Blanks, Eagles soar past Bears

Shanise Blanks scored 25 points, including seven 3-point baskets, to lead the N.C. Central women's basketball team to an 80-67 win over Shaw on Wednesday night in Durham.

The Eagles (5-11) took a five-point lead at the half and gradually pulled away from the Bears (10-2) in the second half.

Blaire Houston added 15 points for NCCU. Latoya Bennett scored 12 points and led the Eagles with 10 rebounds.

Shaw's Tanisha McGaughey ended up two assists shy of a triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. She also had three blocked shots and four steals, and she shot 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc.

Maggie Tanner added 14 points for the Bears.

Area

Salem 76, Meredith 71: Megan Rahn scored 17 points and Brittany Cornelius added 14 in a losing cause for the visiting Angels (4-6).

Michala Michaux led Salem (5-5) with 19 points.

Top 10

No. 1 Connecticut 68, Marquette 43: Tina Charles scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading host Connecticut over Marquette for its 55th straight victory to extend the second-longest winning streak in NCAA history.

Kalana Greene scored 15 points and the Huskies (16-0, 4-0 Big East) passed Louisiana Tech's 54-game winning streak from 1980 to 1982. They trail only the school-record 70-game streak set by the Huskies from 2001 to 2003.

These Huskies extended the latest streak largely without Maya Moore, the reigning player of the year who had the lowest scoring game of her collegiate career.

Moore scored four points on 2-of-10 shooting and picked up three fouls early before getting her fourth with 15:59 left.

With the game well out of reach for Marquette (11-6, 2-2), Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma let Moore play 10 minutes before he pulled his regulars.

No. 8 Texas A&M 68, Iowa State 44: Danielle Adams scored 20 points to lead host Texas A&M to an easy win over Iowa State.

The victory gives the Aggies a seven-game winning streak heading into Sunday's game at No. 13 Oklahoma.

Texas A&M (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) led by 14 at halftime and went on a 7-0 run, that included four points from Adams, to open the second half and push the lead to 39-18.

The Cyclones (12-3, 0-2) didn't have an answer for 6-foot-1 Adams, the preseason Big 12 newcomer of the year and last year's junior college player of the year at Jefferson College.

Iowa State, which was foiled by poor shooting, was led by Alison Lacey's 19 points.

No. 9 Baylor 57, No. 13 Oklahoma 47: Brittney Griner had 12 points, 11 blocked shots, and nine rebounds to lead host Baylor over Oklahoma.

Even while drawing three defenders -- and sometimes four -- just about every time Baylor had the ball, 6-foot-8 Griner still had a big impact. She has 99 blocks this season, only 20 shy of the season Big 12 record set by Courtney Paris for Oklahoma in 2006.

Fellow freshman Shanay Washington added 12 points with the go-ahead driving basket after a steal for Baylor (14-2, 1-1 Big 12).

Danielle Robinson had 15 points to lead Oklahoma (11-4, 1-1).

The Associated Press