The Guru’s National NCAAW National Weekend Roundup - II: South Carolina Drops Vanderbilt from the Unbeatens Leaving Only UConn

  

Note: No locals played Sunday due to the weather with most games moved to Saturday in the report under this post except Rutgers which plays Monday.

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

And then there was just 21-0 UConn.

The defending NCAA champions are the last unbeaten women’s team after No. 2 South Carolina (20-2, 6-1) took out its Thursday overtime loss at No. 16 Oklahoma on No. 5 Vanderbilt 103-74 at home Sunday afternoon at a Southeastern Conference game in Columbia at Colonial Life Arena as Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer last season, collected 21 points and Tessa Johnson scored 20.

The Commodores (20-1, 6-1) had been off to their best start in program history and the 29-point win, the 19th straight in the series by South Carolina, was the Gamecock’s largest against an AP Top 5 opponent in the 50 years of the rankings begun in the 1976-77 season.

“I’m really impressed that we played connected basketball on both ends,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “I’m happy we responded to our loss.”

She said her players “know what the standard is, and we've got to keep them in a place where they play to that standard every night.”

Johnson added, saying, “We don't like to lose, but it was more how we lost. We were not ourselves at Oklahoma. We got back on our game today.”

Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph, a former UConn star and assistant coach, tipped her hat to the opposition, noting, “Credit to South Carolina because they played really well, maybe the best they've played all season.

“There just wasn't an answer today. For us, there's a lot we can take from it, but it also doesn't negate the fact that we've been really good up to this point.”

Vandy made it close as the first half ended, trailing by 11 points as reigning USBWA national freshman of the year Mikayla Blakes, who finished with 23 points, making a three-point play with 3.5 seconds remaining and after the Gamecocks threw a length of court pass out of bounds, Aubrey Galvan scored from deep ahead of the end of game clock.

But South Carolina then controlled the rest of the game.

The Gamecocks next are at Auburn Thursday night at 9 p.m. on the SEC Network while Vanderbilt the same night is at No. 18 Ole Miss in Oxford at 7:30 p.m. (SECN+).

Elsewhere in the SEC Oklahoma (16-4, 4–3) followed its win over South Carolina by winning 72-65 at Auburn (13-8, 2-5) as freshman Aaliyah Chavez scored 18 points.

The Sooners next host Texas A&M Thursday.

No. 23 Alabama (18-3, 4-3) won 85-78 at home in Tuscaloosa over Mississippi State (15-6, 2-5) as Jessica Timmons scored a career-high 28 points.

The Crimson Tide next are atGeorgia Thursday.

In the Big Ten No. 3 UCLA (19-1, 9-0) easily won 80-46 at Northwestern (8-12, 2-7) in Evanston, Ill., as Gabriela Jaquez scored 19 points and the Bruins will stay in the Midwest visiting Illinois on Wednesday.

No. 10 Iowa (18-2, 2-0) at home in Iowa City kept pace tied with UCLA for the Big Ten lead winning its eighth straight by a 91-70 score over No. 12 Ohio State (18-3, 7-2) snapping the Buckeyes’ seven-game win streak as freshman Addie Deal scored 20 points, Hannah Stuelke had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Ava Heiden scored 18 also for the Hawkeyes.

Jaloni Cambridge scored 26 for Ohio State with 10 rebounds while Chance Gray scored 16 points.

The Buckeyes host Wisconsin Thursday while the same night Iowa launches a two-game trip to Los Angeles visiting Southern Cal ahead of Sunday’s showdown at UCLA.

USC, a Top 5 team last season, has been struggling recently with the absence of reigning national player of the year JuJu Watkins, who suffered an ACL knee in the NCAA tournament.

On Sunday the Trojans (11-9, 3-6) fell in a close one 73-67 to No. 7 Michigan (17-3, 8-1) in Ann Arbor as Olivia Olson scored 23 for the winning Wolverines, who recovered in the game from blowing a 16-point lead.

Mia Holloway added 13 points with eight assists and six boards while Kara Dunn scored 26 points with 10 rebounds for USC.

Michigan next is at Indiana Thursday, the Hoosiers still winless in Big Ten play alongside Penn State.

Rutgers, with just a win over the Lady Lions in the conference, host No. 25 Washington Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. after the Scarlet Knights moved the game from Sunday because of the snowstorm which hit the Eastern seaboard.

On Monday night No. 6 LSU hosts Florida in an SEC game at 7 p.m. in Baton Rouge but the conference game featuring No. 17 Tennessee at No. 18 Ole Miss was postponed due to the weather with a new date yet to be determined.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference Sunday Clemson (14-7,5-4) won 65-58 at Notre Dame (13-7, 5-4) while North Carolina (17-5, 6-3) won 77-71 in overtime over visiting Syracuse (16-4, 6-3).

In a Bay Area rivalry game California (12-9, 3-5) won 78-71 in overtime over visiting Stanford (15-6, 4-4).

Taylor Johnson-Matthews scored 18 points for Clemson in its win over Notre Dame, which got 30 points from Hannah Hidalgo of South Jersey.

UNC’s Nyla Harris had 21 points and 11boards in the win over the Orange, whose freshman Uche Izoje had 27 points and 12 boards.

Lulu Twidale led Cal over Stanford with 24 points while the visiting Cardinal got 16 points each from freshman Lara Somfai and reserve Alexandra Eschmeyer.

In key ACC games Thursday, No. 8 Louisville is at Stanford at 8 p.m. (ESPN), No. 21 Duke is at Miami at 8 p.m. (ACCN) and Notre Dame is at California at 10 p.m. (ACCNX).