Women's Top 25 roundup: Elina Aarnisalo helps No. 21 UNC beat No. 12 Duke

Elina Aarnisalo set a career high for the second straight game with 22 points, and No. 21 North Carolina completed the regular season by handing No. 12 Duke its second loss in three games in a 74-69 victory Sunday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Tar Heels (25-6, 14-4 ACC) trailed by two at halftime, but Aarnisalo went 3-for-3 from the arc in the third quarter to power the hosts into the lead. Aarnisalo also had seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Nyla Harris added 19 points and seven rebounds and went 9-for-10 from the foul line. After North Carolina slipped behind 60-59 with 4:53 to play, Aarnisalo and Harris fueled an 8-1 Tar Heels run that featured six foul shots. UNC outscored Duke 20-10 on free throws and outrebounded the visitors 45-33 to split the season series.

Ashlon Jackson had 17 points with five 3-pointers and Riley Nelson scored 13 for the Blue Devils (21-8, 16-2), who had already clinched at least a share of the ACC title. Both Delaney Thomas and Toby Fournier had 12 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

No. 3 South Carolina 60, No. 16 Kentucky 56

Madina Okot posted her seventh straight double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds and the SEC champion Gamecocks ended the season on a 10-game winning streak by holding off the Wildcats in Lexington, Ky.

South Carolina (29-2, 15-1 SEC) saw a 13-point lead through three quarters whittled down to two in the final minute, but Okot made her 10th and final basket as time expired. Tessa Johnson scored 12 points and Raven Johnson had 11 as the Gamecocks overcame a 40-34 rebounding deficit.

Clara Strack went for 24 points and nine rebounds for Kentucky (21-9, 8-8), scoring eight points in the final period to forge the attempted comeback. Asia Boone had 11 points.

No. 4 Texas 72, No. 24 Alabama 65

Madison Booker compiled 21 points and nine rebounds as the Longhorns held off the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Jordan Lee and Kyla Oldacre scored 11 apiece for Texas (28-3, 13-3 SEC), which led by as many as 17 points before Alabama opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to get within 49-44. The Crimson Tide shot 9-for-12 from both the field and the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, but Texas held firm, with Booker putting up nine points in the frame.

Jessica Timmons scored 24 points and Essence Cody had 16 for Alabama (21-8, 7-8), which lost 19 turnovers that Texas turned into 21 points.

No. 5 Vanderbilt 87, Tennessee 77

Mikayla Blakes racked up 34 points, six rebounds and four assists and Aubrey Galvan had 24 points and five helpers as the Commodores went on the road to beat the rival Lady Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn.

Sacha Washington added 16 points and eight rebounds for Vanderbilt (27-3, 13-3 SEC), which locked up the second seed in the SEC tournament thanks to a head-to-head win over Texas. The Commodores shot 53% overall and 11 for 22 from 3-point range, with Blakes making 6 of 9 and Galvan 4 of 7.

Tennessee (16-12, 8-8) ended the season on a six-game losing streak after squandering a 43-37 halftime lead. Vanderbilt shot 63.3% in the second half and outscored Tennessee 50-34. Talaysia Cooper had 23 points for the Lady Vols, while Janiah Barker supplied 17 points and eight boards.

No. 9 Iowa 81, Wisconsin 52

Ava Heiden collected 16 points and 14 rebounds as the Hawkeyes pulled away from the Badgers in Madison, Wis.

Heiden shot an efficient 8-of-11 from the floor, and also had a block and two steals for Iowa (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten). The Hawkeyes -- who played without starting forward Hannah Stuelke due to an elbow injury -- also got 14 points from Chazadi Wright, 12 points and nine assists from Taylor Stremlow and 10 points apiece from Teagan Mallegni and Layla Hays.

In her final home game, sixth-year senior Destiny Howell scored 23 points for Wisconsin (13-16, 5-13). After a close first half, Iowa used a 26-9 third quarter run to pull away. The Hawkeyes shot 53% from the floor and notched 25 assists on 35 made baskets.

No. 13 Ohio State 87, No. 15 Michigan State 68

Jaloni Cambridge dropped 33 points, Chance Gray added 21 and the Buckeyes steamrolled the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich.

Cambridge and Gray each made seven 3-pointers, combining to shoot 14 for 23 from distance with Cambridge setting a career high and Gray matching her season best. Elsa Lemmila added 11 points and 10 rebounds while Kennedy Cambridge tallied 10 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals. After a lopsided first quarter, Ohio State (24-6, 13-5 Big Ten) broke the game open with a 15-0 run in the second and led by as many as 30 in the half.

Michigan State (22-7, 11-7) worked back into the game, cutting the deficit to 62-48 after three quarters, but Gray and Cambridge combined for three 3-pointers in the first 3:38 of the final period to quash the rally. Grace VanSlooten led the Spartans with 17 points, seven boards and five assists, and Rashunda Jones had 16 points.

No. 17 West Virginia 118, Cincinnati 60

Four starters dropped at least 20 points and the Mountaineers scored the second-most points in a game in program history, defeating the Bearcats in Morgantown, W. Va.

Sydney Shaw (24 points), Kierra Wheeler (21, 10 rebounds), Gia Cooke (20) and Jordan Harrison (20, 10 assists) steamrolled the visitors, with fifth starter Carter McCray chipping in 12 points and nine rebounds. The starting five alone shot a blistering 35 for 52 (67.3%).

West Virginia (24-6, 14-4 Big 12) also outrebounded Cincinnati 45-28 and had a 25-0 advantage in points off turnovers. Mya Perry had 19 points to pace the Bearcats (11-19, 6-12).

Texas A&M 66, No. 19 Ole Miss 58

Behind 16 points from Ny'Ceara Pryor, the Aggies won their fifth consecutive game with an upset of the Rebels in Oxford, Miss.

Pryor also had six assists, two rebounds and two steals in the third victory over an AP-ranked opponent this season for the Aggies (14-11, 7-9 SEC). Fatmata Janneh added a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Salese Blow chipped in 11 points off the bench for Texas A&M. Texas A&M shot a season-best 66.7% from 3-point land, making 8 of 12 attempts from behind the arc.

Cotie McMahon had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Rebels (21-10, 8-8 SEC) in their fourth straight loss. Tianna Thompson added 12 points.

No. 20 Texas Tech 58, Arizona State 51

Jalynn Bristow scored 18 points to power the Lady Raiders to a win over the visiting Sun Devils in Lubbock, Texas.

Jada Malone added 11 points for Texas Tech (25-6, 12-6 Big 12), while Denae Fritz chipped in 10 points. The victory gives the Lady Raiders their most wins in a single season since 2003-04.

Gabby Elliott scored 15 points for Arizona State (22-9, 9-9) and Heloisa Carrera tossed in 10 points with six rebounds. The loss is a crucial one for the Sun Devils as they desperately needed a resume-boosting win for the NCAA Tournament. Molly Miller's team is now 0-5 in Quad 1 games this season.

No. 22 Minnesota 78, Illinois 73

Sophie Hart scored 17 points in the Golden Gophers' road win over the Fighting Illini in Champaign, Ill.

Hart -- who also had six rebounds and two assists -- was one of five players to score in double figures for Minnesota (22-7, 13-5 Big Ten). Amaya Battle had 16 points, Finau Tonga and Mara Braun each scored 11 points and Tori McKinney chipped in 10 points. Minnesota shot 20-of-24 from the free throw line, their third-most makes from the charity stripe in a game this season. The Gophers also outscored the Illini in the paint 46-26.

Berry Wallace totaled 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists for Illinois (19-10, 9-9), while Aaliyah Guyton and Maddie Webber each had 14 points apiece.

No. 23 Georgia 71, Florida 58

Dani Carnegie scored 26 points to lead the Bulldogs to a victory over the visiting Gators in Athens, Ga.

Carnegie shot 5-of-10 from behind the arc and also dished out four assists for Georgia (22-8, 8-8 SEC). The Bulldogs were also powered by Mia Woolfolk, who had a double-double -- just her second of the season -- of 20 points and 10 boards.

Nyadieng Yiech had 14 points for Florida (17-14, 5-11). The Gators missed 10 free throws and were outrebounded by 12.

--Field Level Media