The Guru Report: Ups and Downs From Black Friday Action

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

For some teams such as No. 6 UConn down in the Cayman Islands Classic it was more like Blackout Friday as yet another team put a first-ever win on the Huskies 78-67 by No. 2 UCLA who cashed in on the Bruins’ holiday trip.

 

Out in Las Vegas No. 4 Stanford once more showed what a mistake that No. 15 preseason ranking was in the Associated Press preseason poll beating No. 13 Florida State 100-88 to claim the Ball Dawgs Classic championship.

 

Missouri Valley Conference contender Belmont beat Northwestern 83-61 for third place, one of the few holiday events using a true tournament format.

 

The two locals playing on Friday did not fare well, Delaware losing in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase 83-68 though not a surprise in the Sunshine State, while Rutgers flamed out at the finish if a tight game losing to Texas Tech 79-72 in the South Point Classic in Las Vegas.

 

The one ranked team playing one not ranked that did not escape was No. 20 Louisville falling to Alabama 78-73 in the Betty Chancellor Classic in Katy, Texas, near Houston.

 

Close calls were recorded by No. 18 North Carolina with a 54-51 win over America East contender Vermont in a later Gulf Coast Showcase round, No. 25 Mississippi State edged Clemson, 81-78, in the Van Chancellor Classic, while No. 9 Virginia Tech nipped Kansas 59-58 in another game in the Cayman Islands Classic.

 

And yes, it might be a first with two tournaments side-by-side in the names of retired Hall of Fame coach Van Chancellor, who had success at Ole Miss, winning the first four WNBA titles with the former Houston Comets, and an Olympic gold medal; and his wife Betty.

 

Logging the Locals: Just to get them into the recordand not lose them in all the national news, in the Delaware game, both teams got off to a slow start, but after the Blue Hens (1-2) built a five-point lead, FGCU (4-1) went on a 14-0 run until Chloe Wilson’s shot from deep ended the drought to trail 19-13 as the quarter ended.

 

Wilson made it a three-point game with another from deep at the outset of the second quarter, but another run by the opposition widened the advantage to 11 and while Delaware got it back to single digits, FGCU hit the break with a 47-33 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.

 

Delaware’s Tara Cousins had a game-high 22 points, while Wilson, Mia Yanogacio, and Sydney Boone each scored 11 points.

 

Maddie Antenucci had 20 points for FGCU, while the Eagles’ Uju Ezeudu and Dolly Cairns each scored 15, and reserve Brylee Bartrum scored 11.

 

The win sent the Eagles into Saturday’s semifinals against No. 5 Iowa, which beat Purdue-Ft. Wayne 98-59.

 

In that game Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year for the NCAA runnerup Hawkeyes (5-1), scored 29 points in 23 minutes.

 

The Mastadons (2-2), who played Delaware in a consolation semifinals game Saturday got 16 points from Amelia Bromenschenkel.

 

Clark is now the active NCAA career leader in points, scoring average, made 3-pointers and attempted, free throws made and attempted, assists and triple doubles.

 

On the other side of the bracket, since we’re here, besides the North Carolina result, No. 16 Kansas State beat Western Kentucky 77-61, putting the Wildcats (5-0) in the other semifinal, and the Hilltoppers (5-2) against Vermont (3-2) in the other consolation semifinal.

 

Kansas State’s Serena Sundell scored 21 points and Ayoka Lee scored 16.

 

In the UNC game, Vermont had a nine-point lead 48-39 in the fourth quarter with 4:36 left in regulation when the Tar Heels (5-0) went on a 13-1 run to go ahead.

 

The Catamounts’ Emma Utterbeck cut the lead to a point with a shot and 42 seconds left.

 

Deja Kelly, who had 10 of her 18 points in the final period, went 1-2 from the line but got an offensive rebound. After a timeout, Lexi Donarski got fouled, went to the line, made 1-of-2 and Vermont couldn’t get a shot off.

 

Alyssa Ustby added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the winners.

 

Utterbeck scored 18 for Vermont.

 

Back to the other locally involved game, Rutgers led most of the first half in a closely fought contest in which both the Scarlet Knights (3-4) and Texas Tech (6-0) suffered droughts, but Rutgers ahead 42-39 at the break.

 

The teams were tied 50-50 going into the final quarter.

 

Jasmine Shavers with a three and a layup gave Texas Tech a 63-59 lead with five minutes left in regulatio, Rutgers being scoreless two-and-a-half minutes.

 

It was a one-point game with 1:56 left then Bailey Maupin nailed from deep with 1:30 remaining.

 

She went 1-for-2 from the line with 45 seconds left but Tech got a rebound and she made two more from the line to make it 75-70 with 41 seconds left.

 

Kassondra Brown score for Rutgers with 25 seconds left but Maupin made two more with 20 seconds left.

 

Rutgers then turned it over snd Ashley Chevalier closed the scoring with two more from the line.

 

Shavers had 28 points and Maupin 24 for Texas Tech while Rutgers’ Kaylene Smikle scored 20, Destiny Adams collected 13, and Brown scored 11.

 

Rutgers plays one more at 9:30 p.m. against Boise State Saturday night.

 

The National Scene: There was a time in her freshman season on the way to national player of the year that Paige Bueckers being the show at UConn went a long way.

 

Now back from missing a year to a knee injury she appears to be not nearly enough.

 

Especially with No. 2 UCLA firing 12 from deep as the Bruins (5-0) beat the Huskies (3-2) for the first time in the first day of action in the Cayman Islands Classic in George Town in the tropics.

 

Kiki Rice had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists for UCLA, while Charisma Osborne had 18 and Stanford transfer Lauren Betts scored 13.

 

“We really were confident that if we executed the game plan, that we were going to win,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “I say that with great respect (for Connecticut) but I really believe in what this team is building.

 

“I didn't really think we played our best basketball - we really had some moments we really need to clean up - but really proud of this next step and who we're becoming.”

 

UCLA built a 23-point lead in the second half.

 

Bueckers scored a gain-high 31 for the Huskies.

 

“You can't beat a really good team with one player,” said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, whose team plays Kansas Saturday night before going home while UCLA will play Niagara, the favorite in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

 

“It was disappointing that we didn't get more contributions from more people. Our combinations or are all screwed up right now, so that's got to get sorted out. We struggled, we had our runs, we just didn't have enough.”

 

UCLA went up 19 in the first half, but the Huskies rallied to come within five points at the half.

 

It was the first game UConn played without Azzi Fudd who recently was diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury. Caroline Ducharme, suffering with concussion issues, was also out of the lineup.

 

Meanwhile Stanford (6-0) passed another test with its win over Florida State as Kiki Iriafen had 30 points and 17 rebounds. The Cardinal trailed the Seminoles (5-1) by seven points early before rallying to deal them their first loss.

 

Cameron Brink had 19 points, nine rebounds, and six blocked shots, while Hannah Jump scored 17 and Elena Bosgana scored 16.

 

Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, the reigning USBWA national freshman of the year from last season, scored 23 points.

 

“We got tired. We couldn't defend them,” said Seminoles coach Brooke Wyckoff. “We were outmatched in the paint, we’re undersized and it takes a lot of energy.”

 

Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer extended her NCAA women’s career record to 1,192, now nine more than UConn’s Auriemma and close to the combined mark of 1,202 by retired Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski.

 

Other Worthy Friday Results: Gonzaga 102-59 over Liberty in the Betty Chancellor Classic; Toledo 74-73 over SMU in the San Diego Classic; Creighton 83-69 over Michigan State in the Cancun Challenge; Richmond 77-43 over Maine in the Drake Thanksgiving Classic; Arizona State 66-49 over South Florida in the Paradise Jam.

 

That’s the report – we’re caught up – the Saturday action coming in the overnight.