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College basketball
February 28, 2003
TALLAHASSEE -- Alana Beard scored 17 as No. 2 Duke overcame fouls and injuries to beat Florida State 70-49 Thursday night for its 39th consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference victory.
Beard, a leading contender for national player of the year, sat out three minutes early in the first half after twisting her right ankle. Then she spent the final 7:41 on the bench after spraining her left ankle while driving to the basket.
Foul trouble limited Iciss Tillis, the Blue Devils' second-leading scorer, to 20 minutes and eight points.
Reserve Sheana Mosch added 13 points for Duke (27-1, 15-0), which got a big lift from its bench -- outscoring Florida State's backups 25-7.
Tasheika Morris led Florida State with 18 points but the Seminoles (15-11, 7-8) lost their sixth straight.
FLORIDA 78, MISSISSIPPI 64: Dalila Eshe scored a career-high 17 points as the host Gators (9-17, 1-12 SEC) snapped a school-record 13-game losing streak by beating the Rebels (12-14, 1-12). Trish Patterson, starting for the first time in her career in her final home game, tied her career-high with 10 points and added eight rebounds. Amber Watts of Ole Miss led all scorers, tying her career-high with 25. The Rebels have lost 12 straight SEC games since an opening-night win against Florida.
NO. 3 TENNESSEE 91, NO. 17 VANDERBILT 71: Kara Lawson scored a career-high 31 and made all six 3-point attempts as the host Vols (25-3, 13-0 SEC) beat the Commodores (18-9, 8-5) to clinch the SEC regular-season title for the sixth straight season. Gwen Jackson added 19 points, reserve Shanna Zolman had 16 and Shyra Ely 14 points for the Vols, who put the game away with a 16-0 run late in the second half. Chantelle Anderson scored a season-high 35 for the Commodores.
NO. 4 LSU 70, NO. 21 ARKANSAS 57: Seimone Augustus scored 17 and had 11 rebounds for her second double double of the season as the host Tigers (24-2, 11-2 SEC) beat the Razorbacks (19-9, 6-7). The victory gave LSU second place in the SEC, assuring it a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Ke-Ke Tardy scored 15 for LSU and Temeka Johnson added 10.
NO. 6 LA. TECH 108, UTEP 54: Trina Frierson scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures, as the host Techsters (24-2, 16-0 WAC) cruised past the Miners (10-15, 5-10). Cheryl Ford added 17 points for Louisiana Tech.
NO. 8 N. CAROLINA 94, MARYLAND 77: Coretta Brown scored 17 to lead five teammates in double figures as the host Tar Heels (25-3, 13-2 ACC) beat the Terrapins (10-17, 4-12). Reserve Delvona Oliver led Maryland with 18 points.
NO. 24 ARIZONA 79, NO. 9 STANFORD 64: Dee Dee Wheeler and Shawntinice Polk combined for 49 points and 15 rebounds as the host Wildcats (19-7, 12-5 Pac-10) beat the Cardinal (22-4, 14-3). Wheeler had 26 points and four rebounds and Polk scored 23 and had 11 rebounds.
NO. 11 MISS. ST. 76, NO. 14 GEORGIA 71: Tan White hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 39 seconds left and LaToya Thomas had 29 points and 13 rebounds for host Mississippi State (21-6, 9-4 SEC). Christie Thomas had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Georgia (18-8, 9-4).
NO. 12 PURDUE 74, INDIANA 48: Erika Valek scored 15, and Shereka Wright had 14 as the host Boilermakers (22-5, 10-5 Big Ten) beat the Hoosiers (11-14, 4-11). Jenny DeMuth led Indiana with 15 points.
NO. 13 MINNESOTA 76, WISCONSIN 53: Janel McCarville had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Gophers (22-4, 11-4 Big Ten) defeated the Badgers (7-19, 5-10) to move within a game of Penn State in the conference standings.
NO. 16 S. CAROLINA 97, KENTUCKY 51: Jocelyn Penn scored 35 as the host Gamecocks (20-6, 8-5 SEC) beat the Wildcats (11-14, 4-9). The 46-point margin of victory was the largest for South Carolina ever in SEC play.
NO. 22 WIS.-G.B. 80, BUTLER 48: Sara Boyer tied her season high with 23 points as the host Phoenix (23-3, 14-1 Horizon League) defeated the Bulldogs (5-21, 3-12).
DuBOSE HONORED: Rayna DuBose, the Virginia Tech player who lost part of all of her limbs when meningitis nearly killed her last year, will receive the Most Courageous Award of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the group said.