Collier leads No. 2 UConn to 6th straight AAC tourney title

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and No. 2 UConn beat UCF 66-45 to win its sixth straight American Athletic Conference Tournament championship on Monday.

Christyn Williams had 13 points and Crystal Dangerfield added 12 for the Huskies (31-2), who improved to 120-0 against AAC opponents since the league was formed in 2013.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who started her fourth straight game in place of injured All-American Katie Lou Samuelson, had seven points and 11 rebounds. Collier was named tournament MVP.

Lawriell Wilson scored 12 points off the bench for UCF (26-6), which has won more games than any other team in program history. All-conference guard Kay Kay Wright, who had scored 41 points in UCF’s first two tournament games, was held to just four points, a basket in each half.

NO. 12 GONZAGA 78, SAINT MARY’S 77, OT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zykera Rice’s last-second layup in overtime lifted Gonzaga past Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals.

The win came at a cost as the Zags lost Laura Stockton and Jill Townsend to leg injuries. Stockton went down early in the third quarter and Townsend in the second overtime.

Rice finished with 21 points to lead the Zags (28-3), who will play BYU for the title on Tuesday. Townsend had 19 before getting hurt.

Madeline Holland scored 20 points to lead Saint Mary’s (20-11), which had a chance to win at the end of regulation and in overtime, but Gonzaga got stops both times.

NO. 13 MARQUETTE 75, GEORGETOWN 62

CHICAGO (AP) — Natisha Hiedeman and Allazia Blockton each scored 23 points to help Marquette beat Georgetown and advance to its third straight Big East Tournament title game.

Top-seeded Marquette (26-6) hit 12 3-pointers, setting a program record in the conference tournament. Hiedeman, the unanimous Big East player of the year, made five 3-pointers and Blockton had 10 rebounds.

Dorothy Adomako led Georgetown (16-15) with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Dionna White added 16 points.