The biggest game of the season delivered in thrilling fashion on Sunday, with South Carolina dominating LSU 88-64 in a battle between the last two unbeaten teams in Division I college basketball.

South Carolina got off to a hot start, taking a 12-point lead under four minutes into the game. It was LSU’s largest deficit of the season up to that point, as the Gamecocks’ lead grew to as much as 24 in the fourth quarter.

It took less than four minutes into the game for South Carolina to give LSU its largest deficit of the season 👀 @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/u0FnkVqg2c

— ESPN (@espn) February 12, 2023

LSU seemingly had no answers for South Carolina, while the Gamecocks contained Angel Reese better than any other team the Tigers have faced this season. Reese was held to just three points and no rebounds at halftime and finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four blocks. She was 4-of-14 on field goals and ended the game with four fouls.

Reese’s 14 points tied her lowest points total of the season. The junior’s streak of 23 consecutive double-doubles also came to an end.

Alexis Morris was one of the lone bright spots for the Tigers, scoring 15 of her 23 points in the first half. She and Reese were the only Tigers to finish in double digits.

South Carolina’s bench, meanwhile, was once again instrumental in their win. Senior guard Zia Cooke had 17 points off the bench, and junior center Kamilla Cardoso contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds for the game’s only double-double. Raven Johnson added 10 points of her own off the bench.

Aliyah Boston joined them in double digits with 14 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Brea Beal was all over the court with 11 points and seven rebounds on offense and crucial defense against Reese.

Foul trouble became an issue for the Tigers in the second half, with LaDazhia Williams, Flau’jae Johnson and Sa’Myah Smith all committing at least three fouls before the end of the third.

With the victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina extended its consecutive win streak to 31 games, a program record.

“We don’t wanna lose, and we certainly don’t wanna lost in our building. We don’t lose very often here. We wanted to make sure that we took care of it. Our players are driven, they’re competitive, they wanna win at all costs,” said head coach Dawn Staley. “How can you not rise to the challenge of playing in front of 18,000 fans?”

The 2025 Canadian Open wrapped up with a storybook ending in Montréal, as 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko earned her first-ever WTA Tour title by defeating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.

"I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament," Mboko said after battling back to take down Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. "It just proves that your dreams are closer than they [seem]."

The largely unexpected final matchup capped a 2025 Canadian Open that saw every seeded player fall, with Mboko putting together a dream run that included ousting four Grand Slam champions — Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.

Thursday saw Mboko become just the third-ever Canadian to win the event, plus the teen phenom made tennis history as only the third wild-card entrant to ever claim victory in a WTA 1000 tournament.

As for Osaka, despite falling just short of the finish line, the 2025 Canadian Open was a distinct return to form for the fan favorite, who put together her most successful tournament run in three years in Montréal this week.

Both finalists earned a significant rankings bump with their performances this week, with Osaka rising to world No. 25 while Mboko, who started the 2025 season outside the WTA's Top 350, skyrocketed to No. 24.

Having withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open due to the near-impossible turnaround between Thursday's final in Montréal and their Saturday matches in Ohio, both Mboko and Osaka will enjoy some much-deserved rest before gearing up for the season's final Grand Slam — the 2025 US Open.

Thursday's WNBA trade deadline came and went with one final flurry of activity, as the No. 10 Washington Mystics leaned all the way into their rebuild by sending 2024 No. 6 draft pick Aaliyah Edwards to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

"Bringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move.... Aaliyah is a transformational talent with the mindset and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture," Sun GM Morgan Tuck said in a statement. "Aaliyah is the kind of person and player who can help redefine the future of this organization and we're ready to build that future together."

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In return for Edwards, Connecticut sent 2024 No. 5 draft pick Jacy Sheldon to the Mystics, with Washington also receiving the right to a first-round pick swap in 2026 WNBA Draft in the trade deal.

The move follows a Tuesday trade in which the Mystics offloaded their leading scorer Brittney Sykes to the No. 6 Seattle Storm in return for forward Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round draft pick.

While a few major midseason moves emerged this week, seven of the league's 13 teams decided to forego any trades, with No. 2 New York, No. 3 Atlanta, No. 4 Phoenix, No. 5 Indiana, No. 8 Golden State, No. 9 LA, and No. 11 Chicago holding their rosters steady in the final week of the transaction window.

In the new Prime docuseries Taurasi, retired USA and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi opened up about not playing any minutes in her sixth and final Olympic gold-medal game in Paris last summer.

Having won gold at five consecutive past Olympic Games, Taurasi made the 2024 Team USA roster at 42-years-old precisely because of her deep veteran experience on the international stage.

"I always felt like I deserved to be on the team," she said in the third episode of the three-part series. "It was my team for 20 years and I know how to get the job done."

"She's there to lead," fellow retired basketball icon Sue Bird — Taurasi's longtime friend and teammate in those first five Olympic outings — explained during the episode. "She's there to calm everyone down when s—t gets weird because s—t's gonna get weird. It always does."

While Taurasi played minutes off the bench throughout the tournament, she failed to step on the court during the USA's narrow one-point victory over France last August.

"She should have played, 100%. And to be honest, I don't know why they didn't play her," said Bird. "This was the game she was actually brought here for."

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"I'm confused by what happened," Taurasi acknowledged. "I never got [an explanation like], 'Hey, you're not going to play because we're going this direction.' Sounds good. I can live with that."

"Maybe it was just my time to get the raw end of the stick," she continued.

"I've done this five other times where I felt like I really earned it," Taurasi concluded. "This one was the one that doesn't belong."

How to watch the docuseries "Taurasi"

All three episodes of Taurasi are currently available to stream on Prime.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or nominations dropped on Thursday, and only two USWNT players earned nods on the 30-athlete shortlist for soccer's most prestigious individual honor.

US and Arsenal defender Emily Fox earned her first career nomination after the 27-year-old won 2024 Olympic gold with the USWNT and the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League with her club side.

With her third career Ballon d'Or nod, USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps joined Fox on Thursday's 2025 list after leading the US in Paris last summer and playing another strong season with OL Lyonnes.

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While the first half of 2025 has been admittedly quiet for USWNT without a major continental tournament on the docket this year — and many of the team's heavy hitters sidelined for various reasons — the Ballon d'Or's consideration timeframe includes their Olympic gold-medal run, making the team's lack of nods a bit head-scratching.

It's far from the first time that the award's shortlist has fallen short. Awarded by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has long been criticized for heavily favoring athletes who play in Europe. Of the 30 2025 nominees, only six play for clubs outside of Europe — five of them in the NWSL.

Notably, only one US player has ever won the Ballon d'Or, with the 2019 trophy lifted by USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe.

Since then, Barcelona FC have maintained a stranglehold on the award, with midfielder Aitana Bonmatí's two straight wins following attacker Alexia Putellas's back-to-back reign.

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USWNT drop to No. 2 in world rankings

This week also saw the USWNT cede ground in the overall FIFA rankings, falling to world No. 2 as new No. 1 Spain claimed a narrow lead of less than two points with their 2025 Euro Final appearance.

Like the Ballon d'Or, Thursday's world ranks contained more than a few confusing shifts, with Brazil somehow falling three spots to No. 7 despite winning a fifth straight Copa América title last weekend, and England earning a mere one-spot rise to No. 4 after defeating Spain in last month's Euro.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin nominees

Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea, France)
Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride, Zambia)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona, Spain)
Lucy Bronze (Chelsea, England)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal, Spain)
Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit, Italy)
Steph Catley (Arsenal, Australia)
Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes, Haiti)
Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Malawi)
Emily Fox (Arsenal, US)
Cristiana Girelli (Juventus, Italy)
Esther González (Gotham FC, Spain)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona, Norway)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea, England)
Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich, Denmark)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona, Spain)
Amanda Gutierres (Palmeiras, Brazil)
Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, US)
Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, England)
Frida Maanum (Arsenal, Norway)
Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil)
Clara Mateo (Paris FC, France)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona, Poland)
Clàudia Pina (Barcelona, Spain)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal, England)
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea, Sweden)
Caroline Weir (Real Madrid, Scotland)
Leah Williamson (Arsenal, England)