Johnson Helps No. 4 LSU Beat Mississippi State

Louisiana State was trailing on the road with Seimone Augustus, its leading scorer, on the bench injured. That’s when Temeka Johnson took over for the fourth-ranked Tigers.

Johnson had 19 points, including eight in the final seven minutes, as LSU, 20-1, 8-1 in Southeastern Conference, rallied to defeat No. 12 Mississippi State, 77-72, Sunday at Starkville, Miss.

LaToya Thomas led the Bulldogs (16-6, 5-4) with 32 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 3 Tennessee 79, Florida 40 -- The Lady Vols (20-3, 9-0 SEC) had another easy time against the Gators (8-13, 0-8), who they beat, 94-53, at Gainesville, Fla. It also was their 45th consecutive win over an SEC opponent at home.

No. 7 North Carolina 67, Wake Forest 57 -- The Tar Heels (21-2, 10-1 ACC) won their sixth in a row while the Demon Deacons (10-11, 1-10) lost their ninth in a row. North Carolina never lost the lead at Winston-Salem, N.C.

No. 7 Texas Tech 70, Iowa State 48 -- The Lady Raiders (19-2, 8-1 Big 12) took control midway through the first half, using a 15-0 run to take a 29-8 lead over the Cyclones (9-11, 4-5) with 4:44 remaining at Lubbock, Texas.

No. 13 Penn State 64, Michigan State 60 -- Jess Strom made six free throws in a row down the stretch to help the Nittany Lions (20-5, 1-1 Big Ten) beat the Spartans (13-8, 6-4) at East Lansing, Mich.

No. 14 Arkansas 62, Mississippi 60 -- Dana Cherry made a layup with six seconds left at Fayetteville, Ark., to give the Razorbacks (18-5, 5-3 SEC) the win over the Rebels (12-10, 2-7).

No. 15 Minnesota 59, Indiana 56 -- It was the first victory for the Golden Gophers (17-4, 6-4 Big Ten) at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., in three years. The Hoosiers (9-11, 2-8) lost their seventh game in a row.

No. 16 South Carolina 48, Alabama 34 -- Jocelyn Penn scored 20 points -- more than the Crimson Tide (11-11, 1-8 SEC) had in either half at Tuscaloosa, Ala. -- to lead the Gamecocks (17-5, 5-4).

No. 17 Georgia 78, Auburn 67 -- The Bulldogs (16-5, 7-1 SEC) used an 11-0 run to take a 72-53 lead with 4:25 left at Athens, Ga., then held off the Tigers (16-6, 4-5).

No. 18 Vanderbilt 85, Kentucky 63 -- At Lexington, Ky., the Commodores (15-7, 5-4 SEC) beat the Wildcats (9-11, 2-6) for the sixth straight time and 14th time in 15 meetings.

No. 24 Oklahoma 87, Oklahoma State 71 -- The Sooners (14-8, 5-4 Big 12) ended their first three-game losing streak since the 1998-99 season at Norman, Okla. The Cowboys (5-15, 1-8) lost their sixth in a row.

No. 25 Ohio State 63, Wisconsin 40 -- At Columbus, Ohio, the Buckeyes (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) held the Badgers (6-16, 4-7) to 36% shooting and a season-low for points.