The Guru NCAAW Report: Hidalgo’ 30 Helps No. 10 Notre Dame Upset No. 4 Texas; The Women’s Inaugural Big Five Classic Tips Today

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

The NCAA tourney or with all that occurs at those moments in time – March Madness – may be months away but a similar flavor entitled the ACC/SEC Challenge was quite a delight Thursday night with a pile of ranked teams going at each other.

The 10-game slate concluding the second of the two nights featured two overtimes – No. 10 Notre Dame reversing direction from two straight upset losses in the tropics last weekend and becoming the attacker at home in South Bend (Ind.) beating No. 4 Texas 80-70 while unranked Stanford whittled a chance at a shocker as No. 5 LSU saved itself at the end of regulation and prevailed 94-88 in overtime in Baton Rouge.

On the ACC side what Stanford failed to do as a new member, its former PAC-12 traveling partner from the Bay area California at home in Berkeley succeeded by upending No. 19 Alabama 69-65.

No. 16 North Carolina at home in Chapel Hill by ranking number upset No. 14 Kentucky 72-53.

But on the side of the SEC, whose 4-2 edge Wednesday night helped claim bragging rights with a 6-4 result Thursday to make it 10-6, the unranked representatives helped carry the majority with Auburn 66-57 at Virginia; Arkansas 75-64 over visiting Boston College; Florida 77-64 at Clemson; and Missouri at home winning 68-61 over visiting SMU, another ACC newbie.

That made up for only the LSU win and No. 3 South Carolina winning 81-70 over visiting No. 8 Duke among the ranked teams in the SEC, joining new member No. 11 Oklahoma who rallied Wednesday over No. 22 Louisville. The overall w-l just among ranked conference teams made it 3-4 in the SEC and 2-2 in the ACC since they all didn’t play each other.

The one ranked team outside the conference battles Thursday saw No. 13 Kansas State (9-1) at home in Manhattan destroy SC Upstate 110-24 as the Wildcats’ Serena Sundells scored 26 points grabbed 10 rebounds and dealt a career-high 13 assists for their first triple double since the fifth one from Shalee Lehning 15 years ago.

The differential eclipsed a 78-point win over Arkansas Pine Bluff (115-37) nearly 22 years ago. The Wildcats had more field goals (28) than the opponent had points, and the Spartans had more turnovers (32) than points.

Taryn Sides had personal bests of seven three-balls and 23 points. Ayoka Lee, who set the school career scoring record last game, did not play as the Wildcats jumped to a 25-0 lead and were up 50-13 at the half.

Kansas State is at Texas A&M on Sunday.

Hidalgo Helps Notre Dame Unhook Texas ‘Horns

Looking more like the team that was unbeaten before last weekend’s disaster that dropped the Irish (5-2) from 3rd to 10th, Merchantville’s Hannah Hidalgo scored 30 points, though the road back to victory was not easy.

Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron each scored 18 for the Irish, still awaiting several key players to return from injuries.

Texas (7-1), which was hit with its first loss, got 20 points from Madison Booker, who held preseason all-America status as did Hidalgo. Shay Holle scored 14 and Kyla Oldacre scored 13 for Texas, which came over with Oklahoma from the Big 12 to the SEC this season.

The Irish appeared to have won the game when Miles scored for a 68-66 lead with two seconds left in regulation but Liatu King, a transfer from Pitt who had 10 points, was called for a foul on the inbounds play and Rori Harmon, who missed most of last season from an injury, sank two from the line to send the game into overtime.

Texas went up 70-68 in the extra period but then shot blanks, nine straight, and the home team rode a 76-70 lead on the way to victory.

Texas plays Sunbelt favorite James Madison Sunday while Notre Dame opens ACC play on the road the same day at Syracuse.

LSU Rallies snd Thwarts Stanford Upset Bid

The Cardinal got their feet wet deep in SEC Country and stayed afloat until the very end of regulation when the tide turned from No. 5 LSU and Mikaylah Williams, who knotted the score with 4.3 seconds left and sent it into overtime.

Ball control was a problem for Stanford (7-2) not surviving with Williams getting six of 14 points from LSU (10-0) in the extra period and finishing with 32 overall.

Kailyn Gilbert scored 25 off the bench and Flau’Jae Johnson scored 21.

Stanford’s Nunu Agara scored 29 with 13 boards for a double-double while Brooke Demetre scored 19, Elena Bosgana collected 16 and Jzaniya Harriel scored 15.

LSU next plays Grambling in Bossier City, La., Sunday, while Stanford is off until next Friday when it’s a short trip across the San Francisco Bay to Berkeley and play California in what will be an ACC opener.

Upsets Thy Name

When the Cardinal get there, they’ll find a Golden Bears (8-1) squad feeling pretty good assuming it doesn’t trip at Pacific Saturday.

Kayla Williams scored 21 leading the way to a 69-65 win over visiting No. 19 Alabama (9-1), the season’s first loss for the Crimson Tide.

Ionna Krimili had 19 points and Mara Suarez scored 16 as Cal has now beaten four NCAA tournament teams from last season, though the Bears themselves last appeared in 2019.

Zaay Green had 28 for Alabama, while Essence Cody scored 13 and Karly Weathers scored 12.

It was just the second meeting between the schools, the last being at a Thanksgiving Tourney in Chicago won by the Tide in 2000.

Alabama is off until hosting Murray State Dec. 15.

NC State, which got bounced from the poll this week, made a bid to quickly return in upsetting No. 18 Ole Miss 68-61 at home in Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.

Zoe Brooks scored 19 for the Wolfpack (5-3), while Zamareya Jones scored 14, Aziaha James had 11 points, and Saniya Rivers scored 10.

The Rebels (5-3) got 15 points from Madison Scott, while Tameiya Sadler scored 14, and Kennedy Todd-Williams had 12 points.

On Sunday Ole Miss will host Tennessee State which is now coached by former WNBA and Temple great Candice Dupree. NC State will greet Old Dominion.

No. 16 North Carolina (8-1), whose only loss has been to No. 2 Connecticut got 18 points from Reniya Kelly with six assists, and Maria Gakdeng had16 points and nine boards in a 72-53 win over No. 14 Kentucky (7-1), adding to the number of unbeaten teams victimized on Thursday, this one surviving at a coaches’ reunion.

New Wildcats coach Kenny Brooks crossed paths with the Tar Heels’ Courtney Banghart annually in the ACC wars when he was at Virginia Tech.

Alyssa Ustby had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Kentucky got got 17 points from Dazia Lawrence, while Amelia Hassett had 13 points and 13 boards. Georgia Amoore, who followed Brooks to Lexington, was held to 10 while Clara Strack, the leading scorer (18.3) was held to four points.

Streaking Gamecocks

No. 3 South Carolina (8-1) is still holding on to some streaks – the 81-70 win over No. 8 Duke (8-2) in Columbia was the 62nd straight at home.

Chloe Kitts matched her personal best with 21 points and grabbed 11 boards.

Dawn Staley’s bunch led by as many as 25 points in the second half before the Blue Devils (8-2) launched a rally within nine before Kitts turned off the faucet to preserve the win.

Delaney Thomas and Taina Mair each scored 14 for the visitors.

Duke opens ACC play Sunday at home against Virginia Tech while S.C. Travels to Fort Worth to play No. 9 TCU The same day.

The Local Scene

The only game saw Rider make a short trip in Central New Jersey to Monmouth (3-6) where the Broncs fell 52-36 in West Long Branch.

Damaris Rodriguez scored 14 points, while reserve Divine Dibula scored 12 with eight boards, and Ella Farrellyhad 9 points and 10 rebounds forMonmouth.

No one scored in double figures for Rider (1-6), Mariona Cos-Morales and La Salle transfer Gabby Turco each scored eight points.

The Broncs on Sunday host Fairleigh Dickinson at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).

LOOKING AHEAD – THE BIG 5 CLASSIC ARRIVES

The day of local history is here on which the inaugural women’s tripleheader will be held at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion. The entire event will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus with Steve Pinone and Christine Motta on the call.

The 5th place game tips at 3:30 p.m. between Penn and La Salle.

The 3rd place game between Saint Joseph’s and Drexel is at 5:45 p.m.

The title game between Villanova and Temple is at 8 p.m.

The only other action has Ivy favorite Princeton across the country in the Northwest playing at Portland in Oregon at 9 p.m. (ESPN+).

Nationally, on Saturday the action turns to Brooklyn at the Barclays Center for the Women’s Champion Classic doubleheader on FOX.

Tennessee plays No. 17 Iowa at 7 p.m., and Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen on the Hawkeyes in the Midwest is expected back in action after missing two games in the tropics when she fell and suffered a gash in her knee at practice before the event got under way.

At 9 p.m. No. 2 Connecticut plays No. 22 Louisville.

Feeling a (WNBA Expansion) Draft

At 6:30 p.m. on ESPN the expansion draft for next summer’s new WNBA Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco will air – details are at the website. Two more teams come on board in 2027 in Toronto and Portland.

Golden State gets to pick one unprotected player from each of the existing 12 teams currently in the league.