The Guru NCAAW Report: Penn Suffers Tough Narrow Loss at Arizona State; Portland Loses Perfect Record in Overtime to Oregon State

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

With Delaware’s visit to Harvard cancelled Monday due to the Blue Hens’ lack of players, attention shifts to the other local in action where Penn came close to a shocker threatening an upset of Arizona State until the closing minutes with the Sun Devils edging away to a 73-67 victory.

It was the first meeting of the two programs and played as the first collegiate basketball game in Arizona State’s Mullett Arena, which opened in 2022 for a variety of sports.

Two streaks concluded — the five-game win streak for Penn (8-4) and the three-game slide for Arizona State (6-7), which is about to become deeply involved in the Big 12 having broken away from the PAC-12 with Arizona, Colorado and Utah, the latter two actually returning to a former home.

It was a close affair with eight ties and 11 lead changes with Penn ahead during most of it but not at the end.

The Sun Devils are coached by former Delaware coach Natasha Adair.

Quakers freshman Katie Collins had 16 points and 11 boards, while reaching a personal best six assists. Mataya Gayle, playing all 40 minutes, had 10 points and five boards.

Stina Almqvist had 21 points, shooting 9-14 from the field.

Nevaeh Parkinson for the Sun Devils had 22 points and13 boards, while Jyah Lovett had 16 points and former Blue Hen Ty Skinner scoring 12.

Penn led as late as 65-64 with 4:22 left in regulation, but then the Quakers couldn’t find the hoop the rest of the way, losing on a closing 9-1run.

The Quakers, the trip partially for freshman Sarah Miller from the Phoenix area, complete road action Tuesday playing Benedectine Mesa and then come home to open Ivy play Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in The Palestra hosting contender Columbia.

On the small national slate Monday, No. 25 Ole Miss at home in Oxford easily beat Alcorn State 93-41 as Starr Jacobs scored 14 for the Rebels (10-3), Sira Thienou and Tameiya Sadler each added 13 points.

The home team dominated the paint 56-16.

Ole Miss opens play in the SEC on Thursday visiting Texas A&M in College Station.

Elsewhere out West, Washington State, a PAC-12 refugee in the West Coast Conference, won 74-66 at Pacific as Eleonora Villa scored 20, while Astera Tuhina scored 16 off 5-10 from the field and three makes from deep; while reserves Jenna Villa scored 13 with five boards and Alex Covill scored 12 for the Cougars (8-6).

But the big story on Guru news to paraphrase old time local TV news, now its down to seven unbeatens in Division I after the other match in the WCC between a Pac-12 immigrant and long-time WCC squad member, saw Oregon State (6-8) remove the perfect record of Portland (14-1) with a 76-72 win in overtime.

Kelsey Rees, a senior member of the Beavers, scored 25 points with 12 boards, AJ Marotte scored 14, while Tiara Bolden and Catarina Ferreira each scored 10 with Ferreira also added 10 boards for a double-double.

The Pilots got 21 each from Maisie Burnham and Emme Shearer.

The Beavers next host Loyola Marymount at at 6 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+, while the Pilots Thursday host preseason favorite Gonzaga (7-8) at 9 p.m. (ESPN+).

Looking Ahead

On Tuesday, with Penn out west for one more, the Quakers’ Ivy partner Princeton (8-4) will undergo its league tuneup facing Le Moyne at noon home in Jadwin Gym.

Nationally, key games on the New Year’s Eve slate, has Washington at Illinois at 1 p.m. on the league network; a Big 12 meeting between Utah and host Arizona at 1 p.m. at 2 p.m.; Oregon at Northwestern at 3 p.m. on the league network.

On Wednesday, New Year’s Day, locally, No. 23 Iowa is at Penn State in the middle of the state at 1 p.m.; while in the AAC East Carolina is at Temple at 4 p.m. (ESPN+) and Seton Hall in the Big East is at Villanova at 8:30 p.m. in Finneran Pavilion.