Brandon Miller scores 31 points, Hornets hold on to beat Hawks 110-107

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller had 31 points and nine rebounds, LaMelo Ball made seven 3s and scored 24 points and Charlotte held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-107 on Wednesday night, just hours after two of of the Hornets' starters were suspended by the NBA for fighting.

Kon Knueppel added 18 points on four 3s, and Miller hit five 3s as the Hornets finished 19 of 51 from beyond the arc for their 10th win in 11 games.

Dyson Daniels scored 21 points for Atlanta. Jalen Johnson added 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

The NBA suspended Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate for four games for their role in a fight on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons.

The short-handed Hornets didn't get much out of replacements Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams, but G League call up PJ Hall had 11 points and 10 rebounds. And Charlotte got contributions from scoring leaders Miller, Ball and Knueppel, who combined for 10 3-pointers in the first half as the Hornets opened a 17-poiint lead.

Charlotte led by 19 in the second half before the Hawks came storming back to cut the lead to one with 1:05 left on Johnson's jumper. The Hawks had a chance to take the lead but Onyeka Okungwu turned the ball over on a fast break.

Knueppel made two free throws with 19.4 seconds left to push the lead to 110-107.

The Hawks had one last chance to to tie it, but Okongwu missed a 3. CJ McCollum chased down the rebound in the corner but couldn't get a shot off in time.

Hawks: At Philadelphia on Thursday, Feb. 19.

Hornets: Host Houston on Thursday, Feb. 19.

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

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots against Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun, left, drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, left, looks to pass against Charlotte Hornets guards Kon Knueppel, right, and Josh Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, right, looks to pass the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots against Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

PHOENIX (AP) — Ta'Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, ending the Huskies' 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women's NCAA Tournament championship game.

The Gamecocks will face the winner of Texas and UCLA semifinal on Sunday for the title, capping off another March Madness. South Carolina (36-3) will be looking to win its fourth national championship. Their other three have come in the last decade.

UConn (38-1) entered the Final Four undefeated for the ninth time in school history and for the third straight time left without a title. The Huskies also lost in the 2017 and 2018 national semifinals. This was the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points in a national championship game loss to the Gamecocks in 2022.

The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season for the title and UConn came away with an 82-59 rout for the school’s 12th national championship. UConn also beat South Carolina handily during the 2024-25 regular season.

With less than a second remaining in the game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma walked across the court to shake hands with Dawn Staley and had an animated conversation with the South Carolina coach while pointing to the floor. Staley yelled back at him as assistants from both teams separated the two.

When the clock ran out finally, Auriemma walked straight to the tunnel and didn’t shake hands. The two teams did shake hands.

The teams came into the game as the second- and third-leading scoring teams in the nation, both averaging over 87 points per game. This was a defensive battle.

Leading 46-44 a few minutes into the third quarter, South Carolina scored five straight points, capped by Agot Makeer’s 3-pointer to extend the advantage to seven.

Sarah Strong hit a 3-pointer to get the Huskies back within 51-47 with 4:39 left. The Huskies didn't score again until Strong hit a free throw with 30.8 seconds left, after South Carolina had scored 11 straight points.

South Carolina clamped down on UConn’s two stars. Strong, who was honored as the AP Player of the Year on Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but went 4 for 16 from the field. Azzi Fudd had just eight points for the Huskies, making only 3 of 15 shots.

UConn had its worst shooting night of the season finishing 19 for 61 (31.1%) from the field.

Trailing 26-24 at the half, South Carolina opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run to take the lead. The Gamecocks extended the advantage to 40-30 — the biggest deficit the Huskies’ had faced this season.

UConn, which missed 10 of its first 11 3-point attempts, then started to get hot from the field, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers, the last by Fudd to get within 40-39. The All-America guard had missed seven of her first eight shots as she was blanketed by South Carolina’s defense.

South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson scored the final four points of the quarter to make it 44-39.

Both teams had cruised to the Final Four, each winning in the first four rounds of the tournament easily. The Huskies had been rarely challenged all season long, routing their Big East opponents by record margins.

Facing their first real test in a long time, they had no answer.

The opening 20 minutes was full of missed shots and turnovers. The two teams combined to shoot 22 for 62 from the field (35.4%) and had 14 turnovers. UConn led 26-24 at the half.

There were dozens of former Huskies and Gamecocks players in the crowd including Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston. Boston was sitting next to Flavor Flav, who is a huge supporter of women’s sports.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

UConn guard Azzi Fudd (35) fouls South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards (8) during the second half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

South Carolina guard Agot Makeer (44) and UConn guard Kayleigh Heckel (9) scramble for the ball during the second half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

South Carolina guard Ta'Niya Latson (00) drives against UConn guard Blanca Quinonez (4) during the second half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) shoots over UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) during the second half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

South Carolina guard Ta'Niya Latson (00) and South Carolina guard Agot Makeer (44) go for a rebound against UConn during the first half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)