College Basketball: Villanova women start fast and defeat Temple

The Villanova women's team showed no ill effects from a 12-day layoff as it raced to a 9-0 lead in a 56-47 Big Five victory over host Temple on Thursday afternoon at McGonigle Hall. The win was the sixth straight for Villanova.

With the win, the Wildcats (9-2, 3-0 Big Five) are guaranteed of at least a tie for the Big Five championship and can win the City Series outright with a victory over Penn on Jan. 17.

Emily Leer (Abington) scored a career-high 13 points and had six rebounds coming off the bench for Villanova. Lauren Burford added 13, and Laura Sweeney (Cherokee) added 11.

Kristen McCarthy scored 14 points for the Owls (5-6, 0-1 Big Five), while Shey Peddy added 13 points and nine boards.

Fairfield 55, La Salle 52 - Katelyn Linney had 19 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the Stags (7-3) over the Explorers (3-9) at Tom Gola Arena. Brittany Wilson led La Salle with 15 points and Alexis Scott added 14.

Stanford 90, Cal State Bakersfield 48 - Joslyn Tinkle had 20 points and 11 rebounds to go with three blocks and two steals as the No. 4 Cardinal (9-1) routed the overmatched Roadrunners (3-12) in Palo Alto, Calif.

Ohio State 79, Washington State 57 - Samantha Prahalis overcame a slow start to finish with 20 points and 10 assists as the No. 11 Buckeyes (13-0) beat the Cougars (6-6) in Columbus, Ohio.

Georgia 81, Appalachian State 37 - Khaalidah Miller had 23 points and 11 rebounds as the No. 13 Bulldogs (10-2) demolished the Mountaineers (8-2) in Athens, Ga.

Syracuse 80, Tulane 61 - James Southerland and Brandon Triche each hit a pair of three-pointers to key a 19-point first-half surge, and top-ranked Orange (13-0) thumped the Green Wave (11-2) in Syracuse, N.Y.

It's the third straight season Syracuse has won its first 13 games. The Orange have won three straight since reaching the top spot in the rankings 10 days ago, including victories over North Carolina State and Bucknell.

Dion Waiters had 15 points, Kris Joseph added 13, and Southerland 10 for the Orange.

Kendall Timmons led Tulane with 16 points.

Ohio State 69, Miami (Ohio) 40 - William Buford scored 18 points as the No. 2 Buckeyes (12-1) beat the RedHawks (3-7) in Columbus, Ohio.

Deshaun Thomas added 15 points and Jared Sullinger 11 for the Buckeyes (12-1), who won their 33d straight at home. The game was played at Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL's Blue Jackets.

Kentucky 87, Loyola (Md.) 63 - Kyle Wiltjer scored 24 points as the No. 3 Wildcats (11-1) topped the Greyhounds (8-3) in Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky's Anthony Davis contributed 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, one of which nearly took out Loyola coach Jimmy Pastos.

Connecticut 79, Fairfield 71 - In Hartford, Conn., Shabazz Napier scored 24 points to lead the No. 8 Huskies (10-1) over the Stags (7-5) in the final game before UConn coach Jim Calhoun serves a three-game suspension for NCAA recruiting violations.

Missouri 78, Illinois 74 - Phil Pressey had 18 points, five assists and two steals, and the No. 9 Tigers (12-0) held off a second-half charge by the No. 25 Illini (11-2)for a victory in the annual Braggin' Rights game in St. Louis.

Marquette 64, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 50 - Junior Cadougan had 15 points as the No. 10 Golden Eagles (11-1) overcame the Panthers (9-4) in Milwaukee.

Florida 82, Florida State 64 - Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the No. 11 Gators (10-2) extended their winning streak to five with a victory over the Seminoles (8-4) in Gainesville, Fla.

Georgetown 70, Memphis 59 - Jason Clark scored 18 points as the No. 16 Hoyas (10-1) extended their winning streak to eight with a victory over the Tigers (6-5) in Washington.