Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 12 North Carolina tops Columbia with big second half

No. 12 North Carolina closed with a 23-14 fourth quarter to put away pesky Columbia 80-63 at the Cancun Challenge on Saturday in Cancun, Mexico.

Lanie Grant set the pace with 19 points, while Ciera Toomey was nearly perfect inside, scoring 18 on 8-for-9 shooting. Elina Aarnisalo added 15, and Indya Nivar stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals. Nyla Harris chipped in 10 off the bench as North Carolina (8-1) shot 57.6% from the field and 5 of 12 from deep.

Carolina's defense carried the day. The Tar Heels piled up 14 steals and forced 21 Columbia turnovers, turning pressure into separation after a tight first half that saw North Carolina take a slender 35-31 lead into the break.

Riley Weiss led Columbia (4-4) with a game-high 21 points while shooting 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. Perri Page posted 13 points and eight boards and Susie Rafiu added 11 points and eight rebounds. The Lions shot 47.6 percent on 3-point attempts but couldn't overcome the miscues down the stretch.

No. 17 Vanderbilt 84, BYU 71

The Commodores started slow, but found their rhythm after the first quarter to topple BYU and claim the Paradise Jam Island Division title in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgina Islands.

BYU (7-1) sprinted to a 28-16 first-quarter lead, but a 13-0 Vanderbilt (8-0) run in the second quarter flipped it and the Commodores led 40-39 at halftime. Vanderbilt outscored BYU, 24-16 in the third quarter to take command.

Mikayla Blakes poured in a game-high 27 points with six assists, and Justine Pissott supplied an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double for Vanderbilt. Marya Hudgins led the Cougars with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

No. 24 Oklahoma State 87, Miami 84

The Cowgirls got 26 points from reserve Jadyn Wooten and outlasted the Hurricanes at the Cayman Islands Classic in George Town, Cayman Islands.

Amari Whiting added 23 points, eight assists, six boards and three steals for Oklahoma State (8-1), while Haleigh Timmer chipped in 17 points. Five players scored in double figures for Miami (5-2) including Gal Raviv (21 points), Amarachi Kimpson (17 points) and Ra Shaya Kyle (11 points, 13 rebounds).

Trailing 42-31 after a 10-point second quarter, the Cowgirls roared out of halftime with a 16-4 burst -- all from Wooten, Whiting and Timmer -- to grab a 47-46 lead. Miami's last lead was at 76-75 with 4:10 remaining, but Oklahoma State scored nine consecutive points to take control down the stretch.

--Field Level Media