Guru’s WBB Report: Drexel, Delaware and Rider Hit the Victory Column With Ease But Temple Falls at Tulane

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru 

On a light Saturday schedule across the board, the four locals who played were all on the road, and three came up with lopsided winning results while Temple was on the other end of the same kind of result.

Just two ranked teams were in action, compared to what is coming Sunday, and each grabbed a triumph, with No. 24 West Virginia prevailing at TCU in the Big 12 and No. 18 Gonzaga winning at St. Mary’s in the West Coast Conference.

Rutgers, which hadn’t played since a Big 10 loss at Nebraska on Jan. 3 because of adherence to COVID-19 protocol procedures, announced the Scarlet Knights will resume play next Thursday at No. 16 Indiana and then host Nebraska, Sunday, trying to get a split in their series.

Attempts to reschedule games postponed will be made but news of those game dates are still unknown, plus they must be slotted in tandem per the Big Ten Network.

Per scheduling setups dealing with the coronavirus, the four local teams who played Saturday will be back at the same sites on Sunday, joined by four others on road trips, in the Atlantic 10, La Salle at UMass, Saint Joseph’s at Rhode Island, in the Big Ten Penn State at Purdue, and in the Big East, Villanova at Butler.

Drexel Sets Season Highs: The Dragons used a balanced attack and powered their way to several season highs, including the score at their end, winning 79-64 in Boston at Northeastern in a Colonial Athletic Association game at the Huskies’ Cabot Center. 

Drexel (8-4, 5-2 CAA) also had season bests, shooting 56.6 percent from the field, connecting with 30 field goals, and dealing 24 assists.

“Twenty-four assists on 30 made shots is a stat I would like to see every game,” said Drexel first-year coach Amy Mallon, previous the associate head coach in now Villanova’s 17 seasons guiding the program in West Philadelphia. “We came out ready to go and set the tone with our defense in the first quarter.”

Hannah Nihill had 21 points, shooting on 7-of-13 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line, while dealing four assists to move into 10th place on the program’s career assists totals at 317. She’s also ninth on the steals list, passing her 200th to reach 201 on three against the Huskies (3-7, 2-5).

Keishana Washington made her season mark with 17 points and a career-best eight assists, while also grabbing three steals, and Maura Hendrixson had rode 5-of-9 shots from down deep to 15 points, while dealing seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.

Mariah Leonard was also hot, hitting 6-of-8 from the field for 12 points.

Game honors for scoring, however, went to Northeastern’s Kendall Currence, who was 10-for-12 and finished with 23 points, while helping with five assists.

Drexel looks for a weekend sweep when the teams return Sunday, tipping off at noon on the Flohoops apps streaming network.

Delaware Still CAA Perfect: The Blue Hens got to preview, as of now, the site of the CAA women’s tournament in March, returning to Elon where the event last spring was halted in the quarterfinals as the sports world began shutting down from the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Delaware is hoping that all can continue like the team did Saturday in the Schar Center, romping to a 74-55 win over the Phoenix (6-5, 2-3) in the Schar Center.

Replicating the last great Blue Hens era on the front end of the previous decade when Elena Delle Donne, now with the WNBA Washington Mystics, was lighting the scoreboard, Delaware (12-1, 9-0) won its ninth straight, the best overall start since Delle Donne’s junior season in 2012, and the 9-0 conference mark is keeping to the senior season when the team was a perfect 18-0 and conference tournament champions.

Jasmine Dickey got her 10th game of the season with 20 or more points, scoring a game-high 25, including 17 in the third period where the visitors’ 24-7 performance created plenty of separation to ride to another triumph.

Dickey didn’t see much action in the first half, getting into early foul trouble, which set the stage and opportunity for reserve Chyna Latimer, who scored 10 in the second quarter and reached a career-best 16 points for the game. She was 6-for-11 from the field, including nailing 4-of-8 three-balls.

Ty Skinner also scored in double figures with 10 points, while Paris McBride delivered seven assists, and Ty Battle had a game best 10 rebounds.

Battle has reached double figures in rebounds for 10 straight games and in 11 of Delaware’s 13 games, a total that enabled the Blue Hens to reach the minimum requirement for at-large consideration this season by the NCAA tournament committee, though it might be possible to be picked with a waiver application.

Elon got 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from Jaylin Powell.

On Sunday, the two teams will tip at at 1 p.m., with Delaware chasing its fifth weekend sweep. The game will air on the Flohoops Apps streaming network.

Rider Blasts Monmouth: It was off to the races for the Broncs, and not at the nearby track in West Long Branch, N.J., but instead inside the host Hawks’ OceanBank Center in what was the only Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game played Saturday.

After a season of struggle following Rider’s landmark run 12 months ago to the top seed in the MAAC tourney, before it was cancelled, the Broncs have won two straight, in this one beating their hOURglass rival 61-35.

Freshman Makayla Firebaugh hit 6-of-8 threes for Rider (4-14, 3-10 MAAC), scoring a career high 26 points after the team had stolen the backend of a weekend series at home last Sunday on conference power Quinnipiac. While dealing with postponements along with the rest of Division I, the Broncs’ 18-games played leads the nation.

Saturday’s schedule had 30 postponed games or cancellations though some of the teams involved not in virus shutdown got re-slated.

Defensively, the Broncs held Monmouth (0-7, 0-3) to fewer than nine points in each of the final three quarters after yielding 15 causing a three-point deficit at the end of the first.

Though Rider picked up the pace, it took Maya Hyacienth’s three-pointer before the second period buzzer to send the Broncs into the break with a 22-21 lead.

Monmouth, still looking for its first overall win, took the lead one more time on an opening shot in the third and then the Broncs exploded with a 13-0 run. Rider then went into a lockdown defense in the final 10 minutes, holding the Hawks to six points on 3-of-15 shooting.

Amanda Mobley also scored in double figures for Rider with 10 points as the Broncs have won five straight in the series and eight of the last nine between the two central New Jersey schools.

“Really proud of the way we bounced back after a slow start today,” said veteran Rider coach Lynn Milligan. “We continue to grow and it is showing in our trust in one another particularly on the defensive end. Our offense is very balanced right now and everyone is doing their part.”

As a team Rider threw down 11 threes,, shooting 52 percent from beyond the arc. It’s the second straight and fourth time this season the Broncs have gotten into double digits shooting the long ball.

In the offseason the Broncs roster got decimated through graduation, including the loss of NCAA-leading scorer Stella Johnson, who was a WNBA draftee and currently with the Washington Mystics.

Saturday was the first time the team had more assists than turnovers this season, a 13-11 ratio on the day. Rider also blocked five shots, the fifth straight game with five or more blocks.

It’s the least amount of points allowed by Rider since holding Monmouth to 25 last February at home in Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville.

The two teams return to the court Sunday as Rider looks for is first weekend sweep when they tip off at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Temple Swamped by Green Wave: New Orleans was certainly not the land of the dreamy scenes for the Owls in their two-game weekend encounter, so far, visiting Tulane and losing 80-44 in an American Athletic Conference game in the Green Wave’s Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.

Mia Davis had 14 points for Temple (5-6, 5-3 AAC), while back in Philadelphia the school was in campus morning for the Owls’ retired legendary Hall of Fame men’s coach John Chaney, who died after a short illness Friday after a short illness.

Alexa Williamson scored 13, and Rayniah Walker scored 10 for the visitors, who were outrebounded 40-29 by Tulane (9-5, 5-4), being handed a season-low..

Temple held a 35-34 competitive lead at the half before the Green Wave became a scoring wave on the Owls the rest of the way, 30-6 in the third period, 16-3 in the fourth for an overall second-half differential of 46-9.

Despite the loss the Owls are still third in the conference behind No. 13 South Florida (10-1, 7-0), which has been in a pause, and UCF ( 9-2, 7-1), which Temple beat at home.

Tulane’s Jerkaila Jordan scored 22 points, while Mia Heide scored 13, Dynah Jones scored 12, and Arsula Clark scored 10.

For the game, Temple got outshot 55.7 percent (34-for-61) to 30.2 percent (16-53).

Temple will attempt to pick itself back up and go after a split when the two teams return to the court Sunday at noon on ESPNU

No. 24 West Virginia and No. 18 Gonzaga Win: The two ranked teams that played each won, with West Virginia being worked a little harder for its 79-70 triumph in the Big 12 over Texas Tech in Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth than No. 25 Gonzaga was in its 79-52 victory at Saint Mary’s in a West Coast Conference game in University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.

In the victory by West Virginia (13-2, 7-2 Big 12), the Mountaineers triumphed for the eighth straight time as Kysre Gondrezick scored a career-high 30 points, while a career-high was also achieved by Esmery Martinez with 23. Blessing Ejiofor grabbed 11 rebounds against the Horned Frogs (7-8, 2-8).

The Mountaineers are back home in WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, Wednesday, hosting Iowa State at 7 p.m. on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ network.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga (15-2, 10-0 WCC) won its 14th straight and stayed perfect in the West Coast Conference in a wire-to-wire win with Jenn Wirth getting 14 points and 14 rebounds for her eighth double double on the season. Jill Townsend got 18 of her game-high 20 points in the first half, while Cierra Walker scored 11. Kayleigh Truong dealt a career-high nine assists.

“I’m really happy with the way our team responded,” said Bulldogs coach Lisa Fortier. “We wanted to play a more complete game, and we did that today. 

“When we were not shooting as well, we really rebounded the ball. When we were beat on defense, we usually had someone in help-side. The transition offense got us going and made for a very fun game.”

Madeline Holland had 15 points for Saint Mary’s (5-12, 3-8), and Taycee Wedin scored 12, while Brianna Simonich grabbed nine rebounds for the Gaels.

The Bulldogs next play home in Spokane, Wash., Tuesday, 9 p.m. hosting BYU in the McCarthy Athletic Center.

Collier Leads Texas: Bouncing back from a defeat at Oklahoma State earlier in the week, unranked Texas handled Texas Tech 72-53 at home in a Big 12 game in the Frank Erwin Center in Austin to split the season series as Charli Collier dominated with 30 points and 19 rebounds, putting her back in front by one leading the nation with 12 double doubles. 

It was Collier’s best scoring production in a Big 12 game, and second 30-point game overall for the Longhorns (12-4, 6-3 Big 12), who are 10-1 at home this season. In her last four games she averaged 18.8 rebounds grabbing an overall total of 75.

Celeste Taylor had 10 points and a career high 11 rebounds, while Joanne Taylor-Allen had nine points and four assists against the Red Raiders (8-9, 3-8).

“I’m really proud of my team, especially that second quarter when we made our run (19-0),” said first-year Texas coach Vic Schaefer, who previously built Mississippi State to a powerhouse in the SEC. “That was special and that’s what I envisioned for our program for 40 minutes.”

The visitors got 12 points each from Khadja Faye and Vivian Gray, though Gray was held scoreless the first 19 points and ultimately 7 below her 19.3 average prior to the game.

Texas next is at Oklahoma (5-7, 2-5) Wednesday, a prior meeting in Austin was postponed off COVID-19 concerns.

Elsewhere, Middle Tennessee, which rallied from seven down in the fourth quarter to win at UAB in overtime Thursday, had it easier at home in Murfreesboro for a 95-68 win and series sweep in the C-USA matchup as Anastasia Hayes followed her career-high effort with 42-points and six steals against the Blazers (7-7, 2-6 C-USA) with 35 in this one with eight rebounds and six assists for the Lady Raiders (11-4, 9-1). The nation’s scoring leader (28.1), also has a leading streak of 20 or more points in 19 straight games.

“I read the defense really well,” she said. “If I had the shot, I had it; if I had the lane, I took it; and if it was crowded, I found my teammates. That’s been my main thing this year is reading the defense and making smart choices on the court.”

Her sister Aislynn Hayes is averaging 15.3 as the team’s second leading scorer.

Looking Ahead: A heavy slate Sunday, beginning locally with the teams besides the ones mentioned above, tipping off, in the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph’s will be at Rhode Island at 1 p.m. while at the same time La Salle will be at UMass, both games on ESPN+. 

In the Big East, Villanova is at Butler, tipping at noon on the Big East/Flohoops streaming apps network, while Penn State is at Purdue at 1 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Nationally, at 1 p.m. a first ever main FOX network women’s telecast has a Big East battle, No. 3 UConn coming out of its upset loss at No. 19 Arkansas now in Chicago looking for a sweep of No. 17 DePaul, playing at the Blue Demons’ Wintrust Arena.

In the multi-ranked Southeastern Conference, No. 15 Kentucky hosts Missouri at 1 p.m., No. 20 Tennessee hosts Florida at 2 p.m. on ESPNU, No. 4 South Carolina hosts Alabama at 3 p.m.,  Arkansas hosts  Auburn at 3 p.m., and No. Texas A&M hosts No. 22 Georgia at 5 p.m. Except for the Tennessee game, all these are on the SEC network.

In the Big 12, at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, No. 9 Baylor visits Iowa State trying to break a two-game losing streak to the Cyclones, while elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 16 Indiana hosts Michigan State.

Finally, in the PAC-12, No. 6 Stanford is at Washington at 4 p.m. before the Cardinal heads to next weekend’s games in its own arena for the first time this season now that coronavirus protocols in Santa Clara Country. Unfortunately No. 11 Oregon is in a pause causing the Colorado game to be postponed, likewise No. 10 Arizona, thus postponing the Wildcats’ visit to No. 5 UCLA to attempt a sweep of the Bruins.

And that’s the report.