NEW YORK – BIG EAST women’s basketball teams went 5-1 on Sunday, including a trio of wins against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the national polls. The notable day began with No. 2/2 UConn defeating No. 23/22 South Florida 60-53 in the Huskies’ second game at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The win sets UConn up for a showdown against top-ranked South Carolina on Monday at noon ET on ESPN. RV/RV DePaul held off -/RV Northwestern’s comeback bid with a 78-75 victory, while Creighton impressed with a 67-55 victory over -/RV South Dakota State. Xavier claimed its first win with a 70-49 victory over Valparaiso, while St. John’s scored its second straight win with an 86-68 decision over Yale. Georgetown rounded out the results with a 66-56 double-overtime setback to Columbia. In addition to Monday’s UConn-South Carolina tilt, Villanova eyes its second straight win when it travels to Big 5 foe Penn at 7 p.m. That game will stream on ESPN+.
 
2/2 UConn 60, 23/22 South Florida 53  
Paige Bueckers scored a game-high 21 points and Azzi Fudd posted a career-best 18 points as UConn held on to defeat South Florida in its second game at the Battle 4 Atlantis. USF closed a 13-point gap to tie the game going into the fourth quarter, but the Huskies had the 15-8 advantage in the final frame to score the win. UConn shot .468 on the afternoon, sinking a season-high 11 three-pointers. Fudd made six of those triples, going 6-of-9 from deep.
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RV/RV DePaul 78, -/RV Northwestern 75 
Behind Lexi Held's 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Blue Demons came out on top 78-75 in an extremely intense rivalry-game victory over Northwestern at Wintrust Arena. The clutch senior hit a jumper, a three-pointer and went 8-for-9 at the free throw line to hold off the Wildcats. She finished with 16 points, eight assists and four steals. Northwestern erased a 19-point deficit to take the lead in the third quarter. The fourth was a battle, with the game ending with nine ties and 10 lead changes.
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Creighton 67, -/RV South Dakota State 55 
Sophomore Emma Ronsiek was a force in the paint, delivering a game-high 18 points, in Creighton’s 67-55 win over South Dakota State on Sunday. Holding a 33-28 lead early in the third, the Bluejays took control of the contest with a 12-0 run. Creighton's lead dipped to nine early in the fourth, but Ronsiek answered every charge by the Jackrabbits in the final frame. The South Dakota native dropped in 10 points in the fourth to secure the win.
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Xavier 70, Valparaiso 49  
Nia Clark scored a career-high 26 points on Sunday afternoon, leading the Musketeers to a 70-49 win over Valparaiso. Clark also dished out a career-high five assists while adding one block and one steal. The Indianapolis, Ind., native has now scored in double figures 16 times. After an early back-and-forth, Xavier held Valpo to just six second-quarter points to secure the lead. XU finished the game with a .455 field-goal percentage (25-for-55) and a .842 free-throw percentage (16-for-19). Xavier won the battle on the glass, 44-24, and scored nine second-chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds.
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St. John's 86, Yale 68  
Behind a career-high 24 points from junior guard Unique Drake and a record-tying 14 made three-point field goals, St. John's defeated Yale, 86-68, on Sunday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena. With 14 made shots from the beyond-the-arc, the Red Storm squad tied a program record set on Dec. 30, 2007, when the Johnnies drained 14 against Morgan State. Drake converted on 10 of her 18 attempts from the floor, including a 3-of-6 mark from distance. St. John’s surpassed the 80-point mark for the second time this season after dropping 89 in its season-opening win.
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Columbia 66, Georgetown 56 (2OT)  
Four Hoyas scored in double figures, including a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds for Jillian Archer, but Georgetown was edged in double overtime by Columbia at McDonough Arena. The low-scoring affair saw the Lions lead 22-14 at the half, before Georgetown rallied with a 15-6 third quarter. The teams kept pace with each other for the next two frames, before Columbia outscored GU 13-3 in the second overtime. The Hoyas shot 35.6 percent (21-59) and allowed 36.9 percent (24-65) shooting by the Lions.
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Upcoming Schedule
Monday
UConn vs. South Carolina (Battle 4 Atlantis), Noon - ESPN
Villanova at Penn, 7 p.m. Stats ESPN+
Tuesday
SIUE at Butler, 1 p.m. Stats FloSports
UMass at Providence, 4 p.m. Stats FloSports
Wednesday
Xavier at Wright State, 2 p.m. ESPN+ Stats
Loyola (MD) at Georgetown, 2 p.m. Stats FloSports
Thursday
DePaul vs. Rutgers (St. Thomas, USVI), 1 p.m. ESPN+
Seton Hall vs. USC (Cancun), 4 p.m. FloSports
Friday
DePaul vs. Arizona (St. Thomas, USVI), 3:15 p.m. ESPN+
Marquette vs. Middle Tennessee (Daytona Beach), Noon FloSports
Seton Hall vs. Toledo (Cancun), 4 p.m. FloSports
St. John’s vs. Penn State (Estero, Fla.), 7:30 p.m. FloSports
All times Eastern