The Guru Report: Drexel Wins Big - Rider Loses Big; Upsets and Near Upsets Strike the AP Ranked Teams

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — Two more locals returned to action Thursday night and it was a split outcome as Rider got hit at home here in Alumni Gym 68-44 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Contest by a Siena squad dealing with extra issues while down south preseason favorite Drexel launched play in the Colonial Athletic Association trouncing UNC Wilmington 71-47 at the Trask Coliseum.

Elsewhere on the national front, No. 5 Notre Dame barely survived 66-63 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game while host Clemson upended No. 7 Virginia Tech 64-59, Duke traveled over to nearby Raleigh and took down No. 6 N.C. State, and visiting Florida State surprised No. 13  North Carolina, 78-71, all in the ACC; while in the Big Ten, host Michigan State handed No. 4 Indiana, 83-78, the first loss for the Hoosiers.

In the rest of the group of ranked teams performing, in the start of Southeastern Conference wars, No. 1 South Carolina put away visiting Texas A&M 76-34; No. 9 LSU in its first true test shredded host No. 24 Arkansas 69-45 in Fayetteville; in the Big Ten, No. 12 Iowa handled Purdue 83-68 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City; in the West Coast Conference favored No. 19 Gonzaga had an easy 77-63 win over host Pepperdine 77-63; and in an intra-state game of rivals in the PAC-12 No. 18 Arizona at home in Tucson sent Arizona State back to suburban Phoenix with an 84-66 result.

Tennessee, a Top 5 ranked squad when the season got under way, picked up an SEC win 77-67 at Florida in the SEC in Coral Cables.

Not much was needed to discuss Rider’s loss, falling to 3-9 overall and 0-3 in the MAAC to date, the first conference game at home.

Earlier in the day off an investigation of Saints coach Jim Jabir on charges of racial and other forms of attack, the Saints mentor decided to step aside to avoid being a distraction during the investigation as reported by the Albany Times in the capital city.

“We played a bad basketball game,” Rider veteran coach Lynn Milligan said. “We got beat down the floor, we got beat to the ball on rebounds, and we didn’t shoot the ball well, so it’s kind of the perfect storm. 

“It’s unusual for us,” she continued. “With the talent we have, I’m a little surprised that we had a shooting night like tonight. Most of the shots we took were good within the offense.

“We’ve got to trust what we’re doing. We’ve got to trust that the shots we’re getting and the people we’re getting shots for are going to be able to put it in the basket.”

Makayla Firebaugh led Rider with 10 points, and she was the only Rider player to score in double digits against Siena (7-5, 1-1).

“We have to hit our shots and we know that,” Firebaugh said. “We can’t hang our heads over this loss. It’s the disappointing, but we have to get over it. We have to come to practice and be ready to work.”

Amanda Mobley had two points but dealt five assists and grabbed eight rebounds.

Siena’s Eminah Selimovic had 16 points on 6-for-13 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds.  Ahniysha Jackson was 5-for-10, including 3-for-5 from deep, for 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Anajah Brown and London Gamble each scored each scored 11.

The Saints owned the boards with a 53-38 advantage on the Broncs.

Assistant coach Terry Primm guided the team.

Milligan said during the day social media reports were indicating a change and she credited Siena being able to play through the distractions with the kind of performance the visitors displayed.

Rider finishes up the 2022 side of the season schedule Saturday at noon on New Year’s Eve in a MAAC contest at Saint Peter’s in Jersey City on ESPN+

The Broncs will return Thursday hosting Iona at 7 p.m.

Drexel (9-3, 1–0 CAA) enjoyed its debut into CAA play for the season, beating UNCW (3-9, 0-1) UNCW for the 23rd straight time in the series. The hosts are now under former longtime Delaware mentor Tina Martin, who in the offseason was promoted off her interim title she held as the team finished its previous one.

Keishana Washington, the nation’s leading scorer directly in front of Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist, didn’t get 30 or more points in this one as she had several times previously, but still scored her share for the Dragons with 21 and six assists, while Maura Hendrixson scored 10, also dealing six assists, while Jayde Gamble was the only UNCW player in double figures with 11 points. Carrie Gross and Lexi Jackson each scored eight.

Drexel will be home on New Year’s Day Sunday at 2 p.m. on Flohoops in the Daskalakis Athletic Center hosting Towson, which is under former Cheltenham and Maryland star Laura Harper replacing Diane Richardson, who is now at Temple.

Nationally noted: Notre Dame (11-1, 2-0 ACC) will have a chance to move up at least one spot in the next AP Women’s Poll after edging host Miami (7-6, 0-3) in the visit to Coral Gables. The Irish got off to a big lead early but the Hurricanes struck back with a 22-12 advantage in the third quarter. The home team’s Destiny Harden had 12 points and nine rebounds, though foul trouble limited her time.

“I thought their defensive energy and intensity really bothered us in the third quarter,” said ND coach Niele Ivey.

Miami missed four straight shots from deep attempting to tie the outcome.

Olivia Miles had 12 points,  10 in the first half, when she had five of her eight rebounds, and six of her nine assists. Maddy Westbeld had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hurricanes scored 19 points off 22 Notre Dame turnovers.

The Irish will be back home in South Bend, Ind., on Sunday hosting Boston College (11-4, 1-1) at noon on the ACC Network.

Duke’s Celeste Taylor had 23 points and eight rebounds for Duke (12-1, 2-0 ACC), whose only loss was in Oregon to UConn, while Elizabeth Balogon had 16 points in the win at No. 6 N.C. State holding the Wolfpack (11-2, 1-1) at 22 points below their average in the game in Reynolds Coliseum.

N.C. State’s Saniyah Rivers scored 17 points.

In No. 12 Iowa’s 83-68 win over visiting Purdue (10-3, 1-2 Big Ten) in Iowa City, Monika Czinano became the fifth in the history of the Hawkeyes (11-3, 3-0) and 38th in the conference to reach 2,000 career points. Teammate Caitlin Clark reached the samew Milestone in the previous game. It’s the first time in Big Ten history two teammates reached the 2,000 barrier the same season.

Clark had 24 points, six rebounds, and five rebounds, and she’s the nation’s sole player with more than 355 points, 100 rebounds, 90 assists, and 25 steals. Czinano had 12 points while McKenna Warnock scored 19 points.

In the first tough test for No. 9 LSU (13-0, 1-0 SEC), the Tigers opened SEC play at No. 24 Arkansas (13-3, 0-1) in Fayetteville with Angel Reese had 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Little Rock trailing UT Martin by a basket with 3.3 left in regulation against the visitors, got a winning three-pointer from Tia Harvey as time was expiring in an Ohio Valley Game, the first in Little Rock’s history.

Top-ranked South Carolina (13-0) had an easy time in its SEC and home conference opener as Zia Cooke scored 14 and the 34 by visiting Texas A&M are the fourth fewest held by the Gamecocks since joining the conference in 1992-93.

Looking Ahead: On Friday, Temple at 2 p.m. in the Liacouras Center at home on ESPN+ begins season play in the American Athletic Conference hosting Memphis while at the same time Penn ends a long layoff hosting Division III Gynedd Mercy on ESPN+.

Rutgers returns to Big Ten play being hosted by long time rival Penn State at 5 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College on the B1G+ network.

Delaware hosts Hofstra at 7 p.m. to start CAA play on Flohoops in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.

In two opening Patriot League games at 2 p.m. each, Lehigh hosts Army at the Stabler Arena in Easton while Lafayette is welcomed  at American U. At Bender Arena in the nation’s capital.

Of note nationally, UCLA visits Oregon at 9 p.m. on the PAC-12 network.

And that’s the report.