Michigan forward Hailey Brown fouls Maryland’s Angel Reese during Thursday’s game in Ann Arbor, Mich. Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Diamond Miller scored eight of her 17 points in the first quarter to help No. 8 Maryland start strong, and Ashley Owusu had 22 points in an 88-63 victory over No. 12 Michigan that clinched a share of the Big Ten women’s basketball title on Thursday.

The Terrapins (20-2, 16-1 Big Ten) can win the conference championship outright by ending the regular season with a win against Penn State (9-13, 6-12) at home on Saturday. Since joining the conference, Maryland has at least shared the Big Ten title in six of seven seasons.

The Wolverines (13-4, 8-4) were led by Naz Hillmon, who had 19 points.

With a trapping press and an active zone defense, the Terrapins held Hillmon to two points in the pivotal first quarter as they built a 27-13 lead.

Maryland didn’t have any trouble keeping a comfortable cushion, leading by as many as 29 points early in the fourth quarter.

(4) STANFORD 92, USC 53: Ashten Prechtel had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cardinal (23-2) past the Trojans (11-12, 8-10) in a Pac-12 quarterfinal in Las Vegas.

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(11) ARIZONA 60, WASHINGTON STATE 44: Trinity Baptiste got 13 of her 17 points in the first half, and the second-seeded Wildcats (16-4) advanced to the Pac-12 semifinals.

MISSISSIPPI 69, (13) ARKANSAS 60: Shakira Austin scored a career-high 29 points, and the Rebels (11-10) upset the Razorbacks (19-8) in the second round of the SEC tournament in Greenville, North Carolina.

CENTRAL FLORIDA 58, (15) SOUTH FLORIDA 45: Masseny Kaba scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds the Knights (14-3, 12-2 American Athletics) ended the regular season with a win over the Bulls (16-2, 13-2) in Orlando, Florida.

(17) KENTUCKY 73, FLORIDA 64: Rhyne Howard scored 27 points, seven in the last three minutes when the Wildcats (17-7) used a 14-4 run to pull away from the Gators (11-13) in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

That ended an entertaining duel with Florida’s Kiki Smith, who scored a career-high 36 points, the ninth-highest game in tourney history. Smith, who surpassed 1,000 career points in a first-round win over Auburn, also led the Gators with nine rebounds.

OREGON STATE 71, (19) OREGON 64: Freshman Talia von Oelhoffen scored 19 points and the Beavers (12-6) advanced in the Pac-12 tournament with a quarterfinal victory over No. 19 Oregon (13-9) in Las Vegas.

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AUBURN: Auburn fired Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy after she finished without a league win in her ninth season.

Athletic Director Allen Greene announced the decision a day after the Tigers were knocked out of the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament by Florida. Auburn went 5-19 and lost all 15 league games, finishing on a 17-game skid.

Williams-Flournoy was 140-138 overall and 48-96 mark in SEC play. She led Auburn to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

“This year was full of unexpected challenges,” Greene said. “Coach Flo, her staff and our student-athletes should be commended for their attitude and effort in the face of disruption and adversity.”

Auburn said it would begin a national search for her replacement immediately.

BIG EAST AWARDS: UConn freshman guard Paige Bueckers was named the Big East’s player and freshman of the year, joining Maya Moore in 2007-08 as the only players to earn both honors in the same season.

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Bueckers leads the top-ranked Huskies in scoring (19.8 points per game), assists (6.2 per game) and steals (2.4 per game), while shooting 47.6% from 3-point range.

Her coach, Geno Auriemma, was named the Big East’s coach of the year after leading the Huskies to a 21-1 record, including 18-0 in league play. UConn won its 27th regular-season conference championship and its 20th as a member of the Big East.

UConn center Olivia Nelson-Ododa shared the conference’s defensive player of the year award with Marquette’s Selena Lott. UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards received the conference’s sixth woman award, while Marquette’s Lauren Van Kleunen was honored with the league’s sportsmanship award and DePaul’s Lexi Held was named the scholar-athlete of the year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

CREIGHTON: Coach Greg McDermott was suspended indefinitely for using racially insensitive language while addressing the team after a game last weekend.

McDermott publicly apologized Tuesday and again Wednesday for urging his players to “stay on the plantation” after the 14th-ranked Bluejays’ 77-69 loss at Xavier.

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McDermott coached in the Bluejays’ 72-60 loss at No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday night. Assistant coach Alan Huss will serve as interim head coach for the home game against Butler on Saturday.

“I made a mistake and I own it,” McDermott said in a Twitter post after the suspension was announced. “Mistakes come with consequences, and I accept and agree with the suspension.”

The university statement announcing the suspension did not specify how long McDermott would be suspended. Creighton athletic spokesman Rob Anderson told The Associated Press no end date has been set.

VILLANOVA: Guard Collin Gillespie has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Gillespie had an MRI on Thursday that confirmed the tear after injuring the knee during the first half of Wednesday night’s game against Creighton.

Gillespie was recently named one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which honors the nation’s top point guard. In 20 games this season, he has averaged 14 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds. His 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the Big East Conference.

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PLYMOUTH STATE 83, SOUTHERN MAINE 64: Devin Cooper recorded 17 points and 15 rebounds as the Panthers (1-2) handled the Huskies (2-2) in Gorham.

Cooper and Dante Rivera each scored four points during an 11-4 run in the first half that propelled the Panthers to a 41-29 lead at halftime. Rivera, who finished with 14 points, scored eight in the first 7:33 of the second half, when Plymouth State outscored the Huskies 20-9 for a 61-38 lead.

Jacobe Thomas had 16 points and eight rebounds for USM.

(2) MICHIGAN 69, MICHIGAN STATE 50: Franz Wagner scored 19 points as the Wolverines (19-2, 14-2 Big Ten) wrapped up the regular-season conference title with a win over the visiting Spartans (14-11, 8-11).

(3) BAYLOR 81, (17) OKLAHOMA STATE 70: Jared Butler scored 22 points and the Bears (20-1, 12-1 Big 12) beat the Cowboys (17-7, 10-7) in Waco, Texas.

(5) IOWA 102, NEBRASKA 64: Jordan Bohannon tied a career high with eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and the Hawkeyes (19-7, 13-6 Big Ten) routed the Cornhuskers (7-18, 3-15) in Iowa City, Iowa.

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(6) WEST VIRGINIA 76, TCU 67: Redshirt freshman Jalen Bridges set seasons highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Mountaineers (18-7, 11-5 Big 12) past the visiting Horned Frogs (12-12, 5-10).

(13) KANSAS 67, UTEP 62: Marcus Garrett scored on a driving layup with 22.4 seconds to go and Dajuan Harris added a pair of clinching free throws as the Jayhawks (19-8) overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to beat the Miners (12-11) in Lawrence, Kansas.

(18) TEXAS TECH 81, IOWA STATE 54: Mac McClung scored 20 points and the Red Raiders (17-8, 9-7 Big 12) routed the Cyclones (2-20, 0-17) in Lubbock, Texas.

 

 

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