Associated Press

ELON  — Jerald Gillens-Butler hit a 3-point from the left wing with 1.3 seconds left and Michael Graham had 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead Elon to a 63-61 win over Winthrop on Wednesday night, ending the Phoenix’s seven-game losing streak.

Drew Buggs had a decent look from just inside half court for Winthrop as time expired.

It was the only basket from Gillens-Butler.

The Elon women beat UNC Greensboro 52-49 when Brie Perpignan converted a three-point play with 1.4 seconds left.

Hunter Woods had 11 points for Elon (3-8). Hunter McIntosh added six assists.

D.J. Burns Jr. had 23 points for the Eagles (6-5). Patrick Good added 12 points.

White leads UNC Wilmington over Mount Olive 85-55

WILMINGTON — Trazarien White had 21 points as UNC Wilmington easily beat Mount Olive 85-55 on Wednesday night.

James Baker Jr. had 16 points for UNC Wilmington (4-5). Mike Okauru added 10 points. Jaylen Fornes had six rebounds.

Michael Brown had 10 points for the Trojans. Ryan Archey added seven points and three rebounds. Javian Cannady had seven rebounds, three points and one block.

 

No. 1 South Carolina women win at No. 15 Duke

By AARON BEARD

AP Basketball Writer

DURHAM  — Aliyah Boston had 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks while top-ranked South Carolina dominated the boards to beat No. 15 Duke 55-46 on Wednesday night.

South Carolina finished with a 45-25 rebounding advantage that included 19-5 on the offensive glass, leading to a 17-4 edge in second-chance points. That helped offset 35% shooting to secure the team’s fifth win against an opponent ranked 15th or better in the AP Top 25 this season.

Duke trimmed a 16-point deficit to 42-35 early in the fourth period, but South Carolina (11-0) responded by scoring on five straight possessions to stretch the margin back out to 15. Three of those baskets came inside from the 6-foot-5 Boston, a preseason Associated Press All-American who found herself facing frequent double teams.

Shayeann Day-Wilson scored 17 points to lead the Blue Devils (8-1), who relied on an active zone to collapse when the ball entered the paint. The defense made South Carolina work, but the offense struggled to get going.

Elizabeth Balogun hit a 3-pointer on the first possession, but Duke then missed 10 straight shots in an eight-minute scoreless streak that pushed South Carolina to a 17-3 lead.

Duke twice got as close as seven, the last at 53-46 on a four-point play from Day-Wilson with 19.1 seconds left.

Duke shot just 29% in the first half, including 2 for 12 from 3-point range, and finished the game at 34%. In addition, the teamwide rebounding effort that second-year coach Kara Lawson had hoped for didn’t materialize until after South Carolina went up big.

Duke fell to 3-11 against No. 1-ranked teams, losing for the sixth straight time since beating Maryland in January 2007.

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: The Gamecocks keep winning through a demanding schedule. They opened the year by winning at current No. 2 North Carolina State. They beat then-No. 9 Oregon in the inaugural women’s Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, then took down UConn in a 1-vs-2 title matchup there — the Huskies managed just one fourth-quarter field goal in that one — before beating current No. 9 Maryland last weekend. Now coach Dawn Staley’s bunch can add another road win to the list despite playing a third straight game without injured point guard Destanni Henderson, with the 6-4 Laeticia Amihere (10 points, eight rebounds) leading that replacement effort.

Duke: The Blue Devils were enjoying their best start since opening 10-0 in 2013-14. The stretch included a win against then-No. 9 Iowa and preseason AP All-American Caitlin Clark two weeks ago here, earning Lawson her first win against a ranked opponent. This was a taller order — literally — that became even tougher as the smaller Blue Devils struggled to knock down early shots and found themselves in a game of catch-up the rest of the way.

UP NEXT

South Carolina: The Gamecocks continue their demanding nonconference schedule by hosting third-ranked and reigning national champion Stanford on Tuesday.

Duke: The Blue Devils visit Miami on Sunday in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25