Mike Siroky’s SEC Report: Holiday Business Trips Bring Success to Most

By Mike Siroky

 

When you are a ranked team in the Southeastern Conference of women’s basketball chances are you spend your holidays entertaining fans at exotic locations while campuses are closed.

Several conference members (including some unranked ones) did just that.

It is all part of the advantages to the players that they get to see sites not every college student gets.

 Yes, it’s a working holiday. But the players and coaches do not see what they do as work, especially as they move to at least 10 wins in the pre-conference season with the goal of 20 for the season and inclusion once again in the NCAA eliminations.

It doesn’t work for everyone. 

Kentucky had four wins and not one vote last week, despite a 4-0 start. They won thrice more and so added a fifth team to the poll from the league, at No. 25.

The first of the Wade Trophy watch lists came out. The Wade was the first National Player of the Year Award reaching back to the 1977or pre-NCAA.

Several SEC players are on it, including Caliya Robinson (Georgia); Teaira McCowan, (Mississippi State); Tyasha Harris (South Carolina); and Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M). 

The favorite will be whoever Geno Auriemma designates from his three UConn nominees. After all, UConn has nine Wade trophies since 2002. But it’s fun to be considered

More national signees showed up. Maybe they just wanted to wait for the solo spotlight or maybe they just wanted to be assured of classmates.

 

No. 6 Mississippi State (6-0)

Superlative senior center Teaira McCowan was the first SEC Player of the Week and teammate Anriel Howard  was the second.

They did not stem the momentum. We say just give it every week to McCowan. She will be the season winner. 

We are calling it before December Because none of the teams ahead of them in the poll lost, they stayed at No. 6

She became the first State player to hit 100 percent of her shots when attempting at least 10. She was 11-of-11 from the field  against overwhelmed Furman in a 106-41 win.

Her 10 rebounds made it a 43rd career double/double.

State cleared 100 in three straight, a program record.

The Bulldogs made 12 of 20 3-point shots and had four other players score in double figures.

"We've got people knocking down shots on the outside, which frees it up for me to go one-on-one to the hole," McCowan said. "My 1-on-1 game is pretty good, so I'm confident in that."

They used a 30-0 run over 12 minutes of the first and second quarters to run away from the Paladins. 

Mississippi State led 60-18 at halftime.

The Bulldogs closed the third quarter on a 16-0 run and had 18 points in the period from McCowan for an 88-26 advantage.

Coach Vic Schaefer said. "I just thought our kids did a good job of taking them out of what they wanted to do."

Chloe Bibby had a career-high 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from long range for the Bulldogs. Andra Espinoza-Hunter had 14 points, Anriel Howard scored 12 and Myah Taylor had 10.

Bibby had been  shooting 52 percent on 3s. She already has surpassed her 3-point total from last year.

"I didn't really think about my shot," Bibby said. "If I get open, I'm going to shoot and today we found the extra pass and I was wide open. I was just happy to knock down the shots when I needed to do it."

Mississippi State shot 63 percent from the field. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Paladins 45-24, forced 26 turnovers and shared 28 assists.

"We're great in transition -- this is one of our better ones, maybe our best," Schaefer said. "If teams don't turn it over 26 times, are we good enough to execute things in the half court and still score? 

“I think we're making shots right now and it's a whole lot easier game when you're making shots.

"Trust me, the naysayers are out there. I feel them on the back of my neck saying, `OK, let's see how they do in December.' I think we're playing well, but the naysayers are out there and that's my challenge to them. Let's work so we can answer that in December." 

They take on Texas, Oregon and Marquette over a span of four games next month.

The Bulldogs have this holiday tradition wherein they have a Teddy Bear toss.

Fans bring Teddy Bears get free admission to be tossed onto the court for distribution to children. The foe this year was Jackson State. 

Here’s a perspective: Jackson State scored its 29th point with two minutes to go in the third. State had that many in the first quarter and kept adding offensively and defensively  until it was 105-38/

McCowan didn’t double only because she was not needed on the court. She managed 8-of-9 from the field among her 18 points Jordan Danberry wads unleashed for 16. Three others, including two off the bench, hit double figures.

State had 12 steals, caused 25 turnovers and had  21 assists.

“We came out offensively and were very good,” Schaefer said. “Our transition game was good. We didn’t make as many 3s as we normally do. Bre’Amber Scott did a great job off the bench. I wanted her to be the first one in today. She really delivered.”

They drew 6,953.

No. 11 Tennessee (5-0)

After toying with Clemson and the former Florida coach, the Lady Vols advanced to the finals of the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.

They doubled up the Tigers in the fourth, including a  13-0 run. They won the quarter by a 24-12 margin in the fourth ,which settled the game 78-66.

Senior swing Meme Jackson led UT in scoring, 4-of-9 3s, with 14 points. It earned her a spot on the all-tournament team. Junior forward Rennia Davis scored 13 and rookie Zaay Green with 11.

The Lady Vols had 14 steals, forcing 23 turnovers and won rebounds, 41-32. 

Clemson actually took a four-point lead three times in the third before UT settled win with multiple substitutions.

UT shot 60 percent from the field in the fourth to close out the game, forcing Clemson to 5-of-13 from the field with six takeaways. "We settled in and attacked the basket," coach Holly Warlick said.

"We weren't doing a good job of handling (dribble) penetration," Warlick said. "I thought the zone was huge for us. Our kids did a great job with it."

"Some (mistakes) come with speeding up on defense," Jackson said. "The adrenaline is going. We have to learn how to slow down and let the game come to us on offense." 

"I think we're going to have to play better," Warlick  said. "I think we're going to have to take care of the ball a lot more." 

In the tournament final, Birmingham won the first quarter by seven, the second by two and the third by one. 

But Warlick smacked her team awake somehow and they won by four in overtime for a 73-68 win and a 5-0 start. 

It was Birmingham’s first loss. 

Only 250 came to see it as everyone else decided the beach was better.

Davis had 18, Evina Westbrooke 16 and center Kasiyahna Kushkituah 13, with as many rebounds, her first career double/double. 

They won the fourth by 10 and had two last-second attempts. So it took and 8-4 extra period to finish it.

Kushkitauh gave the Lady Vols their first lead since the first half at 70-67 with a 3-point play at 46.2 seconds left in overtime. Tennessee survived a poor-shooting day at the  line, making 9-of-22 free throws.

The defense held Birmingham to 23 percent from the field in the fourth and beyond. “We were fortunate,” Warlick said. “We work a lot on our persistence drill. To get 11 stops in a row, that is fabulous for us.

“It shouldn’t been as close as it got.  They did what we asked them to do. And we grinded it out.”

Davis was MVP of the tournament. She hit three 3s at opportune times in the second half.

Birmingham has a 12-point lead with eight minutes  left. That’s when Davis hit her three 3s.

"I was so proud of our team with the resilience," Warlick said. "The fourth quarter, we got 11 out of 12 stops. That is huge. We are growing up, seeing the freshmen and sophomores grow up on the court." 

 UT earned a week off. Like State, because none if the teams ahead of them in the poll lost, they stayed at No. 11

 

No. 18 Texas A&M (4-1)

The Aggies rebounded from their lone loss by smashing Little Rock, 61-40. Two defensive stops of eight points allowed in each of the middle quarters. It is the fewest points allowed since 2016, also at Arkansas State.

Sophomore Aaliyah Wilson scored a career-high 20.  She has been in double figures three of the first four games. 

Classmate Chennedy Carter scored at least 10 points for the 14th straight game, dating back to last season. She had a season-best six assists.

The Aggies led 27-20 at halftime, then made six of their first seven shots after the break to add 10 points to the difference.

On the day after Thanksgiving, the Aggies welcomed in Arkansas State for its 19th straight home win, 97-56.

The Red Wolves started  competitively, down 25-17 after one. Carter had nine points and three assists as the Aggies hit 64 percent from the field. 

The Aggies won every quarter. and eased out before 5,341 appreciative fans.

A&M shot 64 percent from the field. Carter had 23 points (10-of-13 field goals). Three teammates hit double figures

Sophomore N’dea Jones a second straight double/double, with 13 points and as many rebounds. The team doubled rebounds, 46-23.

“Obviously, we played very well in the first half, our offense was clicking, and that was as good as we could play offensively,” coach Gary Blair said.

“ Chennedy had the same type of half that she had against Syracuse and then she struggled, got three fouls in the second half, like in Syracuse, then she came back from sitting down and then finishes up with two more baskets.

“I’m really more impressed with her running the offense in the first half. 

“She looked like an All-American running that team. The points are just icing on the cake, running her team was the most impressive thing, that is what a true point guard can do, whether she is the scorer or distributor.

“I was pleased with Shambria Washington coming in and just taking her six assists, one turnover, she didn’t need to shoot because everybody was scoring inside.

“N’dea Jones keeps getting better and better,‘ Jones said. “I think we needed to kind of focus on our jobs and roles that forced us to rebound and then get offensive rebounds. 

“Also, just trying to help our teammates out by just finishing it up with a layup. I would say we have been focusing on layups and making sure we have a presence in the paint.”  

“Our shooting percentage inside between five post players was great, Blair said.

“Their shooting percentage might be an all-time best, as far as by five post players. Give them a lot of credit they were battling in there, and we made a pretty good team look average tonight.

 “This team of ours keeps getting better possession by possession, our whole goal is to not give up a right hand drive in the first half and we didn’t.

“We had a great rebounding average, great 3-point shooting, kids coming off the bench being able to play some extended minutes. Jasmine Williams did a good job when she came in; she was the one who got the 30th assist.

 Having won before and after Thanksgiving, they earned the rare weekend off and inched up in the Top 20

No. 19 South Carolina (3-3)

The Gamecocks started the Vancouver Showcase by clearing 100 against East Tennessee State, then ran smack into a higher-ranked team.

Senior Doniyah Cliney hit a pair of 3s, of 11 team 3s for the game, as the guards plan was on display to open the 101-55 ETSU festivities.

Defensive dominance showed in the 22-8 second quarter. SC had runs of a 20-4 start and 9-0.

 Cliney and Bianca Jackson had 14 points apiece and Tyasha Harris scored13. 

Bianca Ceuevas-Moore finally got in a game, 17 minutes.

 She had missed last season with knee reconstruction and all the previous games this season. Once the fastest player on the team, she is no longer that but can add the weight of experience. 

She started with a 3 in the second quarter. It was already a wipeout, 55-29 at the half.

South Carolina shot 76.9 percent in the first quarter, including 5-of-6 3s. The Gamecocks finished 11-of-16 on 3s, for a Staley-era best 68.8 percent.

 The 28 free throws made are a season high.

 Sophomore guard Bianca Jackson had a career-best six steals.  Elysa Wesolek was 3-of-3 from the field, including a pair of 3s, and 2-of-2 from the line.

No. 9 Oregon State was another matter. 

The Beavers showed little regard for South Carolina’s reputation, setting up the 70-68 win with a deadly 17-7 first quarter.

SC, of course, showed little regard for itself by allowing it. Even though they did not lose the next three quarters and won the fourth by seven, they never truly recovered.

So the not ready for prime time players avoided a showdown with Notre Dame.

There is no swagger.

The defense allowed 10 more than its average and the offenses scored seven less, almost the exact margin of loss.

The Beavs will take it, using the old coaching gem of praising the fallen foe as being a top-notch team, thereby implying if they’re so good and we still won, then we must be . . .

"South Carolina is a program that is used to winning at a high level, and this is the first time we have been in a game like this this season," said Oregon State  coach Scott Rueck. "As much as you can try to prepare for situations like this, it's not a substitute for the real thing. 

“We made the plays we needed to make down the stretch to win the game. To do that against a great team with a great coach, this is a big win for us."

And, woo-hoo, they drew barely a thousand.

Te’a Cooper scored 22 and Alexis Jennings doubled, 12 points and 14 rebounds, but no one else helped much. 

The Gamecocks were 32 percent from the field, a two-year low. 

There is no closer here. That is asking a lot of Cooper. Bianca Cuevas-Moore use to be that player. The senior got three minutes and no other statistic here.

All points count and coach Dawn Staley can whistle past the graveyard with bravado with the almost comeback, but all losses count as well as the national stage and there is not much confidence building going on.

Jennings had been restricted  while resting a sore knee.

“It was great to have her back,” Staley said, “knowing that she can play heavy minutes for us and rebound and score. That’s a positive thing as we move forward in this young season.”

State scored its final points on free throws with two seconds left, Cooper tried a 3 at the buzzer for the win. Her 3 with 25 seconds left had tied it. It came off a Jackson steal They had made up six points in the final 3:25.

But what this game shows is Mississippi State will once again dominate the league and SC should be competitive with the other top conference teams.

So what is a Drake? 

It’s the less-than team you wax next to avoid a .500 season, making the cross-country trip home just sad.

 They were eliminated in the first round of the NCAAs last season by A&M.

 It’s what Mid-Major conference champs do, offer southern comfort.

In Drake’s coaching legacy is the multi-decade career of Carole Baumgartner and of still-coaching Susan Yow.

Yep, a nice team to beat.

But South Carolina did not.

The middle quarters cost them, 32-46. It eliminated wiggle room, and led to a 6-11 overtime, where they lost the game, 90-85. The defensive average had been 60, with a scoring margin of 15.

Oh Cooper did all she could, delivering on the premise she had while at Tennessee.

The career-high 31 points were wasted. She opened with six straight field goals. As we said, no go-to closer.  

They have lost consecutive games to nonconference opponents for the first time since 2010, also the last time the Gamecocks were at .500 or worse at this point  in a season.

Drake’s 13-2 run to close the half made it a six-point lead. SC went five minutes without a basket. SC used to do that.

Junior guard Tyasha Harris scored 11 of her 18 points and redshirt senior forward Alexis Jennings scored all 10 of her points in the third and fourth quarters. In the OT, SC missed its last five field goal attempts, including 0-for-3 on 3s in the final minute. 

On the season, they are 2-0 when making 10 or more 3s and 1-3 when not. Sophomore guard Bianca Jackson was 0-for-6 on 3s.

It is Drake’s biggest upset in 15 seasons. They drew 1,866.

SC is the only team with three losses in the Top 20, a ranking based on reputation of its coach.

Maybe Zia Cooke and the others in the second wave of early signees merely wanted to see their new classmates before making a commitment.

She is the No. 7 ranked player in America.

“Zia will join our program with a full toolbox and an eagerness to make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball,” Staley said. “She is an electrifying lead guard that can score with confidence and put our team in a position to win. 

“She is the perfect balance of both her parents who modeled strength, hard work and confidence. She is a fighter and a competitor who  Gamecock Nation will be excited to watch.”

 

She has a pair of international gold medals with USA Basketball in the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Cup and the 2017 U17 World Cup. 

Cooke helped her Rogers High School squad in Toledo to the 2018 Division II state championship, posting 33 points and 14 rebounds in the title game. In season. she averaged 21.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.1 steals.

 

No. 25 Kentucky  (7-0)

The Wildcats jumped past formerly ranked Missouri and Georgia.

At the 2018 Paradise Jam, Island Division in the Virgin Islands, they got their three wins for the week, each time defeating teams that have been ranked or receiving votes this season.

It was almost one year after Kentucky departed the poll from No. 20, after 132 consecutive appearances, which was the eighth longest in then-current poll history anong ranked teams at the time.

The 7-0 start is their best since the 10-0 2015.

In the Paradise Jam Island Division,  Kentucky defeated then-No. 17 South Florida, UCLA and finally North Carolina the latter each receiving votes in the national rankings when UK was not. The Kats also have a win over Virginia, with four starters back from an NCAA qualifier.

Freshman guard Rhyne Howard has led Kentucky, averaging 18.3 points with a team-best 6.4 rebounds. 

She has scored 20 or more three times while leading UK in scoring four times.

 Howard was named the MVP of the Paradise Jam Island Division with senior guard Taylor Murray also on the all-tournament team. 

Murray averages 15.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while leading UK with 31 assists and 24 steals.

 Senior guard Maci Morris is also averaging double digits, 13.9. She has hit 18 3s.

UK is averaging 79.6 points per game while limiting opponents to 54.3.

 The Kats will play 11 games against teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25.  As usual, playing in the SEC has its RPI perks.

But this month the rivalry with undefeated Louisville is a likely first loss.

In the league, it is Mississippi State, all-time rival Tennessee, No. 17 Texas A&M and Carolina (twice each), and Georgia, Missouri and LSU (twice) who are all receiving votes.