The Guru NCAAW National Report: Watkins Scores 31 Leading No. 4 USC over Michigan While Norfolk State of the MEAC Stuns SEC Auburn on the Road

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

It was a one-game week for America due to the break for Christmas but what a one-game list for the roundup from Sunday.

Since conference play got under way in many places and we’re already in breakout mode from the locals due to volume, that’s the way we’ll recap.

And so we begin with MEAC contender Norfolk State, who bagged another Southeastern Conference team, a road win at Auburn 63-57 as graduate guard Diamond Johnson scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, swiped four steals, and dished three assists, while Da’Brya Clark added 15 points to the attack.

The Spartans (12-4) shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and owed the boards for the game 42-33.

Norfolk State previously won at Missouri 57-54 during the season’s opening week and in December went 5-1.

Auburn (9-4) wasted a 29-point, 12-rebound performance from Deyona Gaston, while Mar’shaun Bostic added 11 points and eight assists.

Johnson was an individual USBWA honoree the opening week of the season for the win over Missouri.

Watkins keeps the big in Big Ten

In the wake of realignment Sundays will never be the same in the Big Ten, especially when Southern Cal is tipping off at 10 p.m. (that’s later than recent games in the PAC-12).

Now that last season’s USBWA national freshman of the year is among a handful of players such as Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers are in the same aura under which Iowa’s Caitlin Clark grew beyond greatest it is not safe to sign off for the night until these stars have completed their games on the schedule.

Sure enough, in No. 4 Southern Cal’s 78-58 win over No. 23 Michigan in the Galen Center, Watkins scored a game-high 31 points with five boards seven assists, three steals and three blocks. The Los Angeles sophomore also was 13-14 on the line while in the game teammate and Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen scored 18 points for the Trojans (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten).

Michigan (10-3, 1-1) got 19 points from Jordan Hobbs, while Greta Kampschroeder added 14 points and Olivia Olson scored11.

Michigan, which lost to all three ranked team opponents, next stops at No. 1 UCLA on Wednesday, the second time facing the No. 1 team after being edged opening day by Southern Cal.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 8 Maryland had to squelch a late rally from No. 19 Michigan State (11-2, 1-1) before emerging with a 72-66 win at home in the XIFINITY Center in College Park.

Rutgers transfer Kaylene Smikle had 19 points for the Terrapins (12-0, 2-0), one of eight remaining teams unbeaten and four in the Big Ten, including UCLA, Ohio State and Southern Cal.

Michigan State was down 17 in the second quarter, eventually rallied to tie late before the Terrapins broke away on Saylor Poffenberger’s shot from deep to win it.

Villanova transfer Christine Dalce sealed it with a layup with 36.3 seconds left and then grabbed a steal on the next Spartans possession.

Maryland was hounded into 25 turnovers but made big plays at the end of preserve the win.

As mentioned, Maryland and Rutgers hook up on Thursday while Michigan State hosts Purdue on Wednesday, New Year’s Day.

No. 1 UCLA (13-0, 2-0) at home in Pauley Pavilion in Westwood in Los Angeles easily won 91-54 over Nebraaska (10-3, 1-1), which fell out of the rankings last week.

Lauren Betts, a Stanford transfer who missed the two previous games due to an injury in the game at Long Beach State, scored 21 points for the Bruins, while Kiki Rice scored 18.

The Huskers got 12 from Amiah Hargrove.

It was Cori Close’s 300th victory in Westwood, now in her 14th season after being 300-140.

The UCLA defense shut down Alexis Markowski from her team high 15 point and 8.3 rebound average to three points and two boards.

The Huskers visit Southern Cal on Wednesday.

No. 24 Iowa (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) routed visiting Purdue (7-6, 0-2) at Hawkeye-Carver Arena 84-63 in Iowa City as nine players had a balanced attack, each scoring nine. Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen scored six, After the Penn State visit Wednesday, coach Jan Jensen’s team is back home Sunday with Maryland.

Miles Makes ACC History with No. 3 Notre Dame

Olivia Miles had the first back-to-back triple double in history with the Irish (11-2, 2-0) scoring 11 points, grabbing 10 boards and dealing 14 assists in a 95-54 win over Virginia (8-6, 0-2) at home in South Bend, Ind. While explosive scoring from sophomore Hannah Hidalgo with 28 points for the Merchantville (N.J.) sophomore from suburban Philadelphia.

Sonia Citron scored 25, including five makes from deep, and had 11 boards.

On the sidelines, Niele Ivey came up with her 100th win that occurred in her five seasons coaching her alma mater.

The Cavaliers in one stretch were scoreless for 11:44 without connecting with a basket.

Virginia will host Wake Forest Thursday and ND travels to No. 17 North Carolina in Chapel Hill Sunday.

The Tar Heels (13-2, 1-1) were on the road Sunday winning 69-60 at Miami (11-2, 1-1) in Coral Gables as Maria Gakdeng scored 21 and grabbed 12 boards while Alyssa Ustby had 19 points and 13 rebounds.

The Hurricanes had won four straight and got 19 points with 11 rebounds and five assists from Hannah Cavinder.

No. 22 North Carolina State (10-3, 2-0) trailed most of the way against visiting Clemson (8-5, 1-1) before the Wolfpack rallied for an 83-79 victory as Zoe Brooks scored 18, Aziaha James scores 15 and Saniyah Rivers scored 12 of her 14 in the second half in the game at home at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

No. 13 Georgia Tech extended its best unbeaten start to 14-0, including 2-0 in the ACC, winning 100-61 as Karah Dunn had a season-high 28 points, while freshman Dani Carnegie has a new personal best with 24 points in a 100-61 rout Pitt.

The Yellow Jackets are two short of their best-ever ranking at 11 in February, 2022.

Syracuse visits Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Thursday, while Pitt on Sunday is at No. 14 Duke.

No. 7 UConn Routs Providence as Beckers Scores 23

 Eight days after losing to then-No. 7 Southern Cal, the Huskies (11-2, 2-0) returned to Big East play and dominated Providence 67-41 playing in their second home at the XL Center in Hartford.

Paige Bueckers scored 23 as Geno Auriemma’s NCAA record for wins increased to 11-2, 2-0 in the Big East. Freshman Sarah Strong had 14 points against the Friars (7-8, 0-2).

UConn next plays

Azzi Fudd had eight points in 24 minutes and freshman redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy also made her first start.

UConn is at Marquette Wednesday.

South Carolina Wins Last Nonconference Game Ahead of SEC Wars

The No. 2 Gamecocks (12-1) used a 17-0 run in the second quarter to go on to a 93-47 victory over Woford (6-5) winning their 65th straight home game in Columbia as freshman Joyce Edwards scored 16 points.

South Carolina next opens play in the Southeastern Conference at Missouri Thursday.

With the exception of Auburn stunned by Norfolk State all the SEC teams won on Sunday shaking their rust off, including new members No. 5 Texas (13-1), which beat visiting UT Rio Grande 94-35 in Austin as Kyla Oldacre scored 21 points, and next plays its former Big 12 rival No. 9 Oklahoma (12-1) Thursday in Norman at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Sooners got ready for the Longhorns by beating New Mexico State 82-64 as Oregon State transfer had 19 points and 12 boards.

No. 6 LSU (15-0) trailed Albany at the half before rallying home in Baton Rouge to win 83-61 as Aneesah Morrow had 20 points and 18 rebounds. Mikaylah Williams added 18 points, Flau’Jae Johnson collected 15 points and nine boards as the Tigers tied their second best start in history.

LSU on Thursday will open its SEC race at Arkansas.

No. 15 Tennessee at home in Knoxville rolled over Winthrop 114-50 as the Lady Vols improved to 12-0 for the seventh time in program history as Sarah Puckett scored 17 points and Ruby Whitehorn scored 16.

New coach Kim Campbell gets her first taste of the SEC Thursday at Texas A&M and then hosts Oklahoma Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN.

No. 20 Alabama beat visiting Jacksonville 93-46 as Aaliyah Nye hada personal best 30 points and matching career-high eight makes from deep for the Crimson Tide (13-1), who open hosting Florida Thursday.

Vanderbilt beat Alabama A&M 93-64 at home in Nashville to improve to 13-1 with the Commodores hosting Georgia Thursday.

In games elsewhere, Columbia (9-4) won easily 73-53 at Towson with Riley Weiss scoring 22 points the Lions grabbed 60 rebounds as they head to Penn Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).

South Florida after its win last week over Duke opened its play as the AAAC favorite winning at Rice 74-64 in in Houston as Sammi Puisis scored 23 for the Bulls (8-6, 1-0), who next host Charlotte Wednesday in Tampa.

Fairleigh Dickinson continued a two-day sweep winning its MTE event which predetermined matches on the week and concluding with a 63-49 triumph of Bryant.

And that’s the roundup.