Anne Simon scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Maine held La Salle to 29.5-percent shooting as it earned its first women’s basketball win of the season Thursday, 58-48 in Philadelphia.
The Black Bears (1-1) allowed only 16 points in the second half and broke the game open with nine straight points starting late in the third quarter, turning a 41-38 lead into a 50-38 advantage.
Maine led 34-32 at halftime.
Adrianna Smith finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and Caroline Bornemann added 11 points.
Aryss Macktoon led La Salle (1-1) with 13 points.
(9) INDIANA 96, EASTERN ILLINOIS 43: Preseason All-American Mackenzie Holmes had 19 points and six rebounds and moved into third place on Indiana’s career scoring list while leading the Hoosiers to a season-opening win in Bloomington, Indiana.
Holmes (1,916 points) passed Karna Abram and needs two more to surpass Denise Jackson for No. 2.
Indiana won its 11th straight season opener, giving reigning national coach of the year Teri Moren her 400th victory. Moren is one of five active Big Ten coaches with 400 wins.
The Panthers had no answer for Holmes, who made 9 of 10 shots.
“She’s so much better over her right shoulder now,” said Eastern Illinois Coach Matt Bollant, a former assistant with the Hoosiers. “Last year, she was so good over her left shoulder and tonight she was good over her right as well. Their length made a lot of difference and Holmes was part of that as well.”
(18) FLORIDA STATE 92, (11) TENNESSEE 91: O’Mariah Gordon scored 22 points, Ta’Niya Latson added 20, and the Seminoles (2-0) held off the Vols (1-1) in Tallahassee, Florida.
Amaya Bonner made Florida State’s 13th 3-pointer of the game to tie it at 91-all. Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson grabbed an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession but missed a putback before fouling Alexis Tucker with 24.9 seconds left. Tucker went 1 of 2 from the stripe to put Florida State ahead.
Tennessee elected not to call a timeout and Jackson got into the lane, but her fadeaway jumper rolled off and the buzzer sounded before a putback attempt.
Jackson finished with 31 points and 17 rebounds.
OKLAHOMA 80, (12) MISSISSIPPI 70: Skylar Vann scored 24 points, Sahara Williams had a double-double and the Sooners (2-0) beat the Rebels (1-1) in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Sooners took charge by scoring the last six points of the third quarter and the first four of the fourth for a 66-57 lead.
OFFICIATING: South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said she does not want a critical NCAA review of officiating in the women’s national championship game last April to keep those officials from other prominent assignments, suggesting the Black women had been “thrown under the bus.”
The review found that the officiating during LSU’s 102-85 victory over Iowa was below expectations.
Staley, whose team’s 36-0 run was ended in the Final Four by Iowa, said on social media she hoped the game officials would not be kept from similar games in the future.
“So the independent review was done under anonymity but it is known who the officials were …. all black and brown skinned women,” she posted on X, formerly called Twitter. “Now that they’re thrown under the bus let’s not run them over.”
The NCAA did not release its report, sharing only overall conclusions, and the officials were not publicly identified. The review was sped up by a year after criticism of the LSU-Iowa officiating.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
(4) MICHIGAN STATE 74, SOUTHERN INDIANA 51: Tyson Walker scored 14 points and the Spartans (1-1) bounced back from a surprising loss in their season opener, beating the Screaming Eagles (0-2) in East Lansing, Michigan.
Maddy Sissoko had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans, who began the season with a loss to James Madison in overtime.
(20) BAYLOR 96, JOHN BROWN 70: Langston Love matched his career high with 20 points, RayJ Dennis scored 16 points with eight assists, and the Bears (2-0) won their home opener over NAIA team John Brown.
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