingram led the Wolverines (14-8, 7-5) with 20 points.

No. 8 Iowa State 92, Nebraska 70--Angie Welle scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half and had nine rebounds to lead the Cyclones (18-2, 8-1) past the Cornhuskers (10-12, 2-7) in Big 12 Conference action at Lincoln, Neb.

Auburn 65, No. 11 Louisiana State 62--Lori Nero had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the upset over the Tigers (15-6, 5-3) at Baton Rouge, La.

Auburn (15-9, 3-7) made three free-throws down the stretch to help seal the SEC victory.

No. 14 Rutgers 69, Pittsburgh 61--Karlita Washington scored 23 points for the Scarlet Knights, who held off a late rally in a Big East game at Pittsburgh.

The Panthers (9-12, 3-7) led, 66-42, with 4:15 left before the Rutgers (15-5, 7-2) went on a 19-3 run to end the game.

North Carolina State 56, No. 17 Clemson 50--Tynesha Lewis made a jumper to give North Carolina State their first lead with 33 seconds to go, keying the Wolfpack’s 16-0 closing run for the Atlantic Coast Conference victory at Clemson, S.C.

The Wolfpack (14-8, 5-6) trailed, 50-40, after Chrissy Floyd’s two foul shots with 5:17 left. But clutch free throws and poor shooting by Clemson (15-7, 6-5) kept them in it.

No. 15 Xavier 86, George Washington 84--Jennifer Phillips scored seven of her 11 points in overtime, including a layup with 44 seconds left that sealed the Atlantic 10 Conference victory at Cincinnati, Ohio.

Erica Lawrence led George Washington (16-7, 10-1) with 24 points and 13 rebounds

No. 5 Georgia 78, Mississippi St. 74--Kelly Miller scored 31 points to help the Bulldogs (19-4, 7-2) overcome a nine-point halftime deficit in an SEC victory at Starkville, Miss.

LaToya Thomas led Mississippi State (10-11, 1-9) with 23 points

No. 16 Penn St. 65, Northwestern 62--Kelly Mazzante scored 23 points for the Lions (16-6, 8-3), who won after Michelle Zylstra missed a three-point shot at the buzzer that would have tied the Big 10 game at Evanston, Ill.

Emily Butler led the Wildcats (4-17, 0-11) with 22 points.

No. 9 Florida 62, No. 19 Vanderbilt 57--Florida’s Tombi Bell scored 17 points on eight-of-11 shooting to lift the Gators to an SEC victory at Gainesville, Fla.

Naomi Mobley had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Florida (19-2, 7-1), which won its sixth consecutive game.

Jenni Benningfield scored 17 points for Vanderbilt (15-6, 4-4), which has lost four in a row.