The Guru’s Local/National NCAAW Roundup: Drexel Routs Chestnut Hill; La Salle Road Handles Delaware; No. 1 UConn Tops Marquette

 By Mel Greenberg (x account @womhoopsguru hacked)

NEWARK, Del. – As the second part of the two-week finals period continues, just two locals, one each day, played Tuesday and Wednesday, and none are scheduled Thursday before multiple attractions pick up the pace Friday and across the weekend before a dead stop occurs across the Christmas break.

National games were also minimal but notable moments were produced among the games that were played.

On Tuesday up the road from here, Drexel routed area Division II Chestnut Hill 95-38 at home in the Daskalakis Athletic Center as the Dragons (7-3) set a program record for size of the victory and Irona Gravley set a career high with 23 points shooting 10-11 from the field while grabbing six rebounds.

“It was nice to be in a flow with my team,” Gravley said. “We push each other hard every day so it was nice to play with them.”

The 57-point victory that was quickly on a path at 26-7 going into the second quarter to become reality 52-point 95-43 win over then-named Philadelphia Textiles on Dec. 8, 1986.

Those losing Rams, who have been nationally relevant under long-time coach Tom Shirley, were later named under Philadelphia University and currently Jefferson University.

Amaris Baker connected with 10 field goals for the third time this season as part of a game-high 26 points with four boards, the seventh 20-point game for Drexel’s leading scorer.

Deja Evans was also near-perfect at 6-7 from the field with 13 points and also four boards.

Mariah Watkins grabbed 14 rebounds in a 62-21 ownership of the boards.

No one for Chestnut Hill (5-6) scored in double figures with Ayrianna Sumpter falling just short with nine points.

For Drexel, if offering local discounts at area restaurants for reaching 90 points or 50 rebounds, the budget would be pretty safe.

The last time the Dragons scored 90 was 98 against Northeastern on January 28, 2010, in which Dragons all-time scorer Gabriela Marginean collected 41 points in overtime.

No, it wasn’t that that overtime game against the Huskies for those with long-time memories, the five-overtime longest in Division I history occurred in 2007.

Tuesday’s collection was the fourth time in regulation, and the board work was the first over 50 since grabbing 51 on Rider on December 29, 2003.

Drexel just missed the program assist record by two points with 30, the most since 28 on Charleston four seasons ago.

Now that all this coming against Chestnut Hill that is off to a 3-1 start in the CACC would be equivalent to hitting homers in baseball over the short left field wall in the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, nevertheless if you are Drexel with aspirations to win the Coastal Athletic Association, the proportionate outcome of this matchup is what should be achieved and is happening in similar type games involving ranked teams across the country.

No. 5 LSU set an NCAA record with an eight-game start scoring 100 points in each of them.

“That’s really important for us, we emphasized that going into this game,” said Drexel coach Amy Mallon. “We’ve had ups and down in quarters. It’s a good sign we’re capable of doing those things.”

Drexel finishes non-conference play Saturday at noon (NBC Sports Philadelphia, FloCollege) hosting America East preseason favorite Vermont before the holiday break sets in leading to the CAA opener hosting Campbell on Jan. 4.

Down here on Wednesday in which two locals played each other La Salle met Delaware which has moved from the CAA to Conference USA and the Explorers displayed a lot of growth grabbing loose balls and answering runs by the Blue Hens on the way to a 65-48 victory at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Aryss Mactoon scored 15 with four assists and three steals for La Salle (8-3), while Ashleigh Connor scored 14 points with seven boards, Joan Quinn had 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and Kiara Williams, reigning Big 5 rookie of the week, had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Explorers had 11 steals and six blocks and held Delaware (5-4) to just one made 3-pointer.

Ande’a Cherisier had a double double 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Hens while Lay Fontroy and Safi Kolliegbo each scored 10 points.

With eight players back La Salle continues to show signs of growth, and one knows they’re becoming a threat when the home team picks them as the Education Day opponent.

“I thought they had at least two really big runs and we responded right after it, which is not what we did in years past,” said La Salle coach Mountain MacGillvray. “We have a growing team.

“We were immature the last two years. It’s really nice to see them growing. They can weather storms. The last one we were 1-17 to start the game and we still found a way to win. No one wins starting 1-17.”

La Salle on Saturday in a first meeting hosts Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference at noon (ESPN+) at the John E. Glaser Arena while Delaware opens the Hawk Classic Saturday playing Akron at 2 p.m. after Saint Joseph’s hosts Le Moyne at noon in the opener.

Both games are on ESPN+.

On Friday, Penn hosts Washington State at 11 a.m. at The Palestra (ESPN+), at 6 p.m. Rider opens play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) hosting defending champion and preseason favorite Fairfield at 6 p.m. (ESPN+) at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J., and at 7 p.m. for both, Temple hosts Coppin State at the Liacorous Center while Villanova returns to Big East play hosting Seton Hall at the Finneran Pavilion, both on ESPN+.

The National Scene

On Tuesday everything kept happening in threes for No. 9 TCU (12-0) in a 109-54 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-6) at home in Fort Worth, Texas, as two players gained triple doubles: Cal transfer Marta Suarez with her career first at 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists while Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles had her third straight at 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Miles is the active career leader with nine and just the third with three straight joining Lamar’s Chastadie Barrs (Jan. 2009) and Youngstown State’s Danielle Carson (Dec. 2, 1985).

Suarez also played at Tennessee.

TCU, whose school record home streak is also the national active leader at 33, tied with No. 2 Texas (13-0) who beat Northwestern State 96-38 in Austin on Wednesday, opens Big 12 play Saturday hosting Kansas.

Texas’ win saw Madison Booker equal her career best with 28 points. The Longhorns are at South Dakota State on Sunday.

Also on Tuesday, No. 4 UCLA (10-1) won 115-28 over visiting Cal Poly (2-8), while No. 5 LSU (12-0) won 91-33 over visiting Morgan State (1-12).

It’s the eighth win this season by 50 points or more by LSU, who started with an NCAA record eight straight reaching 100 points, reached it again once more, score 90 in two others and reached the 80s against Louisiana Tech, the alma mater of Tigers coach Kim Mulkey.

All-American Lauren Betts scored 20 points and grabbed 10 boards while Kiki Rice scored 23 for the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

UCLA next hosts Long Beach on Saturday.

In Baton Rouge, Mikaylah Williams and Flau’Jae Johnson each scored 14 points for LSU, which next hosts UT-Arlington on Sunday.

In other games of note Tuesday, Plymouth Meeting’s Kaitlyn Flanagan’s layup with 31 seconds left in regulation became the winning points in a 46-45 victory for Holy Cross (5-5) over visiting Vermont (9-4) at home in Worcester, Mass., in a game in which no one on the Crusaders reached 10 points.

Arizona State (13-0) in its best start ever moved within one of the second all-time win streak in the program edging host Gonzaga 68-66 on a pair of foul shots from Allie Turner with seven seconds left in regulation.

Gabby Elliott, a Penn State transfer who also played at Clemson and Michigan State, scored 30 for the Sun Devils against the Zags (6-5).

Seton Hall (7-3) won 74-65 at home in South Orange, N.J., over Washington State (1-11) as Zahara Bishop scored 19 points with 10 boards for the winning Pirates in Walsh Gym.

Atlantic Ten player of the week and Cardinal O’Hara grad Maggie Doogan scored 26 in preseason favorite Richmond’s 81-45 win over visiting Bethune-Cookman as the Spiders improved to 9-3.

MEAC favorite Howard (9-5) got a layup with three seconds left in regulation from Sa’lah Hemingway to author a 66-64 win at Cincinnati (5-7), the Bisons also getting 18 points from Zoe Stewart and 10 and 10 points and rebounds double double from Zennia Thomas, while Nile Miller scored 14 points.

On Wednesday back in Big East action, top-ranked UConn (11-0, 3-0) topped visiting Marquette 89-53 in Hartford as Sarah Strong scored 22 points with seven boards over the opposition and coach Geno Auriemma’s all-time win record extended to 1260.

Azzi Fudd scored 14, Blanca Quinones scored 12 and Wisconsin transfer Sarah Williams had 11 points and six boards against the opposition (7-4, 2-1).

The Huskies play No. 11 Iowa Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in the second game of the Women’s Champions Classic after No. 17 Tennessee plays No. 16 Louisville in the opener.

The same teams were in last season’s inaugural field; Tennessee beat Iowa while the Huskies routed Louisville (11-3), which on Wednesday at home beat Eastern Kentucky 76-51 as Saint Joseph’s transfer and reigning ACC player of the week Laura Ziegler scored 11 points of 5-10 from the field with seven boards and Tajianna Roberts scored 12.

Elsewhere Wednesday, No. 18 North Carolina (10-3) easily beat visiting UNCW 84-34 while likewise at home No. 14 Ole Miss (11-1) in Oxford crushed Mississippi Valley State 102-34.

Texas Tech (13-0) stayed unbeaten winning 76-40 over visiting Jacksonville while UNLV (6-5) got the winning point on a shot from deep from Roland Meadow Roland with 12 seconds left and she also stole the ball with three seconds left for a 61-60 road triumph at Grand Canyon (1-10).

UNLV’s Jasmyn Lott led the team with 20 points.

On Thursday, No. 3 South Carolina (10-1) is at South Florida (6-5) at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) in Tampa, while No. 13 Vanderbilt (10-0) hosts Albany at 7:30 p.m. (SECN+), No. 21 Ohio State hosts Norfolk State at 6:30 p.m. (B1G+), No. 15 Baylor hosts SWAC favorite Southern at 8 p.m. (ESPN+) and No. 19 Southern Cal (7-3) hosts Cal Poly at 10 p.m. (B1G+).

Duke hosts South Dakota State at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network.