Category: NBA

ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 31 points and the Houston Rockets beat short-handed Atlanta 104-86 on Thursday night, ending the Hawks' four-game winning streak.

The Rockets dominated the second half after leading only 43-42 at halftime. Jabari Smith had 14 points and Reed Sheppard added 13. Sheppard's 3-pointer gave the Rockets their first 20-point lead, 90-70.

The Hawks held out two frontline starters with injuries. Center Onyeka Okongwu suffered a dental fracture when he was elbowed in the mouth in Atlanta's 117-106 win at Boston on Wednesday night. Forward Jalen Johnson was ruled out with left calf tightness.

The Hawks said Okongwu had a successful dental procedure on Thursday and also will miss Saturday's game at Indiana.

The Hawks already were missing center Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and forward Zaccharie Risacher (left knee, bone contusion). Two-way rookie Asa Newell was recalled from G League College Park before the game. Center Christian Koloko, who signed with Atlanta on Jan. 17, made his first start in his fifth game with the Hawks.

CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 23 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 and Corey Kispert added 17.

Rockets center Alperen Sengun (right ankle sprain) had nine points and 13 rebounds after being listed as questionable.

Houston outscored Atlanta 35-24 in the third period and continued to stretch the lead in the final period.

Houston center Clint Capela scored 10 points in his first return to Atlanta since he was traded to the Rockets on July 6, 2025. Capela held up both hands in a wave to the fans after he was honored with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout.

Up next

Rockets: Host Dallas on Saturday night.

Hawks: Visit Indiana on Saturday night.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams each scored 17 points and No. 6 LSU beat Arkansas 92-70 on Thursday night for its sixth straight Southeastern Conference win.

The Tigers (20-2, 6-2) led by just three points at halftime against the Razorbacks (11-11, 0-7), who have lost all their league games by double-digit margins.

Johnson, Williams and reserve Kate Koval helped LSU pull away after halftime. Koval had 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for her sixth-double-double of the season.

Grace Knox and Jada Richard each contributed 12 points for the Tigers, and ZaKiyah Johnson had 11.

Taleyah Jones led the Razorbacks with 23 points. Jenna Lawrence added 12 points, and Bonnie Deas and Maria Anais Rodriguez had 11 each.

Arkansas gave LSU all it could handle in the first half.

The Razorbacks hit six of their first nine shots, including 3 of 5 3-pointers, for a 15-8 lead with 5:43 left in the first quarter.

Seconds later, LSU coach Kim Mulkey yanked all of her starters. The Tigers’ second unit, led by ZaKiyah Johnson and Koval — who combined for 12 points in a 14-7 run — evened the score at 22-22 after the first quarter.

LSU inserted four of its starters just two minutes into the second quarter. Sparked by Williams’ eight points on an array of mid-range jumpers, the Tigers built an eight-point lead with two minutes left.

Arkansas got back within 36-33 at halftime.

After misfiring on 15 of 22 layups in the first half, LSU opened the third quarter with an 18-3 run in the first 4 1/2 minutes. The Tigers made six of their first eight shots, including all three 3-pointers, for a 54-36 lead.

Up next

Arkansas: Hosts Kentucky on Sunday.

LSU: Hosts Alabama on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

The Atlanta Hawks were at home Thursday evening to take on the Houston Rockets. The Hawks were coming off a big win against the Boston Celtics the night before and riding a four-game winning streak. As for the Rockets, they were coming off a loss to the San Antonio Spurs last night, and looking to get back in the win column.

By no surprise, the Hawks were without Onyeka Okongwu after going through dental surgery earlier in the day. Jalen Johnson was also ruled out hours before the game because of calf tightness.

Just like against Celtics, the Hawks got off to a fast start in the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.

Nickeil with a couple buckets and we're up an early touchdown pic.twitter.com/esck634sxC

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

The Rockets started to settle in just a little and made a run to get even. The Hawks were able to still keep the lead, as CJ McCollum came in and was instant offense.

3J checking in pic.twitter.com/zHPIW6Mbok

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

Both teams were cold for most of the quarter and were shooting around 30% from the field. The score going into the second showed it, as both teams had 23.

The poor shooting continued through the second quarter, and the Hawks tried to find easy buckets wherever they could. That’s how they got on the board with this connection from McCollum to Christian Koloko.

Koloko off the nice dime from CJ pic.twitter.com/16tpSp7SE0

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

The Hawks continued to run their offense, and were able to get a Vit Krejci three-pointer.

Mo battling down low and finds Vit for 3 pic.twitter.com/wmmKqBvhsk

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

The Hawks never let the Rockets go off on a big run, and they had to rely on their defense when the shots weren’t falling. That wasn’t new to Daniels, as he got this steal that led to a McCollum three.

Dyson stealing, CJ shooting 🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/TPN2jv0dnL

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

Going into halftime, the Hawks trailed the Rockets 43-42.

The Rockets started to pull away in the third quarter after a few missed shots and not being able to secure defensive rebounds. It was a ten-point lead for the Rockets at midway through the third, but the Hawks were able to go on a run of their own to cut deficit to three.

Defense to offense ⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/jT77JDQUCA

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

The Rockets extended their lead back to double digits late in the quarter, and Asa Newell did what he could to trim their lead.

Asa for 3! pic.twitter.com/tqkaCdqxXY

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2026

Going into the fourth quarter, the Hawks trailed 78-66.

Things didn’t get better for the Hawks when the fourth quarter started, as the Rockets built a 20-point advantage. The Hawks did their best to chip away at their deficit, but it was hard for them to get consistent stops on the other end.

With not enough scoring power on offense, the Hawks ultimately couldn’t string together enough buckets to cut their deficit, and Quin Snyder pulled the plug with about two minutes left after Kevin Durant hit a three-pointer to seal the deal for the Rockets.

McCollum finished with 23 points, Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points, and Corey Kispert finished with 17 points.

The Hawks will be back in action on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.

The Washington Wizards scored a second straight victory on Thursday in a 109-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena.

The Wiz Kids did their thing with John Wall in attendance for his celebration night. But it wasn’t always pretty.

The first quarter was a brickfest for both teams. The Bucks missed seven of their first eight shots as the Wizards held them to 2 points for nearly the first 5 minutes of the contest. Milwaukee battled back to take a lead late in the period, but a four-point play from Bub Carrington and three free throws from Will Riley in the closing seconds helped Washington secure a 25-23 lead to close the first.

Tre Johnson suffered an injury in the opening minute of the second quarter. The sharpshooting rookie drained a contested baseline jumper plus the foul, but Ryan Rollins’ dangerous closeout led to Johnson rolling his ankle. Rollins was assessed a flagrant 1.

Rook's a bucket 🪣 pic.twitter.com/rJJOynEOsK

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 30, 2026

Johnson tried to battle through the injury. He played a few more minutes and even sank a floater before being ruled out for the rest of the game.

The Wizards took control of the contest before halftime, outscoring the Bucks 32-20 in the second to take a 14-point lead at the half. Kyshawn George had 13 points, while Justin Champagnie hustled his way to 10 points at the break.

Bilal Coulibaly punctuated the third period with a pair of powerful poster-worthy jams. The lead hovered at around a dozen throughout the quarter, with the Wizards entering the fourth up 82-72.

🗣️ COULIBALYYYYYYY!!!!! pic.twitter.com/nffofibQki

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 30, 2026

A few familiar faces made things interesting down the stretch. Former Wizards Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins combined for 18 points in the final period, trimming the lead to 2 with 90 seconds left. Washington’s defense held firm to close the game, outscoring the visitors 8-0 the rest of the way.

The victory was the Wizards’ third this season over the Bucks, meaning 25 percent of the team’s wins so far this season have come against Milwaukee.

George led the way with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals. Sarr posted a 16-point, 17-rebound double-double with two blocks. Carrington had 13 points and six assists off the bench.

The Wizards get right back into the action Friday on the second night of a back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the Devils a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night after New Jersey's Jack Hughes left the game in the first period and didn't return.

Hischier's slap shot from just beyond the left faceoff circle beat Nashville's Justus Annunen high to the glove side for the winner. Dawson Mercer picked up the assist on Hischier's eighth career overtime goal. Hischier leads the Devils with 18 goals and 23 assists in 54 games.

New Jersey's Jesper Bratt tied the game at 2 midway through the third. Dougie Hamilton also scored for the Devils, who snapped a two-game skid. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves.

Hughes left the game after three shifts in the first period. The team did not announce any injury status for the 24-year-old center.

Hughes’ latest absence comes two weeks before the U.S. is set to play its first game at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Hughes, along with brother Quinn, is a first-time Olympian. The U.S. has two sets of brothers, with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk also on the team.

Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville, which lost its third straight. Annunen made 32 saves.

McCarron staked Nashville to an early lead with a goal five minutes into the first period. Hamilton tied it at 1 midway through the second, extending his points streak to nine games.

Forsberg gave the Predators the lead 1:34 into the third period. With the goal, Forsberg moves into sixth place for career NHL goals by a Swedish player with 338 scores in 833 games. He trails Mats Sundin (564), Daniel Alfredsson (444), Markus Nasland (395), Tomas Sandstrom (394), Daniel Sedin (393).

Bratt's 13 goal of the season came on a Predators turnover, flipping a shot over Annunen to tie the game.

Up next

Predators: At the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Devils: At the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 21 of her 29 points in the second half, Elsa Lemmila had 14 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and No. 11 Ohio State beat Wisconsin 81-58 on Thursday night.

Ohio State (19-3, 8-2 Big Ten) has won five straight against Wisconsin to lead the series 57-18.

Chance Gray added 10 points for the Buckeyes.

Cambridge scored 13 points in the last four minutes, 18 seconds of the third quarter, which included a 3-pointer that capped a 19-6 run and gave Ohio State a 56-45 lead going into the fourth. Cambridge then made a layup, a jumper and a 3 that pushed the lead to 18 with 8:27 left in the game.

Destiny Howell led Wisconsin (13-9, 5-6) with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

The Badgers made four 3-pointers — two by Howell — in the first five minutes before Kyrah Daniels hit a jumper that gave Wisconsin a nine-point lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter.

The Buckeyes trailed 23-17 at the end of the first quarter, but limited Wisconsin to five second-quarter points and then outscored the Badgers 52-30 after the intermission — Ohio State's seventh 50-point second half this season.

Ohio State freshman Kylee Kitts, who redshirted at Florida last season, missed her third consecutive game (shoulder). The 6-foot-4 Kitts started each of the first 19 games and averaged 9.3 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game this season.

Up next

Ohio State: The Buckeyes host Nebraska on Sunday.

Wisconsin: The Badgers host Indiana on Wednesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

MONTREAL (AP) — Nick Suzuki scored power-play and short-handed goals and added an assist to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the struggling Colorado Avalanche 7-3 on Thursday night.

The NHL-leading Avalanche have lost six of eight to fall to 35-8-9.

Noah Dobson opened the scoring just 56 seconds into the game. Jake Evans and Kirby Dach scored in a 40-second span late in the second period. Dach had his first first goal and point since returning from a 31-game absence Jan. 20.

Alexandre Carrier and Juraj Slafkovsky scored in the third period, and Jakub Dobes made 26 saves to improved to 7-0-1 in his last eight starts.

Brock Nelson, Joel Kiviranta and Ross Colton scored for Colorado. Scott Wedgewood stopped 21 shots.

The Avalanche wore powder blue Quebec Nordiques jerseys in homage to the team’s former home of Quebec City.

Up next

Avalanche: At Detroit on Saturday.

Canadiens: At Buffalo on Saturday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first team to win consecutive Australian Open mixed doubles titles since 1989 after beating the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 on Friday.

The Australians trailed 7-5 in the final-set tiebreaker before coming back to lead 9-7. On match point and with Peers serving, Guinard hit a backhand into the net to clinch victory for the home players at Rod Laver Arena.

Gadecki and Peers were the first reigning Australian Open mixed doubles champions to return to the final the following year since Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor in 2015. The 23-year-old Gadecki was born 13 years after Jim Pugh and Jana Novotna went back to back in 1988 and 1989.

The French team won the opening set on its second set point when Peers hit a shot wide, three games after Mladenovic double-faulted on set point and the Australian team broke to keep the set going.

In the second set, Gadecki and Peers went ahead 3-1 on a service break and then held to take a 4-1 lead, winning 13 of 15 points to put them in control of the set and level the match.

Mladenovic was trying to win her fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title — she won Wimbledon in 2013 and the Australian Open in 2014 with Nestor and the 2022 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Ivan Dodig. She also has six Grand Slam women's doubles titles.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Nick Martinelli scored 34 points and Tre Singleton notched a massive double-double as Northwestern beat Penn State 94-73 on Thursday night.

It's the fourth time this season Martinelli has scored 32 points or more. He entered Thursday as the fourth-leading scorer in Division I at 23.4 points per game and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. He was 13 of 19 from the field with four made 3-pointers.

Singleton racked up 17 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Wildcats (10-11, 2-8 Big Ten). It was the freshman's first career double-double. Angelo Ciaravino added 20 points off the bench and Jake West had 13 assists.

The Wildcats led 45-40 at the half, but stretched that lead with an 11-2 run early in the second half, featuring five points from Martinelli and a pair of baskets from Ciaravino. The Nittany Lions drew back with an 8-0 run, before allowing a 9-0 run from Martinelli and Singleton to fall into a 17-point hole.

Freshman Kayden Mingo led the Nittany Lions (9-12, 0-10) with 15 points, as the Big Ten's youngest team remains winless in the conference. Ivan Juric added 14 points and six rebounds, while Josh Reed and Freddie Dilione V each scored 11 points.

Northwestern shot 60% from the field (38 of 63) and 55% behind the arc (12 of 22) compared to 49% and 33% for the Nittany Lions, respectively.

Up next

Penn State will host Minnesota on Sunday.

Northwestern will host Washington on Saturday. ___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Egor Chinakhov and Anthony Mantha scored on rushes in a 31-second span in Pittsburgh's four-goal second period, helping the Penguins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.

Connor Dewar scored twice, Ben Kindel and Ryan Shea added goals, and Arturs Silovs made 17 saves. Mantha, Shea and Noel Acciari each had two assists.

The Penguins had been off since sweeping a four-game trip with a victory over Vancouver on Sunday, with forward Bryan Rust starting a three-game suspension for a check to Canucks forward Brock Boeser’s head.

Connor Murphy and Connor Bedard scored for Chicago, and Soderblom stopped 38 shots in the first game of a back-to-back. The Blackhawks have lost four straight, falling 4-3 in a shootout in Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Kindel gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 5:54 of the second period. He came down the left side and beat Soderblom to the far side with a wrister.

Chinakhov slipped a shots between Arvid Soderblom’s leg pads with 4:30 left in the period, and Mantha also beat Soderblom through the legs with 3:59 to go. Shea capped the spree with 30 seconds left in the period, and Dewar added his second of the night with 6:01 left in the third.

Bedard fired a wrist shot past Silovs with 5:21 to go for his 21st of the season.

Murphy opened the scoring for Chicago at 9:32 of the first. Dewar tied it 1:52 later.

Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League for his NHL game since sustaining a concussion in practice Jan. 6. He had five shots, three hits and a block in 10:36.

Up next

Blackhawks: Host Columbus on Friday night.

Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Jamarion Batemon scored 17 points off the bench to lead six Iowa State players in double figures, and the No. 8 Cyclones used an early flurry to take a big lead and go on to a 97-67 victory over Colorado on Thursday night.

Iowa State (19-2, 6-2 Big 12) won by 30 points for the second time in three games and has beaten all but two of its opponents by double digits. The Buffaloes (12-9, 2-6), who have dropped six straight and eight of their last 10, suffered their most lopsided conference loss since rejoining the Big 12 in 2024.

Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and then Iowa State outscored the Buffaloes 30-1 over the next 6 1/2 minutes and the rout was on.

Batemon, scoreless in Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State, hit a 3-pointer and converted a four-point play on consecutive possessions, and then Tamin Lipsey’s 3 and Nate Heise’s dunk put the Cyclones up by 26 points eight minutes into the game.

Milan Momcilovic scored 16 points for the Cyclones. Tamin Lipsey had 14 points and five assists and Joshua Jefferson had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Freshmen Dominykas Pleta and Killyan Toure had 12 points apiece.

The Cyclones shot 61% from the field, their best mark in a conference game in four years.

Freshman Isaiah Johnson led the Buffaloes with 24 points and Barrington Hargress added 11.

Up next

Colorado: Hosts TCU on Sunday.

Iowa State: Visits Kansas State on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing some of their best basketball of the season. That will be put to the test on Friday as they embark on a five-game Western Conference road trip that starts Friday when they take on the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns have been a pleasant surprise this season. They’ve exceeded expectations and are heading in the right direction under the leadership of former Cavs assistant Jordan Ott. They are, however, expected to be without the services of Devin Booker. He’s dealing with an ankle injury. And, they’ll also be playing the second end of a back-to-back as they take on the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

The Cavs will also be without two starters, with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley unavailable. We’ll see if they can keep the momentum going from their impressive performance on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (29-20) at Phoenix Suns (28-19)

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center – Phoenix, AZ

When: Fri., Jan. 30 at 9 PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Not yet set

Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley – OUT (calf), Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Tristan Enaruna – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Suns injury report for Thursday’s game against Detroit: Devin Booker – OUT (ankle), Collin Gillespie – QUESTIONABLE (hand), Jalen Green – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen

Suns expected starting lineup: Jordan Goodwin, Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale, Mark Williams

Previous matchup: The Cavs won the first meeting of the season 129-113.

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	117.5 (9th)	114.1 (11th)	+3.5 (9th)
Suns	115.8 (15th)	113.1 (7th)	+2.7 (11th)

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Essence Cody scored 16 points and Ta'Mia Scott added 13 for No. 24 Alabama in a 68-53 win over No. 23 Georgia on Thursday night.

Cody, who put up 10 points in the first half, shot 6 for 7 from the field and a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Karly Weathers scored 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals and blocks each. Jessica Timmons added 10 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (19-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference).

Mia Woolfolk scored 13 points for the Bulldogs (18-4, 4-4) before fouling out. Rylie Theuerkauf added 11. Dani Carnegie, who leads Georgia in scoring with a 19.2 points per game, was held to only six points.

The Crimson Tide led 31-28 heading into halftime and built its lead over the second half. A 12-2 run in the fourth quarter that lasted more than five minutes helped Alabama pull ahead by double digits. The Bulldogs didn't score for the final 6:11, going 0 for 11 from the field.

Alabama now has a five-game winning streak over Georgia, the longest in program history.

Up next

Alabama: Visits No. 6 LSU on Feb. 1.

Georgia: Hosts No. 15 Tennessee on Feb. 5.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kharyssa Richardson scored 21 points and Mississippi State downed No. 15 Tennessee 77-62 on Thursday night.

Richardson was 9 of 11 from the floor and scored 16 in the second half. Trayanna Crisp added 15 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. Madison Francis added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while Favour Nwaedozi notched 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.

It's the second win of the season for the Bulldogs (16-6, 3-5 SEC) against a ranked opponent. The Volunteers won the earlier meeting between these sides 90-80 on Jan. 8.

It's the first home loss and conference loss for the Vols (14-4, 6-1 SEC) after entering on a seven-game winning streak and the last remaining team undefeated in SEC play. Their previously slated game on Monday — a contest with No. 17 Ole Miss — was postponed due to weather.

With 2:31 left in the first half, the game was knotted at 26 points apiece. The Bulldogs closed on a 9-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers from Crisp, and continued with an 11-3 run at the start of the second half to build a 14-point lead at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter. The Bulldogs' lead grew to as much as 20, and never dropped below double digits from that point on.

Talaysia Cooper led with 19 points for the Vols. Mia Pauldo had 13 and four steals, and Janiah Barker added 10 and six rebounds.

The Bulldogs, who entered 12th in the country with 43.9 rebounds per game, dominated the glass with a 50-31 rebounding advantage against a Tennessee team that entered 19th in the nation in rebounds per game (42.7). They outscored the Vols 35-11 on the fast break.

Up next

Mississippi State will host Missouri on Sunday.

Tennessee's next game is Sunday, on the road against the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein was set to return Thursday night against Minnesota after missing 16 games because of a strained right calf.

Hartenstein last played Dec. 28 in a victory over Philadelphia. The defending champion Thunder were 11-5 in his absence.

The return of the 7-foot Hartenstein gives Oklahoma City added size to pair with 7-foot-1 big man Chet Holmgren. Hartenstein leads the Thunder in rebounding at 10.4 per game and had an 11.2 scoring average.

“He’s an elite offensive rebounder, elite screener, great pocket passer, above the rim finisher on the rolls. He obviously brings a lot of stuff to the table for us and expands our optionality as a team,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We welcome him back. We’re certainly thrilled to have him back.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA