South Carolina guard Ta'niya Latson (00) drives the ball past Vanderbilt forward Aiyana Mitchell (14) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/David Yeazell)
January 25, 2026 - 10:05 AM
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ta’Niya Latson scored 21 points, Tessa Johnson added 20 and No. 2 South Carolina ended No. 5 Vanderbilt’s unbeaten start to the season with a 103-74 victory on Sunday.
The Commodores had won a school record 20 straight games to start the season, but had no answer for South Carolina, which has won 19 straight over Vanderbilt.
The Gamecocks (20-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) came in off an 94-82 overtime loss at No. 16 Oklahoma this past Thursday and right from the start took it out on the Commodores (20-1, 6-1).
South Carolina went on an 11-2 burst less than two minutes in and gradually built the lead to 21 points in the second quarter. The Gamecocks defense did much of the damage, forcing 16 first-half turnovers against a Vanderbilt team averaging 12.5 per game this season.
The Commodores gave themselves a chance right before halftime as Mikayla Blakes had a three-point play with 3.5 seconds left and — after South Carolina tried a court-length football pass that went straight out of bounds — Aubrey Galvan’s three as time expired to trail by 11 at the break.
Vanderbilt opened with two straight baskets in the third quarter to draw within 55-48. That’s when South Carolina went on a 15-2 burst to take control for good.
NO. 3 UCLA 80, NORTHWESTERN 46
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Gabriela Jaquez scored 19 points and UCLA beat Northwestern for its 13th straight victory.
Lauren Betts added 16 points while Kiki Rice had 15 and 10 rebounds for the Bruins (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten), who never trailed and stayed tied with 10th-ranked Iowa for the conference lead.
The Bruins led 21-14 after the first period and finished the first half on a 15-2 run to go to intermission up 46-22. The Wildcats managed just three field goals in the second period and none in the final 4:57 of the half.
The Wildcats tried to double-team the 6-foot-7 Betts early but she usually found an open teammate and finished the game with six assists. UCLA also outrebounded its hosts 44-25.
The Bruins are beating their conference foes by an average 27.8 points per game.
Grace Sullivan scored 21 points for Northwestern (8-12, 2-7), which has lost two straight and 12 of its last 14.
NO. 7 MICHIGAN 73, USC 67
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Olivia Olson had 23 points and Michigan rallied back after giving away a 16-poin lead to beat struggling USC.
Mila Holloway finished with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Wolverines (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten), who have won six of their last seven games.
Brooke Quarles Daniels had 10 points with seven rebounds and four assists as Michigan moved to 11-0 at home. Syla Swords and Ashley Sofilkanich also scored 10 points each.
Kara Dunn led USC (11-9, 3-6) with 26 points — her sixth straight 20-plus point game — and 10 rebounds. Londynn Jones had 12 points and Jazzy Davidson added 11 with seven assists for the Trojans, who have lost six of their last seven games.
Trailing 45-29 early in the third quarter, the Trojans went on a 27-5 run to take a six-point lead. Davidson got it started with a three-point play. Dunn had 11 points during that stretch, including a pair of 3-point plays and a 3-pointer.
NO. 10 IOWA 91, NO. 12 OHIO STATE 70
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Addie Deal had a season-high 20 points, Hannah Stuelke had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Ava Heiden had 18 points as Iowa defeated Ohio State.
The Hawkeyes (18-2, 9-0 Big Ten), playing their third consecutive game against a ranked team, stayed at the top of the Big Ten standings with UCLA and extended their winning streak to eight. Iowa also snapped the seven-game winning streak of the Buckeyes (18-3, 7-2).
Stuelke had her sixth double-double of the season, matching a season-high in rebounds.
Chazadi Wright added 14 points for the Hawkeyes, who play at UCLA as part of a two-game West Coast trip next Sunday.
Iowa, which led by as much as 23 points in the second half, shot 57.8% from the field, held the Buckeyes to 34.8%, and had a 48-30 rebounding edge. The Hawkeyes had a 33-3 edge in bench points.
NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 72, AUBURN 65
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Aaliyah Chavez scored 18 points and Oklahoma avoided a big upset, defeating Auburn.
The Sooners, coming off a 94-82 overtime win over No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday, were locked in a battle with the unranked Tigers until finishing the game with a 13-6 run over the final minutes.
Auburn’s A’riel Jackson scored seven points early in the fourth quarter and Harissoum Coulibaly’s layup tied the score at 57-all with six minutes remaining. Another Coulibaly layup made it 59-59 with 4:50 remaining but the Tigers managed only six points the rest of the game.
Sahara Williams and Raegan Beers scored 13 points each for Oklahoma (16-4, 4-3 SEC) and Brooklyn Stewart added 12 off the bench.
Jackson scored 19 points off the bench, Mya Petticord and Ja’Mia Harris 12 each, and Coulibaly 10 for Auburn (13-8, 2-5).
NO. 23 ALABAMA 85, MISSISSIPPI STATE 78
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — essica Timmons scored a career-high 28 points, she and Karly Weathers dominated the fourth quarter on offense, and No. 23 Alabama rallied to defeat Mississippi State 85-78 on Sunday.
Weathers scored 11 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter and Timmons had seven fourth-quarter points, 18 in the second half.
Timmons scored 11 points in the third quarter while Alabama built an eight-point lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the period. But the Bulldogs hit their next six shots — four of them by Jaylah Lampley — and they took a 60-56 lead into the fourth.
There were three lead changes in the fourth quarter and Alabama went ahead for good when Weathers hit a layup and a 3-pointer followed by a three-point play by Timmons.
News from © The Associated Press, 2026