No. 1 UConn women trail early, beat No. 2 Notre Dame for 83rd win in row

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Napheesa Collier scored 20 points, Gabby Williams had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and No. 1 Connecticut beat No. 2 Notre Dame 72-61 on Wednesday night for its 83rd straight victory.

The Huskies (8-0) trailed briefly in late in the second quarter, but played with the lead most of the game as they controlled the inside, outscoring the Irish 42-30 in the paint and finishing with a 35-32 edge in rebounding.

Brianna Turner led the Irish (8-1) with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Lindsay Allen added 11 points.

After Notre Dame tied it at 42 with just under 2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Huskies forced a pair of turnovers leading to layups by Katie Lou Samuelson and Williams.

Collier added a pair of free throws to give Connecticut led 50-43 at the end of the third quarter.

The Huskies stretched it to 65-54 on a 3-point play by Samuelson with 3:06 left to put the game away.

Men’s Top 25 No. 10 Creighton 77, at Nebraska 62:

Maurice Watson Jr. scored a season-high 25 points, Cole Huff added 13 and No. 10 Creighton dominated the second half in a victory over in-state rival Nebraska.

The Bluejays (9-0) have won 15 of 18 meetings with the Cornhuskers (5-4), including the last six by double digits.

Mangok Mathiang scored 15 points to lead No. 11 Louisville to a victory over Southern Illinois.

The 6-foot-10 senior got the Cardinals (8-1) off to a hot start as he scored the team’s first seven points, and Louisville settled in from there, extending the lead to 21-4 in the game’s first 8 minutes.

In making six of nine shots, Mathiang finished two points shy of his career high in just 22 minutes. Derrick White scored 23 points and had a crucial block with 13 seconds remaining to help Colorado hold off No. 13 Xavier.

Xavier Johnson added for 18 points for the Buffaloes (7-2), who have posted consecutive wins over ranked teams for the first time since 2013. They knocked off a ranked Texas team at the Legends Classic in New York last month.

Xavier coach Chris Mack juggled around his starting lineup, going with RaShid Gaston, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Esa Ahmad scored 14 points and No. 15 West Virginia stomped Western Carolina.

West Virginia (7-1) didn’t slack off after a close road win at No. 14 Virginia on Saturday.

The Mountaineers forced 34 turnovers against Western Carolina, a week after setting a school record by forcing 40 against Manhattan. Brenton Scott made one of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left and finished with 25 points to help Indiana State upset No. 16 Butler. Bronson Koenig scored 21 points, Ethan Happ had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 17 Wisconsin rolled past Idaho State 78-44 on Wednesday night.

Pac-12