The Guru National Report: Upsets Abound in the Pac-12 and Elsewhere

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

To reverse a famous Oscar Award-winning tune, always on Sunday appears to be the way of life concerning upsets in women’s basketball.

 

Consider on Friday’s overnight report it was noted things had calmed down in the Pac-12.

 

Not so much 48-hours later, except at No. 6 soon to be Top 5 Stanford where the Cardinal routed host Arizona 96-64 extending Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer’s record career collegiate win total to 1205.

 

That’s an increase of one to eight over Geno Auriemma (1197) at UConn who is in third overall behind retired Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski and second in the women’s category.

 

Cameron Brink had 25 points and 19 rebounds in 25 minutes for the league leaders (19-2, 8-1).

 

“Credit to my guards, they do a great job of getting me the ball,” Brink said.

 

Kiki Iriafen scored 21 with nine rebounds while Hannah Jump rode four makes from deep for 15 points and Jzaniya Harriel scored 14.

 

Courtney Blake had a career-high 24for the Wildcats (11-10, 3-6), who in 2021 was edged by Stanford in the NCAA title game.

 

Stanford hosts No. 11 Southern Cal (14-4, 4-4), which was shocked at home Sunday 62-59 by Washington.

 

Former Penn star Kayla Padilla had 20 points, shooting 6-9 on threes, and rookie JuJu Watkins scored 19.

 

Lauren Schwartz scored 21 for Washington (13-6, 3-5) while Dalayah Daniels had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

 

“It's the first time I thought we came out and said, ‘We’re wearing USC on our jerseys and therefore we're going to win,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “You can't win like that.”

 

Things didn’t go any better across town in Los Angeles for No. 2 UCLA, which was similarly stunned by Washington State in Pauley Pavilion 85-82, the first win ever over a No. 2 ranked team for the Cougars (15-6, 4-4), who nearly suffered a blown 20-point lead.

 

The winners likely suffered worse with Charlisse Leger-Walker with 17 points at the time leaving with a serious looking non-contact leg injury.

 

Bella MUrekatete had 20 points and eight rebounds for the visitors and Eleonora Villa scored 18.

 

“To beat number two, that's a program changer,” Cougars coach Kammie Etheridge said. “It’s not something we talked about before, but I love how we competed.”

 

Kiki Rice scored 25 while Charisma Osbourne had 20 for the Bruins (16-3, 5-3).

 

No. 25 Oregon State made it an upset sweep of visiting ranked Pac-12 teams, beating No. 16 Utah 91-66 in Corvallis as Reagan Beers scored 20 points for the Beavers (17-3, 6-3), while Donovyn Hunter had 17 points and 10 assists, and reserve Timea Gardiner had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

 

Alissa Pili had 28 points for Utah (15-6, 5-4).

 

The Beavers beat No. 3 Colorado 68-62 but the Buffaloes (16-3, 6-2) salvaged a weekend split beating host Oregon 61-48 in Eugene as Aaronette Vonleh had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

 

In the Atlantic Coast Conference host Virginia home in Charlottesville beat No. 20 North Carolina 81-66 in Charlottesville as freshman Kymora Johnson scored 25 and Sam Brunelle had 15 for the Cavaliers (10-10, 2-7). 

 

Reniya Kelly scored 20 for UNC (15-6, 7-2).

 

In the Southeastern Conference while No. 1 South Carolina (19-0, 7-0) stayed unbeaten, the only team in the nation as such, topping Vanderbilt 91-74 at home in Columbia as Kamilla Cardoso scored 23 points, elsewhere, in a game between two former ranked teams, Ole Miss beat Tennessee 80-75 at home in Oxford as Marquesha Davis had 23 for the Rebels (15-5, 5-2), offsetting the 30 Jewel Spear had for the Lady Vols (12-7, 5-2).

Looking Head: On Monday night in their first game since Thursday’s loss to visiting South Carolina, a game that outdrew an NBA contest in head-to-head viewership, the LSU Tigers visit Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Also on Monday at 4 p.m. a Patriot League contest between contending Boston U. and hosting Holy Cross, the league leaders, airs on CBSSN.

On Wednesday, Iowa whose Caitlin Clark is close to passing two more all-timers on the NCAA career scoring list in the top five visits Northwestern at 8 p.m. in Peacock.

 

And that’s the national report.