The Guru Local/National NCAAW Report: Still Unbeaten, No. 1 UConn Routs Villanova and No. 5 Vanderbilt Edges Mississippi State; South Carolina Avenges Sole Loss to Texas

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

STORRS, Conn. – When Hall of Fame UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma spends the opening minutes of his postgame press conference here in Gampel Pavilion Thursday night drawing on his Italian heritage and restauranteur experience to complain about the “cold pizza” delivered to the locker room after a 1-2 Big East matchup with Villanova, it’s as good a sign as any how pleased he was the way his top-ranked, unbeaten and defending NCAA champion Huskies (18-0, 9-0) delivered a 99-50 victory over the Wildcats (18-0, 9-0) from his native suburban Philadelphia.

   National player of the year candidate Sarah Strong had 24 points, nine boards, and five blocks to lead the way while Azzi Fudd scored 14, KK Arnold tied her season high with 13 points to go with seven assists and four steals, while Blanca Quinonez was also in double digits with 13 points.

The victory came on a night that the 2015 and 2016 NCAA UConn champions were inducted into the Huskies Ring of Honor, among them Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, on crutches from her recent surgery, taking a brief pause from the ongoing Unrivaled competition in Miami and negotiations with the WNBA over a new labor contract.

Retired Villanova coach Harry Perretta used to refer to playing that group, going 38-1 and 38-0, and the ones from the Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird era as “we take our medicine and move on.”

Denise Dillon, a former Wildcat and current coach who succeeded Perretta, can take some comfort that like a torpedoed aircraft carrier that can still be quickly returned to seaworthy, Villanova was still in second, despite as gruesome as the damage report.

They will get another shot when the Huskies visit the Main Line and Finneran Pavilion Feb. 18, and if this is the 1-2 title game in March at the Mohegan Sun, then likely her team will be back in the NCAA mix for the first time since the graduation of WNBA third overall pick Maddy Siegriest three seasons ago.

Villanova was the only Philly local team in action Thursday night while Drexel at Charleston (7 p.m., FloCollege) will be the only one Friday.

“I was surprised that we were able to do defensively what we did today against a team that makes it hard for you to guard them,” Auriemma said. “The communication on defense was the best it was all season. The job they did on (Jasmine) Bascoe was good. She’s really hard to guard.”

Villanova’s top scorer was held to eight points, all in the first half. Freshman Kennedy Henry scored 12 points and Brynn McCurry 11.

The Wildcats were out-rebounded 46-34, held to a season-low 27.7% from the field and forced into 26 turnovers leading to a 36-12 Huskies advantage in points off miscues.

The other damage showed a 58-12 UConn domination in the paint, 23-2 on fast breaks, and 39-16 off the bench.

Villanova next hosts Butler Sunday and the Big East slate behind it is also manageable.

For UConn, the game was an excellent shakedown ahead of what one time was considered one of two threats to an unbeaten regular season when No. 23 Notre Dame visits here on Martin Luther King Day at 5 p.m. on FOX.

The other is No. 20 Tennessee, the last team to beat UConn last season.

However, things have not gone as well for the Fighting Irish (12-5, 2-3 ACC), who recently were bounced from a long run in the The Associated Press women’s poll, now in its 50th season, returned a week later on Monday following upsetting then-No. 22 North Carolina, but likely to get kicked back out ahead of the UConn game when the next poll is released several hours earlier, after losing Thursday night 79-66 at home in an ACC game in South Bend, Ind., to No. 9 Louisville (17-3, 7-0), which last lost 79-77 on Dec. 4 to then No. 3 South Carolina.

Reyna Scott off the bench scored 20 for the Cardinals, whose reserves outscored Notre Dame 31-2. Tajianna Roberts scored 19, Additionally, Elif Istanbulluoglu scored 11 and Mackenly Randolph scored 10.

Notre Dame was led by all-American and South Jersey’s Hannah Hidalgo, who scored 24 points with five rebounds and eight assists. Iyana Moore added 16 points, Malaya Cowles 12 and Cassandra Prosper had nine points with 10 boards.

Louisville is at North Carolina State Sunday.

South Carolina Gets Revenge on Texas; Vanderbilt Still Perfect; More Upsets

No. 5 Vanderbilt, one of two other teams besides UConn unbeaten, won its Southeastern Conference game 89-84 at Mississippi State in Starkville as reigning USBWA second-team all-American and national freshman of the year out of Somerville, N.J., scored 38 points for the Commodores (18-0, 5-0).

The other unbeaten team is No. 17 Texas Tech, which was idle.

The game was close until Vandy pulled away in the third quarter to set a program record for overall win streak while the Commodores, under former UConn star and assistant Shea Ralph are 5-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1992-93 when they reached the Final Four as did Texas Tech led by Sheryl Swoopes, their best season right now since then.

Blakes had five from deep, 11-for-11 on the line, with seven assists, while Justine Pissot scored 12 and Aiyanna Mitchell had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Mississippi State (14-5, 1-4) was led by Madison Francis with 15 points.

Vanderbilt plays No. 8 Michigan Monday afternoon as part of a doubleheader in the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, N.J., at the Prudential Center while No. 14 Ohio State and No. 10 TCU are in the other contest.

Meanwhile, No. 2 South Carolina (18-1, 5-0) avenged its only loss beating No. 4 Texas 68-65, handing the visiting Longhorns (18-2 3-2) their second straight loss after being taken from the unbeaten column Sunday at then-No. 12 LSU.

Texas beat South Carolina in a non-conference game in a showcase event in Las Vegas in November.

All five South Carolina players starters scored in double figures: Joyce Edwards with 14 points and eight rebounds, Tessa Johnson with 13 points, Ta’Niya Latson with 12, and Madina Okot and Raven Johnson with 10 each.

Texas’ Madison Booker scored 24 points in the game that also went to the wire as the earlier one, while Rori Harmon had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Jordan Lee had 10 assists.

The Gamecocks Sunday visit Coppin State in a non-conference game in Baltimore while Texas hosts Texas A&M the same day in Austin at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network.

Alabama, like many teams, got into the AP poll the first time this season and lost next time out, being taken by Auburn, 58-54, it’s in-state rival, on the road, losing 58-54 to the Tigers (13-6, 2-3) on the road as Khady Leye scored 16 points and Kaitlyn Duhon scored 10.

The Crimson Tide (17-2, 3-2), which had been off to its best start, led briefly 49-48 in the second half. Alabama’s Jessica Timmons scored 16 points, Ta’Mia Scott scored 12, and Karley Weathers had 10 points and 11 boards.

The visitors next hosts No. 20 Tennessee Sunday while Auburn is off until Jan. 22 visiting Vanderbilt.

No. 7 Kentucky (17-2, 4-1) rallied to a 94-89 home in win the SEC in Lexington over Florida (12-8, 0-5) as Tonie Morgan had 26 points with 13 assists and Clara Strack had 21 points for the winning Wildcats. Penn transfer Jordan Obi, Amelia Hassett, and Asia Boone each scored 12 points.

Foul trouble to Clara Strack was part of the problem.

The Gators got 23 points from Me’Arah O’Neal and next host Missouri Sunday. O’Neal is Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter.

Kentucky Sunday is at Mississippi State.

Four ranked Big Ten games, several with dual rankings, were played.

Southern Cal, without reigning player of the year JuJu Watkins rehabbing from the ACL on her right knee in the NCAA tournament, lost its fourth straight, falling at home at the Galen Center in Los Angeles to No. 12 Maryland 62-55 as Indiana transfer Yarden Garzon scored the lead basket with 2:38 left for the Terrapins.

Addi Mack had 12 points for Maryland (17-2, 5-2) while Kara Dunn scored 21 for Southern Cal (10-7, 2-4).

The Terrapins are at No. 3 UCLA Sunday while USC hosts Purdue.

No. 8 Michigan (15-2, 6-1) was led by Olivia Olson who scored 21 at home in a 85-69 win in Ann Arbor over No. 25 Illinois (14-4, 4-3), who were led by Berry Wallace with 26 points.

The Wolverines play No. 5 Vanderbilt Monday in the Cloretta Scott King Classic doubleheader in Newark, N.J., while Illinois hosts Northwestern Sunday.

No. 15 Michigan State (17-1, 6-1) got two foul shots with 5.1 seconds left from Juliann Woodward and Grace VanSlooten scored 22 points in a narrow 73-71 win in East Lansing, Mich. over No. 25 Nebraska (14-4, 3-4), whose reserve Amiah Hargrove scored 21 points.

The visiting Cornhuskers stay on the road Sunday while Michigan State in Iowa City visits No. 11 Iowa, which beat Oregon 74-66 at home Thursday as Hannah Stuelke (18) and Addison Deal (18) with a career-high combined for 36 points for the winning Hawkeyes (15-2, 6-0).

Stuelke also had eight rebounds and eight assists.

Ehis Etute, the only player in double figures for Oregon (14-5, 2-4), scored 10 points.

With the ACC at one of its lowest spots in years, collectively with only two ranked teams, several others made bids Thursday night to return next week.

Duke, which started the season in 7th place and then went out after losses the next several weeks, won its ninth straight, at home in Durham, N.C., winning 65-58 over Virginia in Cameron Indoor Arena, while Stanford won 77-52 at Boston College, North Carolina, kicked out on Monday, won 73-62 over visiting Miami, and N.C. State won 95-77 at in-state rival Wake Forest in Salem.

Syracuse beat California in triple overtime at home in upstate New York.

Preseason favorite Vermont in the America East won 64-53 at Maine in Orono while Sunbelt favorite James Madison won 80-43 over visiting Marshall.