Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: Vandy freshman Mikayla Blakes scores 53
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) celebrates after defeating Tennessee at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes needed a quarter to get warmed up, and then she went off, finishing with an NCAA freshman-record 53 points as the 23rd-ranked Commodores defeated Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday night.
Blakes made 16 of 24 shots from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range, as she surpassed the 51 points scored by JuJu Watkins as a freshman last season. She also set Vanderbilt’s single-game scoring record and the Southeastern Conference single-game mark.
The Commodores (18-4, 5-3 SEC) turned a close game into what looked like a blowout when Blakes netted 18 points in the second quarter to extend the lead to 46-26. Her 13 in the third period helped pad the lead as high as 23 points, and she poured in 18 more in the fourth to hold off the Gators, who had their deficit down to single digits multiple times.
Iyana Moore collected 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Commodores, who entered the Top 25 this week for the first time in 11 years. Ra Shaya Kyle led Florida (11-11, 2-6) with 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Liv McGill scored 20 points.
No. 3 Notre Dame 77, Virginia Tech 61
Hannah Hidalgo scored 16 of her 30 points in the third quarter as the Fighting Irish won their 13th straight game, defeating the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va.
Hidalgo, who began the night second in the nation in Division I in scoring at 25.4 points per game, went 10 of 16 from the field for the game. She netted the first five points of the third quarter and kept on scoring as Notre Dame (18-2, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) pulled away from a four-point lead at the half.
Carys Baker led Virginia Tech (9-12, 4-6) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Matilda Ekh followed with 13 points.
No. 7 LSU 107, Oklahoma 100
Mikaylah Williams poured in 37 points, including 16 in the Tigers’ big second quarter, and LSU beat the Sooners in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU (22-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) made 68.8 percent of its shots in the second period while outscoring Oklahoma 32-19. The Tigers shot 52.2 percent for the game. Flau’Jae Johnson scored 25 points for LSU, and Aneesah Morrow had 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Payton Verhulst finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Sooners (16-5, 4-4), who have lost two of their last three games, both against top-10 teams.
No. 12 Kentucky 65, No. 22 Alabama 56
Georgia Amoore finished with 16 points and nine assists, Clara Strack paired 14 points with 14 rebounds, and the Wildcats dominated the middle quarters for a victory over Crimson Tide in Lexington, Ky.
Amelia Hassett added 11 points, seven boards, three steals and two blocks for Kentucky (18-2, 7-1 SEC), which outscored Alabama 37-19 in he second and thirds quarters combined.
Sarah Ashlee Barker notched 22 points and seven rebounds, and Zaay Green had 14 points for Alabama, but Green also committed six of the team’s 16 turnovers. The Crimson Tide (17-5, 4-4) have lost two straight games four of six.
Oregon 63, No. 16 Michigan State 59
The Ducks built an 18-point in the third quarter and held on in the game’s last four minutes to topple the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich.
Peyton Scott led Oregon (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten) with 12 points, and Phillipina Kyei delivered nine points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Kyei went 3 of 8 from the free-throw line, but she hit two with 13 seconds left to put Oregon ahead by seven.
The Spartans (17-4, 7-3) were held to their lowest point total of the season and took their first home loss after 10 wins. Julia Ayrault logged 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and Grace VanSlooten also scored 14 points.
No. 17 North Carolina State 90, Wake Forest 83
Zoe Brooks led four scorers in double figures with 18 points as the Wolfpack outlasted the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Zamareya Jones went for 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting while Saniya Rivers and Tilda Trygger scored 13 and 12, respectively, for NC State (17-4, 9-1 ACC). The Wolfpack were ahead by six at halftime but began the third period with 14 straight points. They led by as many as 24 points in the quarter en route to their sixth straight victory.
Rylie Theuerkauf paced Wake Forest (8-13, 1-9) with 25 points by going 10-for-15 from the floor. Raegyn Conley hit 7 of 11 shots and finished with 21 points off the bench.
No. 25 Florida State 104, Boston College 80
The high-scoring Seminoles put all five starters in double figures while blowing away the Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Makayla Timpson collected 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Division I scoring leader Ta’Niya Latson had 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Florida State (17-4, 7-2 ACC). The Seminoles scored at least 22 points in every quarter.
Teya Sidberry carried Boston College (12-11, 3-7) with 28 points and 10 rebounds. T’yana Todd scored 14 points, and Tatum Greene had 13.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tre Carroll helps Xavier continue success over Georgetown
Feb 28, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Roddie Anderson III (0) battles for the loose ball against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Tre Carroll scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, Roddie Anderson III added 21 points and Xavier powered past Georgetown 91-84 on Saturday in a Big East Conference game at Cincinnati.
Filip Borovicanin added 18 for Xavier (14-15, 6-12 Big East), which beat Georgetown for the eighth time in nine meetings while winning for just the third time in 11 games overall.
Georgetown (13-16, 5-13) dropped its sixth straight while playing its first game without its starting point guard and leading scorer KJ Lewis, who is out for the season with a left ankle injury that occurred in a loss to Marquette earlier in the week.
Kayvaun Mulready led the Hoyas with 19 points while Malik Mack added 17.
Jeremiah Williams replaced Lewis in the starting lineup and scored 10 points while making his second start of the season, and first since the Big East opener. Williams scored seven points and dished out four assists in the first half as Georgetown took a 39-38 lead into the break.
Xavier withstood a five-minute scoring drought in the first half and ended the first half on a 12-5 run that cut Georgetown’s eight-point advantage to one.
Borovicanin opened the second half with a 3-pointer and then a steal and a breakaway dunk on the next possession to cap off Xavier’s 10-0 run bridging the end of the first half and the end of the second half while putting the Musketeers up 43-39.
Following a Julius Halaifonua layup to bring Georgetown within one at 45-44, Carroll scored Xavier’s next 12 points. Isaiah Walker’s mid-range jumper broke the run but put Xavier ahead 59-53 with 11:34 remaining.
Anderson knocked down a 3-pointer with 8:08 left to put Xavier ahead 70-61 prompting a timeout from Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley.
Xavier led 73-63 on a Borovicanin three-point play with 6:58 left before Georgetown closed within 75-72 on a Vince Iwuchukwu three-point play with 4:38 left. Xavier built the lead back to 10 on a Borovicanin 3-pointer with 3:23 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
Jan 31, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images The Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up a three-game road trip at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon with a chance to improve their seeding in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Minnesota has won the first two games of its trip and now faces a tough task against its Northwest Division rival.
Denver already secured the tiebreaker in the season series by winning the first three matchups. With both teams holding identical 37-23 records, the winner of Sunday’s game will have sole possession of fourth in the Western Conference standings.
The Nuggets have lost three of their first five games out of the All-Star break, including a 127-121 overtime setback at Oklahoma City on Friday night. Sunday’s game gives them a chance to get back some momentum.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic appears to already have a postseason mindset after mixing it up with the Thunder during the loss.
Jokic was knocked down when Luguentz Dort hit him with his hip in the fourth quarter and then confronted the Oklahoma City forward. There was pushing and shoving before Dort was assessed a flagrant-2 foul and ejected.
Jokic, who leads Denver in points (28.7), rebounds (12.6) and assists (10.5), has a casual and deliberate demeanor on the court that belies his competitive nature.
“I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Denver head coach David Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be to cower away. He’s competitive.”
Playing Minnesota again should keep that fiery spirit alive for Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets. The teams have forged a rivalry over the last four seasons, including two playoff series.
There is no question about the fiery nature and competitive spirit of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
Edwards missed the first game against the Nuggets this season but is averaging 35.0 points in the two games between the teams. That includes a 44-point performance on Christmas night before he was ejected in overtime for arguing foul calls.
Edwards, who leads the Timberwolves in scoring at 29.6 points a game, doesn’t confine his arguments to opponents and officials. He got into a verbal exchange with head coach Chris Finch after hitting a 3-pointer to seal a 94-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
It is a feature of their relationship, according to teammates.
“They go at it. Honestly, they do,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “They go at it… They have days where they’re getting ready to fight, and then after the game they hug each other.”
Finch confirmed that in an interview on Fox Sports Radio.
“We’re both fiery competitors. It’s been part of our relationship since Day 1. … We say these things to each other and we move on,” Finch said. “We don’t take it personally.”
The task of stopping Jokic will fall mainly on Rudy Gobert, who leads Minnesota in rebounds (11.4) and blocks (1.7). Nobody could stop Jokic when the teams met on Christmas, with the three-time MVP recording a 56-point triple-double, including 18 points in overtime.
Jokic has averaged 36.0 points 15.7 rebounds and 12.0 assists in the three games against the Timberwolves.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage
Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) makes a basket from the two point line in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Oklahoma State Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. Day Day Thomas heated up from long range, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a 26-point performance, Moustapha Thiam added 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and host Cincinnati rolled to a 91-68 home victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats (16-13, 8-8 Big 12), which entered No. 54 in the NET rankings, have won five of their last six. Jizzle James and Baba Miller each finished with 11 points for Cincinnati.
Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), playing its first game since losing big man Parsa Fallah to a torn ACL, was overwhelmed throughout. Vyctorius Miller led the team with 15 points, while Jaylen Curry and Kanye Clary both added 11 points. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.
The Bearcats seized control early, going on an 11-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Thomas and Thiam to lead 12-4 less than four minutes into the game.
Those early minutes foreshadowed the rest of the game.
Cincinnati dominated from the start, leading 51-33 at halftime. The Bearcats shot 53.1% from the floor, made seven three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 20-15 in the first half. They finished with a two-handed dunk by Thiam. Miller was credited with an assist on the play as he found Thiam open underneath.
In the second half, the Bearcats pulled away. They went on an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Thomas to lead 65-37 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Cincinnati continued to extend the lead, reaching as many as 32 points, with an 81-49 advantage after another 3 from Thomas at the 8:22 mark.
Cincinnati finished with 14 made 3s, dished out 24 assists, and had a 24-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bearcats also led for 39:24 of the 40 minutes and improved to 14-3 at home.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Cincinnati hosts No. 19 BYU, while Oklahoma State travels to UCF.
–Field Level Media
Tre Carroll helps Xavier continue success over Georgetown
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
