The Guru Report: No. 5 UConn Wins at Tennessee; Maryland, Indiana, and Rutgers Get Big Ten Wins; Duke Bounces Back and UNC Streak Continues in ACC

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

No. 5 UConn got off to a big start on Tennessee, then the Lady Vols outplayed the Huskies in the next period only to see the visitors regain their footing the rest of the way Thursday night and go on to an 84-67 victory in Thompson-Bolling Arena in Knoxville.

Having suffered injuries all season, UConn (19-2) is now 4-0 since the revival of the series between two of collegiate women’s basketball’s  super powers in 2020. 

The Huskies and Tennessee (16-7), which had a nine-game win streak snapped, had played every year, sometimes twice, between 1995 and 2007 when the late Lady Vols legendary coach Pat Summitt stopped the annual meetings.

“I don’t know if we could recreate the rivalry we’ve had,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “This is as good a nonconference game you can play anywhere.”

Fairfield transfer Lou Lopez Senechal scored 26 points for UConn while Aaliyah Edwards scored 25. Additionally, Aubrey Griffin and Dorka Juhasz each scored 13 points and Nika Muhl dealt 13 assists to extend the win streak to 12.

At the outset of the third period the home team moved within two points before the Huskies rebuilt a double-digit lead.

Auriemma now has 1,168 wins exceeded only by Tara VanDerveer at No. 3 Stanford, who holds the Division I women’s record and who’s Cardinal (19-2) next plays Friday night.

Tennessee’s Jordan Horston scored 27, Rickea Jackson scored 13, and Jillian Hollingshead scored 11.

Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper, who played for Summitt, said slowing the opposition down was difficult. “They were making every open shot and some tough ones.”

The only two remaining unbeaten teams in Division I are in the Southeastern Conference and the Lady Vols will play at LSU Monday night and then meet No. 1 and reigning NCAA champion South Carolina next month while UConn will host the Gamecocks in their intersectional series on Feb. 5.

But first the Huskies return to Big East play, hosting No. 21 Villanova Sunday in Hartford. 

Tennessee’s seven losses have all been to ranked squads.

Big Ten Mania: No. 6 Indiana at home in Assembly Hall hit No. 2 Ohio State with the Buckeyes’ second loss this week 78-65 after being previously unbeaten and the Hoosiers (19-1, 9-1 Big Ten) moved to first a half-game ahead of idle Iowa, which beat OSU (19-2, 8-2) on Monday.

Mackenzie had 26 points for Indiana while Yarden Garzon connected on four shots from deep, scored 20 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sydney Parrish and Grace Berger each scored 12 points while Parrish grabbed 11 rebounds and Berger and Chloe Moore-McNeil each dealt six assists.

Ohio State’s Cotie McMahon had 21 points while Taylor Mikesell scored 15, including her 2000th career point and Thierry Taylor had a double-double 13 points and 12 rebounds.

No, 10 Maryland won over No. 13 Michigan 72-64 at home at the XFINITYCenter in College Park and moved into a tie for third with Ohio State.

Diamond Miller had 23 points and five steals for the Terrapins (17-4, 8-2 Big Ten) who held the Wolverines (16-5, 6-4) 13 below their season average of 77.3 and forced them into 24 turnovers worth 25 points.

Purdue upset No. 22 Illinois 62-52 on the road as Abbey Ellis had 16 points for the Boilermakers (14-6, 5-5 Big Ten) while Caitlyn Harper and Janae Terry each scored 10 and Terry made it a double-double with 14 rebounds.

Makira Cook had 19 points for Illinois (16-5, 6-4) while Genesis Bryant scored 11, Brynn Shoup-Hill scored 10, and Kendall Bostic grabbed 10 rebounds.

Rutgers in one of only two games involving locals got a split on the Big 10 series with its long-running rival Penn State, winning 86-82 in overtime in Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J.

Erica Lafayette appeared to have the game won in regulation for the Scarlet Knights (9-13, 3-7 Big Ten) but Penn State (12-9, 3-7) was able to get a layup to force the extended period.

“We played hard and gave ourselves a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter,” said first-year coach Coquese Washington, who was a previous head coach with the opposition

Kai Carter matched her personal best with 17 points and dished a career high six assists. She also grabbed eight rebounds one of which was her 500th.

Chyna Cornwell had a double-double 16 points and 10 rebounds while Kassondra Brown had nine points and 10 boards, Kaylene Smikle scored 14, and Lafayette and Awa Sibide each scored 10.

Penn State’s Makenna Marisa scored 24 points and Temple transfer Alexa Williamson scored 13 with nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Shay Ciezki had 12 points, Leilani Kapinus had 11 points, and Taniyah Thompson scored 10.

The Lady Lions are at Maryland Monday night at 6 p.m. on the B1G network while Rutgers is at Indiana Sunday at 2 p.m. on the subscription B1G+.

In the other local game, which was in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Rider fell at Siena 94-63 in suburban Albany, N.Y.

The host Saints (13-7, 7-3 MAAC) had five players in double figures led by Teresa Seppala with 22 points.

Makayla Firebaugh had 13 points while Amanda Mobley, Victoria Toomey, and Raphaela Toussaint each scored 10 for Rider (5-15, 2-9), which next on Thursday next week goes to Quinnipiac at 7 p.m.

Duke and Notre Dame Knotted in ACC: The No. 16 Blue Devils off their 66-55 upset of visiting No. 12 Virginia Tech in Cameron Indoor Arena  together with No. 7 Notre Name off their 70-47 win over No. 24 Florida State at home in South Bend, Ind., are tied atop the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In two other conference games of note Wake Forest beat visiting Louisville 68-57 while No. 15 North Carolina won 72-57 at Pitt.

In the Duke game the Blue Devils (18-2, 8-1 ACC) used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Hokies (16-4, 6-4). 

Shayeann Day-Wilson had 18 points for the home team while Taylor Soule had 19 points for Virginia Tech and Elizabeth Kitley grabbed 13 rebounds.

In the romp by Notre Dame (17-2, 8-1) Sonia Citron had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Irish while Lauren Ebo had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve KK Bransford had 15 points.

Makayla Timpson had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Seminoles (18-5, 7-3).

Looking Ahead:.Friday belongs to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Drexel trying to snap a two-game losing streak when the Dragons at 6 p.m. hosts Hofstra in the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Flohoops. A little further south Delaware will host Elon in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark at 7 p.m., also on Flohoops.

On Saturday,  it’s two more high-powered showdowns with elite opponents in the Ivy League, Penn, tied for first with Columbia, visits Harvard at 2 p.m.in Cambridge, Mass., in Lavietes Pavilion on ESPN+, while Princeton hosts Yale at 2 p.m. in Jadwin Gym, also on ESPN+.

In the Atlantic 10, La Salle will seek to keep its win streak alive hosting St. Bonaventure at 2 p.m. in the Tom Gola Arena on ESPN+ while Temple hosts Central Florida at 2 o.m. for an American Athletic Conference in the Liacouras Center on ESPN+.

In the Patriot League Lafayette hosts Colgate at 2 p.m. in the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa., on ESPN+  while Lehigh is at Boston U. at 4 p.m. on ESPN+ 

The DePaul game at Seton Hall in the Big East is postponed due to the visiting Blue Demons roster shortage.

On Friday night on the PAC-10 Network, UCLA is at Colorado at 9 p.m. and Southern Cal is at Utah. At 10 p.m., Oregon is at Cal and at 11 p.m. Oregon State is at Stanford. 

And that’s the report.