The Guru NCAAW Report: Temple, Villanova, Drexel and Penn State Suffer Setbacks; Georgia Tech and Michigan State Set Program Record Starts

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – The one tenet people talk about involving area D-I teams is the diversity of their makeup.

On Sunday afternoon, of the five games played, four locals lost in distinctly different ways while the one that won, considering the record, it is difficult yet to get a handle on its true prospects.

Here at Temple’s Liacouras Center the Owls fell to No. 15 West Virginia 68-46, besides being a moderate underdog, reverting from their recent Big 5 champion win over Villanova to be unable to make shots while also running into turnover problems.

Down South Drexel lost 101-51 at Florida State because of the visiting Dragons’ disparity between being a quality mid-major but some steps below the Power Four operation of the Seminoles.

Penn State fell 68-65 at Kansas in a case of two Power Fours that could be considered closer together with the host Jayhawks finding a way to win.

In the case of Villanova, the comparison is similar to the one above except its two mid-majors and in this instance with visiting James Madison winning 71-67 at Finneran Pavilion, one can easily say while the Sunbelt favorites found a way to prevail, the Wildcats found yet another way to lose.

Rutgers at home in Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J., dominated nearby Wagner 86-48 but the outcome is tempered with the Scarlet Knights being a Power Four out of the Big Ten and Wagner a low mid-major from the Northeast Conference.

Then there was the x-factor of this time of year with teams either emerging or still in the middle of finals in which some focus to game plans gets shifted more to life in the classroom.

For the details we begin at the one we eye witnessed here on North Broad Street at Temple where Diane Richardson went straight to the chase.

“It was a tough game against a very tough team,” she said. “We did some things well according to the scout. We didn’t shoot the ball very well today. That was our Achilles heel. Against a tough team, it’s hard to respond.”

The visiting Mountaineers (10-1) saw the game as a shakedown cruise heading into Big 12 competition where they will be one of a few at the top tier of the conference.

“We needed to go for a true road game against a quality opponent, a top 100, that type,” said West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg. “We started slow, we hadn’t played in nine days, and they changed defenses in what they traditionally play.”

Kyah Watson had a game-high 15 points with 10 rebounds while JJ Quinerly had 11 points and seven boards. Reserve Celia Riviere had a personal best 12 points with eight boards.

Jordan Harrison scored 11 and Sydney Shaw was a fifth Mountaineer in double figures wwith 10 points.

West Virginia shot 41.7 percent from the floor, but Temple (5-4) was reduced to 24.2 percent.

Despite the Owls’ struggles they still had a shot until the Mountaineers jumped to a 40-24 lead in the third quarter.

Tiarra East, responsible for leading the attack that landed the Big 5 crown, was the sole Temple player in double figures, scoring 15 points.

Richardson scheduled a strong non-conference slate knowing her team will be a bigger target from American Athletic Conference foes after being regular season tri-champions.

They finish out of league this Saturday and Sunday opening in California’s Raising the B.A.R. Tourney in Berkeley against Xavier, a former rival when both were in the Atlantic 10.

On Sunday, they’ll face either Fordham or the host Golden Bears, who set a program record with 18 three-pointers Friday night in ending a 12-game losing streak against Bay Area-rival Stanford, both now having moved from the dismantled PAC-12 to the Big Ten.

By design in the tourney’s theme, from Cal coach Charmin Smith, all four coaches are Black.

In Penn State’s game, the Lady Lions (9-3) completing the 11-game non-conference slate were overcome by the Jayhawks (10-1) in the closing minutes in the contest in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

The visitors’ Tamara Johnson reached her 1000th career point, while Gracie Merkle had 22 points and 12 boards and Moriah Murray made four three-pointers finishing with 16 points. Alli Campbell was also in double figures with a personal best 15 points.

Kansas got 26 points from S’Mya Nichols.

Penn State is off until Dec. 28, opening the remaining 17-game Big Ten slate at Minnesota.

Drexel (3-5), which will be more competitive in the Coastal Athletic Association, where they are the defending conference tourney champions, collected 22 points from Amaris Baker, whileCara McCormack scored 11.

Florida State (10-2), a member of the ACC, collected 16 points from Ta’Niya Latson, shooting 6-7 from the field.

Drexel on Wednesday will be at Norfolk State in Virginia at 7 p.m.

Villanova (6-6), which heads to Big East play the rest of the way beginning Saturday hosting St. John’s, got 16 points from Maddie Webber against the Dukes (8-3), while Maddie Burke scored 15, Jasmine Bascoe and Bronagh Power-Cassidy each scored 11 and Ryanne Allen grabbed eight boards.

But the Wildcats were without Danae Carter, who was hurt in Wednesday’s win at Delaware and lost Lara Edmanson during the second half.

Villanova coach Denise Dillon is hopeful of getting Carter back by the next game.

The home team led by nine in the third quarter but in the closing minute having rallied to a tie, James Madison’s Jamia Hazell snapped the deadlock with a layup with 3.6 seconds left.

 On the ensuing possesion after a timeout Bascoe turned the ball over on an out-of-bounds play, JMU got fouled and sank two from the line for the final points.

Leading four visitors in double figures, Peyton McDaniel scored 13 and Hazell scored 12 points.

Rutgers (7-4) got 24 points and 10 boards in the win over Wagner (2-7), while Destiny Adams had 17 points and 13 boards, JoJo Lacey scored 11, and Mya Petticord scored 10.

The Scarlet Knights are 8-0 in the series with Wagner.

On Saturday Rutgers will host Lafayette at noon and then return Sunday, Dec. 29, to launch the rest of the Big Ten slate hosting No. 11 Ohio State.

The National Scene

While a slew of Top 25 teams produced lopsided victories, there were two head-to-head outcomes of note involving separate conference confrontations in the ACC and Big Ten.

In the ACC, No. 25 Georgia Tech went on the road after ending a long rankings drought and upset No. 14 North Carolina 82-76 in a mutual conference opener in Chapel Hill as the Yellow Jackets set a record season start to 11-0.

Tonie Morgan scored 23, shooting 8-11 from the field for the visitors and freshman reserve Dani Carnegie scored 22. Kara Dunn added 13 as Georgia Tech got its first road win at UNC (10-2) since 2012,

The Tar Heels, who’s previous only loss was in Greensboro to No. 2 UConn, got 21 points from Maria Gakdeng, shooting 9-11 from the field, while Indya Nivar scored 16, and Reniya Kelly and Lexi Donarski each scored 15.

The Yellow Jackets trailed 7-0 at the outset then grabbed control the rest of the way accelerating to a 50-34 lead.

On Wednesday Georgia Tech hosts Rice while North Carolina plays Florida in the Jumpman invitational in Charlotte, both non-conference affairs.

In a second ACC opener also serving as the Jimmy V Classic No. 22 NC State (8-3) erupted over host Louisville 72-42 as freshman Zamareya Jones had 18 points against the Cardinals (6-5).

In the Big Ten, No. 17 Michigan State (10-0) at home in East Lansing rallied in the fourth quarter from an 11-point deficit to beat No. 21 Iowa 68-66 in a mutual conference opener that extended MSU’s best-ever season opening streak.

Julia Ayrault scored 19 for the Spartans, while Nyla Hampton had 13 in the final quarter that saw them go on a 14-0 run.

In that stretch, Iowa (9-2) was 0-7 going seven minutes without sinking a field goal.

Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen missed a shot for Iowa with three seconds left.

Hannah Stuelke had 18 for the Hawkeyes, Olsen scored !3, and Kylie Fenerbach scored 12.

Iowa hosts Northern Iowa Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Michigan State goes to the West Palm Beach Classic in Florida playing Montana on Thursday and Alabama on Friday.

Meanwhile, in its first game since the loss at No. 8 Notre Dame, in a mutual Big East opener at the XL Center in Hartford, No. 2 Connecticut (9-1) slammed visiting Georgetown 79-44 as Paige Bueckers scored 24 for the Huskies and freshman Saraħ Strong had 17 points, 14 boards and five assists against the Hoyas (6-5), whose last series win was in 1993.

UConn meets No. 18 Iowa State Tuesday at the Mohegan Arena in Uncasville.

Notre Dame (9-2) at home blasted Eastern Michigan 118-49 as Merchantsville’s Hannah Hidalgo scored 27 against the opposition (1-6). The Fighting Irish host Loyola, Md. on Sunday.

No. 3 South Carolina (10-1) got 15 points from Joyce Edwards and Ashlyn Watkins had 10 points, eight boards, and four blocks leading to a 78-62 win over American Athletic Conference South Florida (5-6) for the Gamecocks’ 63rd straight home win in Columbia.

No. 6 Texas (10-1) won 65-54 at Atlantic 10 champion Richmond (9-2) in Virginia as Madison Booker had 25 points and 11 boards for the visiting Longhorns.

Rachel Ullstrom had 20 points for the Spiders, who also got 12 from Addie Budnik, and 10 from Maggie Doogan. Texas forced 24 turnovers and next hosts La Salle Tuesday.

No. 5 Southern Cal (10-1) in the Galen Center in Los Angeles got 26 points, five boards, and five assists from JuJu Watkins in an 88-30 win over Elon (4-5). The Trojans are off until visiting Connecticut Saturday at 8 p.m. (FOX) in Hartford.

Haley van Lith had 23 points to lead No. 12 TCU (10-1) over Louisiana Tech 92-41 at home in Fort Worth, Texas.

Elsewhere, Quinnipiac (8-1) won 68-63 at Vermont (5-7) in Burlington as Israeli freshman Gal Raviv scored 24 points.

St. John’s (10-1) at home in Queens beat MAAC champion Fairfield 77-68 as Ber’Nyah Mayo scored 18 points leading five teammates in double figures. Kaety L’Amoreaux scored 30 for the Stags (6-3) who were missing MAAC preseason player of the year Janelle Brown, injured last week in the win over Villanova.