The Guru Report: Southern Cal Over Stanford Heads Day of Poll Upsets; Delaware Win Keeps Drexel Atop the CAA Despite Loss

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

After Southern California let a major PAC-12 upset get away recently against then-No. 12 UCLA, the Trojans got the job done in the conference Sunday afternoon, even better, shocking No. 2 Stanford 55-46 at home in the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

The victory by USC (13-4, 3-3 PAC-12) ends a 39-game conference win streak by Stanford (17-2, 5-1), whose only other loss this season was at home in overtime losing a lead to top-ranked and defending NCAA champion South Carolina.

Stanford was No. 2 and also the victim the last time USC beat a team with that high a ranking on January 6, 2008, and the victory total was the largest for the Trojans in the series since a 67-55 home win on January 18, 1993, which was 30 seasons, three decades ago.

It’s also, adding Friday’s win of California, the first home sweep of the Bay Area rivals in the PAC-12 since 2003-04.

 Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer had won 12 straight since the loss to Dawn Staley’s squad.

“It wasn’t just turnovers, it was bad shots,” bemoaned VanDerveer. “I don’t know that we can do anything worse. This has to be rock bottom in terms of execution offensively, lack of screening.

“They got to the free throw line 26 times. Even with all those bad things, it was a six-point game with three, four minutes left,” she continued. 

“We haven’t shot the ball really well the last couple of games. I just feel like we have to be a much more competitive, aggressive, grittier team.”

Staley’s Gamecocks (18-0, 6-0 SEC) stayed perfect Sunday with an 81-50 win at home over Missouri as Aliyah Boston had a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds leading South Carolina to its 24th straight victory and completing revenge week against the Tigers and Kentucky, the two teams it lost to last weekend.

Stanford had beaten 51 straight unranked opponents and owned a 14-game win streak against the Trojans, last losing in the 2014 conference tournament.

The upset is the second major dividend for the USC athletic administration since hiring Lindsay Gottlieb away from her NBA assistant coaching position in Cleveland.

Gottlieb, who had success at PAC-12 rival California, leading the Golden Bears to a Women’s Final Four, has also signed JuJu Watkins, the nation’s top women’s recruit

“What a monumental day for all of us in the Trojan family,” Gottlieb said when the recruit was announced. 

Destiny Littleton, ironically a first season transfer from South Carolina, scored 18 points and dealt six assists for USC, while Okako Adika, a transfer from TCU, had a double-double 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Taylor Bigby and Kayla Williams each scored nine.

The Cardinal, held to season-low four points in any quarter for the first period, got 11 points and 14 rebounds from Cameron Brink, while Haley Jones had 12 rebounds but was held to eight points, five under her 13.3 average.

“I just thought we really took care of business this weekend, which is the understatement of the century,” said Gottlieb. “Stanford is so good. They’re No. 2 in the country. I thought we executed the game plan, were super tough and made plays the whole game. I haven’t even looked at the stats sheet, because who cares, right?

“It was us against them, I thought the crowd was tremendous and I’m never going to forget this win.”

In other results Texas, in the preseason top five, may be ready to return to the rankings after beating No. 15 Iowa State 68-53 in a Big 12 game at home in the new Moody Center in Austin.

The Longhorns (13-5, 4-1 Big 12) used a 13-0 run at the outset of the fourth quarter to subdue the Cyclones (11-4, 3-2). 

DeYona Gaston scored 17 points for Texas, while Shaylee Gonzales and Sonya Morris each scored 11, and Rori Harmon scored six and dealt seven assists while grabbing seven rebounds.

Winning 10 of their last 11, the Longhorns have won seven straight in the series.

Ashley Joens scored 21 for Iowa State.

But elsewhere in the conference a week after No. 18 Baylor moved away from the edge of the rankings, beating two ranked teams consecutively on the road, a first for the program, the Bears (12-5, 3-2 Big 12) made it two straight losses to unranked schools, the latest a 74-65 setback at West Virginia (12-4, 3-2) in Morgantown.

The string could cause the media panel to eject Baylor when the new Associated Press rankings are released Monday afternoon, which would end the second longest active and all-time streak in the poll at 365 appearances.

No. 23 Kansas and No. 21 Oregon (13-5, 4-3 PAC-12), which got edged at home 85-84 in overtime by Washington State (13-4, 3-3), are also in danger of being dispatched.

“It’s disappointing, but we just didn’t have enough players have good games tonight,” said Oregon coach Kelly Graves.

In another PAC-12 game where someone had to lose, the opponents both ranked, No. 10 Utah edged No. 14 Arizona 80-79 at home in Salt Lake City when Alissa Pili made two foul shots for the Utes (15-1, 5-1PAC-12) with one second left on the clock.

Arizona (14-4, 4-3) had gone ahead with four seconds left on a shot by Paris Clark with four seconds remaining in regulation. 

Colorado, which beat Arizona, Friday, got a forfeit win over Arizona State, as did Utah, earlier, the Wildcats not having enough healthy players.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 22 North Carolina at home in Chapel Hill became the latest member to upend now No. 11 NC State, the Tar Heels winning 56-47.

Kennedy Todd-Williams had 15 points and Alyssa Ustby grabbed 18 rebounds for UNC (12-5, 3-3 ACC), while the Wolfpack (13-5, 3-4) got 14 points from Jakia Brown-Turner and Camille Hobby scored 13.

 

No. 16 Duke (16-1, 6-0) stayed in first in the ACC, winning at Georgia Tech 65-47 in Atlanta, while Louisville, another early Top 10 team unranked, ruined Florida State’s bid for a ranking with an 82-75 win.

The loss by Stanford kept VanDerveer’s all-time women’s coaching win record at 1,174 and allowed Geno Auriemma to inch closer at 1,163 after No. 4 UConn beat Georgetown 65-50  in a Big East game at the XL Center inHartford.

Aaliyah Edwards had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies (15-2, 8-0 Big East) but Azzi Fudd, recently returned from a right knee injury, left in the first half appearing to hurt it again.

UConn recently had its first DePaul game rescheduled when the squad was below the conference minimum of seven healthy players, the number the Huskies that would return if the leading scorer was again sidelined.

Pending an examination Auriemma said Fudd’s injury “didn’t sound serious” but admitted “we’re back to square one, right?” If she’s sidelined.

UConn was only up one on the Hoyas (8-9, 1-7) at the half but a 20-3 third period run settled the outcome.

The Huskies are at Seton Hall Tuesday.

In the SEC, No. 5 LSU (18-0, 6-0 SEC) stayed unbeaten with South Carolina and the Big Ten’s Ohio State, winning 84-54 over visiting Auburn (10-7, 0-5) in Baton Rouge on a day the Seimone Augustus Statue was unveiled.

“The first female athlete ever in the history of LSU sports to do it,” praised coach Kim Mulkey of the former Tigers and WNBA great as the Tigers continued their best ever start. Angel Reese had 23 points and 15 rebounds and with 18 straight double-doubles she’s one short of the LSU record set by the recently retired WNBA and Olympic great.

“I didn’t know I was breaking these records until you guys mentioned it,” Reese said. 

Also in the SEC, Tennessee, a preseason top five team also unranked, won its seventh straight, beating Georgia 68-55 at home in Thompson-Boiling Arena in Knoxville. 

It was the 50th home win at her alma mater (14-6, 6-0 SEC) for coach Kellie Harper, and Mississippi State transfer Rickea Jackson scored 23 points against the Bulldogs (13-7, 2-4).

“I an excited about the win,” Harper said. “That’s a tough win to get. That is a very physical team, and they are the kind of team that is demanding. I’m really proud of our team for coming out and winning.”

Drexel Trips But No Step Lost in CAA: The Dragons ended the weekend road trip in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) ambushed by a William & Mary squad, which has pulled the same stunt in the past.

In this one at the Kaplan Center in Williamsburg, Va., the host Tribe took a 42-26 lead into the break before Drexel came to life moving within five points in the third period. 

But that’s where the notion of a Villanova redux for the second straight day rallying to win ceased and the hosts pocketed a 74-58 victory.

Consequently the Dragons’ (13-4, 5-1 CAA) unbeaten CAA mark is no more but thanks to longtime area rival and traveling partner Delaware, Drexel, the preseason pick, is still in first.

That’s because the Blue Hens, also on the road, whacked new member North Carolina A&T with its first league loss, 69-52, in Greensboro.

In the Drexel game, Kieshana Washington, second in the nation to Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist, added one more high-powered day to the collection with 27 points.

With her 51st consecutive game scoring 10 or more points she needs to do that one more time Sunday in the next game at Towson to share the school record held by Gabriela Marginean, the all-time scorer in the region, though Siegriest could be threatening that record when March Madness rolls in.

During the game, her 13th this season with 20 or more points, Washington became the sixth player with 200 three-pointers.

Jasmine Valentine had 11 rebounds while Chloe Hodges had a career high 10 points.

William & Mary (7-9, 2-3) got a monster effort from Riley Casey, scoring 31 points, shooting 7-for-14 from beyond the arc. Sydney Wagner scored 19 points.

Drexel’s trip, after a week off, to suburban Baltimore at Towson in the SECU Arena, where the CAA tourney will be held in March, tips at 2 p.m. on Flohoops.

In the Delaware game, the Blue Hens (10-6, 3-2) got 18 points from Kharis Idom while Jewel Smalls shot four from deep for 12 points, and Klarke Sconiers and Rebecca Demke each had 11 points, a personal best for Demke.

Makayla Pippin had 11 rebounds.

The Aggies (11-6, 5-1) got 12 points from Jazmin Harris, while also in double figures, Jordyn Dorsey scored 11 points and D’Mya Tucker scored 10.

The Blue Hens also face Towson this weekend, but at home Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.

Rutgers Streak Slammed by No. 9 Maryland: A Scarlet Knights squad owning a two-game Big Ten win streak ran into a Terrapins bunch in the XFINITY Center in College Park looking to get back to winning ways after a recent loss to Indiana resulting in an 80-56 win by Maryland (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten). It’s the seventh straight series win while completing a season sweep.

Maryland is also 13-1 against Rutgers (8-11, 2-5) since both joined the Big Ten in 2014-15 from the ACC and Big East, respectively.

“I thought we got back to who we are on both ends of the floor,” said Maryland coach Brenda Frese, “forcing turnovers defensively and sharing the ball on offense.”

The Terrapins forced 17 turnovers in the first half, 23 overall leading to 19 points, while in the second half Vanderbilt transfer Brinae Alexander scored 14 of her 20 points and joined the 1,000-point career club.

Diamond Miller had 17 points and six rebounds while tying a personal best five steals, while Princeton transfer Abby Meyers scored 14, and Shyanne Miller scored 12.

Rutgers’ Chyna Cornwell had 15 points and 13 rebounds, while freshman Kaylene Smikle scored 21.

The Scarlet Knights on Thursday on the Big Ten Network, at 8:30 p.m, in Piscataway, N.J., host No. 17 Michigan, the ranking number likely to change Monday afternoon with the new poll.

Looking Ahead: Monday afternoon, the birth date of Martin Luther King, the Ivies match the traveling partners, meaning Penn, the sole unbeaten in conference play in early action, takes its overall 11 game win streak to Princeton for another showdown involving the elites as the two meet at 2 p.m. in Jadwin Gym on both ESPN+ and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, locally, both at 7 p.m., Temple hosts Tulsa for an American Athletic Conference game in the Liacouras Center on ESPN+ while in the Big East, Villanova hosts Xavier on Flohoops in Finneran Pavilion as Maddy Siegriest moves on the remaining 45 points needed to make her the Wildcats’ all-time career scorer.

UConn in the Big East likely to move up to No. 3 Monday in the AP Poll, off a reschedule two days earlier, visits Seton Hall in Walsh Gym at 7 p.m. in South Orange, N.J.

Wednesday features the second part of the local Atlantic 10 rivalry at 7 p.m. as Saint Joseph’s goes for a sweep when La Salle visits Hagan Arena on ESPN+

Elsewhere in the A-10 a key match has reigning champion UMass visiting Fordham in Rose Hill Gym at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Penn State hosts Minnesota in the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m., the Big Ten Golden Gophers seeking a sweep, while in the Patriot League Lehigh hosts Loyola, Md., at 6 p.m. in Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa., and at 7 p.m. Lafayette hosts American U. In the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa., both airing on ESPN+.

And that’s the report.