The Guru Report: Saint Peter’s Snaps Rider Streak While Rutgers Blasts Penn State

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

    Except for Rutgers, which beat geographic Big Ten rival Penn State in a game between two of the four Guru local D-1 teams who saw action Thursday night, the two other results involving Rider and Saint Joseph’s were as gloomy as the current weather system in the area.

This condition was especially true up in Jersey City in  the Garden State where Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leader Rider was stunned by Saint Peter’s 67-56 at the Peacocks’ Yanitelli Center to snap the Broncs’ program record 14-game win streak.

Among the surprise factors involving the loss was last Saturday’s win completed an arduous sweep of five games played in 10 days, while the Broncs then had four non-game days before putting on the uniforms for this one.

The outcome for Rider (17-3, 10-1 MAAC) erased the cushion of a two-game lead to just a game over Fairfield (11-8, 8-2), and preseason-favorite Marist (16-4, 9-2), which visits the Broncs in their next game Tuesday at 7 p.m. at home in Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J.

It’s the only game involving any of the Guru’s 11 local D-1 teams that night and considering the Broncs stole the previous meeting with the Red Foxes narrowly in overtime up at Poughkeepsie (N.Y.), the game becomes more crucial on both sides.

All season, veteran Rider coach Lynn Milligan kept preaching in postgame press conferences about the toughness of the MAAC where anything can happen.

So on one hand having a two game edge at the halfway mark provides some insurance for the stretch drive for seed position for the MAAC tourney, which this year moves from Albany, N.Y., to Atlantic City, a Boardwalk Hall site (March 10-14) that can be labelled as close to Rider’s back yard.

On the other, if one of the differentials is going to be forced to be spent, you want that purchase to be against your nearest opposition to have at least a split and not to a team in the lower tier holding ninth in the 10-team conference.

So to look ahead first before looking back at what just occurred, basically, a win over Marist bumps up the lead back to two games and becomes a tie-break with a sweep to determine the better seed if not the regular season MAAC crown, which would be a first for Rider.

Fairfield can be taken care of by the Broncs alone with a win up in Connecticut creating a sweep over the Stags, who, of course, could be upended by one of the other teams higher in the standings.

And though the window of domination may have vanished, you don’t start taking a Trish Fabbri-coached Quinnipiac squad (11-9, 8-3) for granted.

And to complete the ramifications of Tuesday’s outcome, a loss brings the Broncs into a tie and then the pressure is on to win everything the rest of the way, though given the competitiveness of the MAAC, it is possible to survive another hiccup.

All that said, returning back on Thursday’s game in which Saint Peter’s (6-14, 3-8) snapped its own two-game losing streak, double-double diva Amari Johnson and two other teammates got hit with two early fouls and the Broncs went off rhythm from there in a game they never led.

The Peacocks exploded for 19 points in the second period to go into the half with a 32-20 lead and in the fourth period sealed the outcome shooting 14-of-18 foul shots. Overall the home team was 23-for-28 from the line compared to Rider’s 11-for-12.

Stella Johnson, the nation’s leading scorer, still got close to her statistical averages with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Lea Favre scored 17 for the Broncs, but Amari Johnson had just two points and three rebounds. Amanda Mobley had nine points and career highs of nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

Saint Peter’s Briyanah Richardson had 16 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Taiah Thornton scored 15 points, and Zoe Pero had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

“Obviously, we are disappointed with tonight’s outcome, “Milligan said. “Saint Peter’s played a great game and we were not at our best. We will learn from this and continue to work to be better every day and move forward.”

Rutgers Defenses Penn State for Series Sweep

The Scarlet Knights returned home and bounced back from Sunday’s double overtime narrow loss at Minnesota by putting Penn State into defensive lockdown in a lopsided 72-39 win at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

Leading all but three of the 40 minutes, Rutgers (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) dominating the backboards 42-19 for its highest margin ever in a Big Ten game, as well as points in the paint 40-22, off turnovers 24-9, and second chance points , 20-2, helped by 14 offensive rebounds.

The 39 points were the second lowest allowed by the Scarlet Knights since joining the conference, though the Rutgers-Penn State rivalry dates way back with few missed seasons, to their time together in the Atlantic 10 and in the pre-NCAA era, AIAW Region 1B back to 1977.

The home team now leads the overall total 28-18, including 9-1 since becoming a member of the Big Ten 2014-15, though Rutgers has now won 10-of-their last 11, and claimed three series sweeps in their current conference.

Rutgers’ Arella Guirantes had a game-high 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line. Jordan Wallace was 6-for-7 from the field for 12 points, while Khadaizha Sanders scored 16 points, and Tekia Mack had a game-high 11 rebounds and dealt a career-high seven assists.

The Lady Lions (7-16. 1-11) were held 29 points under their current 68.1 season scoring average.

Penn State’s leading scorer Kamariah McDaniel was held to eight points through the first three quarters until breaking out in the fourth to near her average with 17 points, while Siyeh Frazier scored 10.

Rutgers, which is holding fifth, one place beyond the four slots that get double byes in the Big Ten tournament, heads for a major showdown Sunday visiting No. 13!Maryland, the preseason favorite, at noon Sunday in College Park, while Penn State the same day is back home in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College hosting Illinois at 2 p.m.

 Third Quarter Eruption Carries Saint Louis Over Saint Joseph’s

After the Hawks held their own through the first half, trailing Saint Louis by just four points, the Billikens reeled off a 13-2 run at the start of the third period cto go on to a 63-48 victory in an Atlantic 10 game in their Chaifetz Arena in the Midwest in Missouri.

Katie Mayock was 4-for-6 to score 12 points for Saint Joseph’s (8-14, 2-8 A-10), while Lula Roig had seven points and a team high seven rebounds, and Elizabeth Marsicano had a career-high three triplets to give her a personal best nine points.

Kendra Wilken had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Saint Louis (13-9, 5-4), while Myia Clark scored 12.

The Hawks will try to get a season split on Sunday when they visit Duquesne at 2 p.m. in the game that will be played at La Roche University. 

Nationally Noted: Louisville Upset by Florida State

Perhaps playing the USA National Team Sunday and then climbing back down to play No. 17 Florida State at home may have been a tricky readjustment for No. 5 Louisville, who fell to the Seminoles 67-59 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at the KFC! Yum Center in Kentucky.

The biggest beneficiary of the loss, though it could be short-lived, may be No. 4 Connecticut, who was routed at home Monday by No. 3 Oregon, placing the Huskies’ long-running streak in the Top 5 of the Associated Press women’s poll in jeopardy.

But though the Huskies could survive in the next vote, on Monday night they will be at No. 1 South Carolina, where Dawn Staley has her best chance in what will be eight meetings between the two programs, to finally get the best of UConn.

In Thursday’s game, Kiah Gillespie had 25 points for the Seminoles (19-4, 8-4 ACC), while Dana Evans had 18 points for the Cardinals (21-2, 10-1), who had a 13-game win streak snapped and had beaten Oregon, knocking them from the top of the AP Poll, the fourth week after the Ducks had earned the preseason No.1 ranking.

Elsewhere in the ACC, new Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, the former longtime Princeton mentor, tweeted earlier on the graciousness of nearby rival Duke offering an umbrella as she stepped off the bus in rainy weather in Durham.

The nicety ended there with the Blue Devils taking a 71-61 victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium as Haley Gorecki scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dealt eight assists for Duke (12-10, 6-5 ACC).

It was the 100^th meeting between the two located in the Research Triangle and the series is now tied 50-50.

Shayla Bennett had 19 points for the Tar Heels (16-7, 7-5).

For several years as Banghart built Princeton into an Ivy superpower and earning the Tigers the only Ivy school to ever get nationally ranked in the AP Women’s Poll, she was the leading name on the Dookies nation wish list whenever the school was ready to make the next coaching change. 

But the Tar Heels struck first after last season following the retirement of Hall of Famer Sylvia Hatchell.

Up north, Princeton, which replaced Banghart with former UConn star Carla Berube, who had been at nationally ranked Tufts in Division III, hasn’t missed a beat, losing just once this season by two points in overtime at Iowa.

Princeton is still thriving on the play of two-time reigning Ivy player of the year Bella Alarie, expected to go by the middle of the first round in April’s WNBA draft.

In Conference USA, Rice (15-6, 10-0 C-USA) defeated UAB 64-53 at home in Tudor Fieldhouse, snapping a six-game win streak by the Blazers (15-8, 7-4), while the Owls won their 10^th straight and 29^th straight conference game.

Right behind Rice in the standings is Old Dominion, experiencing a renaissance under former Tennessee star Nikki McCray, which won 62-43 at UTSA. The Lady Monarchs, who won two national championships in the AIAW era and one in 1985 in the NCAA, are 19-3 overall and 19-1 in the conference.

Looking Ahead: Drexel Looks to Sustain Lead in CAAt

Since you are here your Guru will repeat the next two nights beginning with Friday, with Drexel, which opened a one-game lead in the Colonial Athletic Association last Sunday, beating James Madison which was in a tie with the Dragons, visiting Hofstra at 5 p.m. Friday night at the Mack Center on Long Island in Hempstead.

Delaware will be at Northeastern at 7 in Boston and on Sunday the CAA travelers switch opponents with Drexel looking to sweep Northeastern while Delaware then drops down to visit Hofstra.

Villanova looking to bounce off a tough loss in the Big East last Sunday visits Xavier in Cincinnati at 7 Friday night and then moves on to Butler Sunday in Indianapolis.

Week two of the Ivies back-to-back has arrived with Penn Friday night hosting Columbia at 7 in the Palestra while Princeton, which is unbeaten but with one less win than Yale in the league, in Jadwin Gym hosts Columbia.

On Saturday, its Alumni night at Penn with the annual youngtimers game played first, lots are coming from when the Quakers first became a team with a winning record, and then at 7 they host Cornell while Princeton hosts Columbia.

Yale will be on the Harvard/Dartmouth swing this weekend along with Brown.

And that’s the report.