Women’s Top 25 roundup: No. 24 Michigan St. gets past Rutgers

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Julia Ayrault and Emma Shumate scored 12 points apiece and Grace VanSlooten added 11 as No. 24 Michigan State survived for a 70-60 win over Rutgers on Wednesday in Piscataway, N.J.

VanSlooten netted eight points in the third quarter as the Spartans (14-3, 4-2 Big Ten) broke away from a halftime tie to lead by nine going into the fourth. Ayrault added nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks on the night.

Destiny Adams collected 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks for the Scarlet Knights (8-10, 0-7), who have lost six straight games. Kiyomi McMiller chipped in 13 points, but she also was responsible for seven of her team’s 22 turnovers.

Michigan State converted those giveaways into 26 points. Neither team shot better than 38 percent from the floor.

No. 1 UCLA 83, Penn State 67

Lauren Betts put on a dominating performance as the still-perfect Bruins rode a big second quarter to knock off the Lady Lions in Long Beach, Calif.

Betts collected 22 points, 12 rebounds (including eight on the offensive glass), seven blocks and four assists. Angela Dugalic scored 11 points and Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez notched 10 each for UCLA (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten).

Gabby Elliott and Talayah Walker netted 17 points each for Penn State (9-9, 0-7). Alli Campbell chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. The game was moved from Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles to Long Beach due to the wildfires around Los Angeles.

No. 6 UConn 71, St. John’s 45

Paige Bueckers returned after a two-game absence caused by a left knee sprain and scored 12 points as the Huskies blew out the Red Storm in New York.

Azzi Fudd led UConn (16-2, 7-0 Big East) with 13 points, and Ashlynn Shade added 10. The Huskies, who built a double-digit lead before the midpoint of the first quarter, have won six straight games.

St. John’s (11-6, 1-5) shot just 32.7 percent from the floor. Ber’Nyah Mayo paced the Red Storm with 10 points.

No. 20 West Virginia 73, Colorado 46

Sydney Shaw and JJ Quinerly scored 19 points apiece and the Mountaineers held the Buffaloes to a two-point second quarter to take control in Morgantown, W.Va.

Kyah Watson and Kylee Blacksten each added 10 points for West Virginia (14-3, 4-2 Big 12). Shaw hit two 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Mountaineers turned a 22-15 deficit after one quarter into a 31-24 lead at the break.

Frida Formann tallied 11 points, Nyamer Diew added nine and Jade Masogayo collected eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks for Colorado (12-5, 3-3), which has lost three of its past five games.

–Field Level Media