The Guru’s Local/National NCAAW Roundup: Drexel Nipped at End of Second OT; South Carolina Rout of Tennessee Makes History on Both Sides; UCLA Edges Michigan; TCU and Alabama Suffer Upsets

 By Mel Greenberg @ womhoopsgurux

PHILADELPHIA – Just two teams locally played on NFL Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, a tough at the finish of final double overtime 62-60 loss here by Drexel (14-8, 7-4) at the Dragons’ Daskalakis Athletic Center in a Coastal Athletic Association game to Monmouth, ending a six-game win streak and giving the visiting Hawks (15-7, 8-3) a two-game sweep of the season series.

Up the road in the Big Ten, Rutgers (9-15, 1-12) lost 63-52 to Minnesota (18-6, 9-4) at the Scarlet Knights’ Jersey Mike’s Arena and fell back into a last place tie with Penn State but ahead of the Lady Lions off the four-point win earlier this season at State College.

One local squad had the best day, though idle, and that was Villanova (19-5, 12-3), which gained a half-game to a two-game lead in second in the Big East over Marquette (16-8m 12-5), which succumbed to a rally and overtime win 80-74 by host Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska.

Drexel had recently beaten Monmouth 56-53 in Central Jersey, only to have the Hawks here win the battle of the boards 46-40 including Divine Dibula’s offensive putback for the game-winner with four seconds left in the second overtime.

The Dragons had enough time to get down the court to try for a miracle finish, but Amaris Baker’s 3-point attempt was off the mark.

“It was a battle, we knew it was going to be, against a good team, it was going to come down to possessions, and it did today,” said Drexel coach Amy Mallon.

“Our team battled today, they fought, they showed what they showed what Drexel teams were made of. I’m proud of the effort.”

Dibula was a destructive force scoring 24 points with 15 rebounds for Monmouth besides drawing 10 fouls enabling her to be nearly perfect at the line shooting 10-for-12.

Gigi Campbell was also in double figures for the visitors, scoring 11 points.

Drexel did have some miracle work, ultimately negated, by Laine McGurk, who had a game-high 25 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in regulation to force the first extra period, while becoming her 12th point of the fourth quarter.

That came on a play starting with Spaniard Julia Garcia Roig taking a long shot that missed but Grace O’Neill grabbed the offensive board and fed McGurk, who connected to get the game extended the first time.

Baker was Drexel’s other scorer in double digits, collecting 22 points, including 3-for-5 from deep.

Dana Evans in foul trouble was costly in the rebounding battle.

“She was out in the overtimes, and we needed her on the floor,” Mallon said, “But I give my team credit, they put us in position to go into overtime and did some things we needed to do. For us, in the future, that’s really going to help us.”

Drexel will still be home for the Dragons’ next game, this Friday at 6 p.m. (FlowCollege) when Elon (11-12, 6-5), a game-behind in the standings following Sunday’s 75-52 home win over William & Mary, visits the DAC.

Rutgers in its game against the Golden Gophers was competitive in the first half, leading 25-22 at the break, but was never able the rest of the way to overtake Minnesota, which erupted for a 23-12 advantage in the third quarter.

The visitors’ Sophie Hart had 17 points and 10 boards, while Tori McKinney scored 16 points, and Mara Braun scored 12.

The Scarlet Knights’ Nene Ndiaye was explosive, shooting 10-for-21 from the field, including 5-for-9 on 3-point attempts, while Zachara Perkins, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, was the other Rutgers player in double figures with 18 points.

Rutgers next after being off all week travels Saturday to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., playing the Boilermakers at noon on B1G+.

The local schedule is dark Monday and there’s just one game Tuesday, Temple at UTSA in an American Conference game in San Antonio, Texas, at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+).

The National Scene: South Carolina and UCLA Highlight Ranked Wins

Never on Sunday may be the new theme for No. 19 Tennessee, which a week after a 30-point non-conference loss at No. 1 Connecticut was plundered 93-50 in a Southeastern Conference visit to No. 3 South Carolina (24-2, 10-1) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

It’s Tennessee’s worst defeat in the program’s history and the 43-point differential is the largest victory margin for South Carolina against an Associated Press Top 25 team, besting the 41-point win last season against Oklahoma on January 19.

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks, who won three prior meetings with the Lady Vols (15-6, 7-2) by single digits and have won nine straight in the series, set a program mark in conference play, shooting 36-for-52 for 69 percent from the field, led by Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson, who led the nation last season in scoring, with 21 points.

“In my 26-year career I don’t think I’ve played more zone than today,” Staley said afterwards of her defense. “But I’m not stubborn enough to not go with what’s working. So, it was working today and we stayed with it and I thought it impacted the game.”

Joyce Edwards added 20 points for the winners, while Madina Okot had 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Tennessee’s Talaysia Cooper, a former Gamecock, had 17 points.

Staley, without her hometown Philly Eagles to cheer for in Sunday’s Super Bowl, wore a Seattle No. 3 jersey of rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori, an AP All-American in college at South Carolina.

“We just had a lot of quit in us tonight,” said Tennessee second-year coach Kim Caldwell. “And that’s just something that’s consistent with our team. When we’re not comfortable, and things aren’t going our way, the team will just quit on you, and you can’t do that in big games, any time in SEC games, and you certainly can’t do that in a program like this.

“That’s a question for them, why you can’t stick together. They have to fix it. I do know we don’t have the player leadership we need. We’ve talked about it for a couple of weeks. Consistency has been a big problem for this team right now.”

As for any message to her squad, Caldwell matter-of-factly said, “Win your next game. We’re embarrassed. Win your next game.”

The Lady Vols host Missouri Thursday night, marking the return of previous Tennessee coach and former player Kelly Harper, while the Gamecocks are off until a Saturday night showdown visit to No. 5 LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

Meanwhile, No. 2 UCLA (23-1, 13-0) in a key Big Ten contest at No. 8 Michigan (20-4, 11-2) in Ann Arbor, edged the Wolverines 69-66 to take a two-game lead in the conference as Lauren Betts had 16 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Bruins, who have won 17 straight overall since their only loss to No. 4 Texas in Las Vegas in November.

It’s the first time this season the winning Bruins did not reach 70 points.

The home team trailed by 11 with under two minutes left in regulation and made a run that fell short of a potential tie when Syla Swords’ attempted 3-pointer became an airball with 2.2 seconds left in regulation.

UCLA has a nation-leading nine wins over Associated Press Top 25 women’s teams.

In the loss, Michigan parted with a school-record, nine-game win streak.

Kiki Rice scored 20 points for the visitors, while Gabriela Jaquez had 13 points and Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens scored 12.

Michigan’s Olivia Olson scored 20 points, Mila Holloway scored 15, and Te’Yala Delfosse scored 10 but Swords, one of the Wolverines’ leaders, was held to eight points, missing 10 of her 13 attempts from the field.

A season-high 6,108 fans attended the game at the Crisler Center.

The Bruins stay in the Midwest, visiting No. 12 Michigan State on Wednesday, while Michigan is at Northwestern on Thursday.

Elsewhere in the conference among ranked teams, No. 24 Washington (18-6, 8-5) was forced into overtime before winning 91-86 at Wisconsin (13-11, 5-8) as Avery Howell of the visiting Huskies of the Northwest had a career-high 34 points, eight in the overtime, and 14 rebounds, while Sayvia Sellers scored 23.

Elle Ladine added 16 points.

Wisconsin’s Destiny Howell had 28 points propelled by five makes from deep, while Gift Uchenna scored 24 points with 12 rebounds and three steals.

Washington visits No. 10 Iowa Wednesday, the same day Wisconsin is at Illinois.

No. 9 Ohio State (22-3, 11-2) had an easier day, winning 80-64 over Oregon (18-8, 6-7) as Elsa Lemmila had a career-high 23 points for the Buckeyes, who have won four straight and 11-of-12.

Jaloni Cambridge added 19 points, passing her 1000th career score, wile Chance Gray, who played two seasons at Oregon, had eight points and five rebounds.

Ari Long had four made 3-pointers for most of her 16 points for the host Ducks, who won four straight prior to Sunday. Oregon was forced into 23 turnovers.

Ohio State is off a week until Maryland’s visit this Sunday while Oregon is also off the same span before traveling up to play Washington, the Ducks’ former rival when both schools were in the PAC-12 prior to last season.

In two other Big Ten games of note, Southern Cal (15-9, 7-6) won 70-62 over Illinois (16-8, 6-7) in Champaign as freshman Jazzy Davidson scored 27 points for the visiting Trojans, who host Indiana Thursday at 10 p.m. in Los Angeles at the Galen Center on BTN.

The Hoosiers (14-11, 3-10) won their third conference game 74-59 at home in Bloomington over Purdue to move into a 14th-place tie with the Boilermakers as Shay Ciezki, who played two seasons ago at Penn State had a near triple double for Indiana with with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

In two other ranked games in the SEC, No. 5 LSU (22-3, 8-3) came off its previous loss at No. 4 Texas to win 77-44 at Auburn (13-12, 2-9) as ZaKiyah Johnson scored 16 points and Mikaylah Williams scored 12 points.

The Tigers are off until Saturday’s visit from South Carolina.

In an upset, off the only game in the nation that tipped at 6 p.m. or after, No. 21 Alabama (20-5, 6-5) suffered a narrow 72-69 upset loss at Texas A&M (9-10, 2-8), the winning Aggies getting 20 points from Ny’Ceara Pryor and 12 points and 15 boards from Fatmata Janneh.

Jessica Timmons scored 19 points with eight rebounds, Ta’Mia Scott scored 18 points, and Essence Cody had 13 for the Crimson, who next host No. 11 Oklahoma on Sunday at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network, while Texas A&M on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network is at No. 16 Kentucky in Lexington.

Kentucky is involved with one of two SEC games on Monday, the Wildcats visiting No. 4 Texas at 7:30 p.m. in Austin on the SEC Network, while No. 7 Vanderbilt, home in Nashville, Tenn., hosts Oklahoma at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

In the Big 12’s only Sunday game, No. 14 TCU (21-4, 9-3) fell by a point 80-79 at Colorado (16-8, 7-5) in Boulder as Jade Masogayo executed a three-point play with two seconds left in regulation, the stunning upset ruining the Horned Frogs move to a first place tie with No. 15 Baylor.

TCU had gone ahead 79-77 on Donovyn Hunter’s layup with five seconds left followed by Masogayo taking a sideline inbounds pass, driving the lane on the right side for a short bank shot and then, with Kennedy Basham called for a foul on the play, stepping to the line and sinking the and-one for the winning point.

Masogayo had a career-high 23 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 9-of-10 on the line, while Desiree Wooten had 19 points, Logyn Greer scored 17, and Zyanna Walker scored 15 points.

Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles equaled her season best with 21 points for TCU, California transfer Marta Suarez had 20 points and Hunter scored 17.

TCU is at Baylor Thursday in Waco, Texas, while Colorado is at Houston Wednesday.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 17 Duke (18-6, 13-0) at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., did not suffer any letdown from its prior triumph over No. 6 Louisville, winning easily 95-36 over SMU (8-16, 1-11) for the Blue Devils, who have won 15 straight overall and 13 straight in the conference, bests in coach Kara Lawson’s five seasons at the helm.

Duke’s Arianna Roberson, a freshman center, had career-highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds off the bench and Toby Fournier added 26 points, while Delaney Thomas had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Ashlon Jackson had 11 points and 10 assists.

The Blue Devils are off until Sunday hosting No. 25 North Carolina, which first hosts SMU on Thursday.

The Tar Heels (20-5, 9-3) on Sunday won 84-56 at Wake Forest (13-12, 3-10) in Winston-Salem, N.C., as Nyla Brooks scored 21 points and Nyla Harris scored 19 .

Louisville (22-4, 12-1) bounced back from its one-point loss to Duke, snapping the Cardinals’ 14-game win streak, dominating wire-to-wire 84-65 at Syracuse (19-5, 9-4) in upstate New York as Saint Joseph’s transfer Laura Ziegler scored 22 points and Mackenly Rudolph and Imari Berry each scored 15 points.

Next up for the Cardinals is a Wake Forest visit on Thursday.

In three other ACC games of note, N.C. State (17-7, 10-3) stayed near the conference leaders, winning 82-62 at Virginia Tech (18-7, 8-5) in Blacksburg as Khamil Pierre and Zoe Brooks each scored 25 points while Pierre also grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Wolfpack next after a week off visit Notre Dame on Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

The Fighting Irish (15-9, 7-6) on Sunday fell 81-70 at Virginia (17-7, 9-4) in Charlottesville.

Kymora Johnson had 29 points for the winning Cavaliers, who visit California Thursday, while South Jersey’s Hannah Hidalgo had 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for Notre Dame, which is also off all week until the N.C. State visit.

Georgia Tech (11-14, 6-7) at home in Atlanta won 74-52 over Stanford (16-9, 5-7) as L’Nya Foster had 25 points and shot 5-for-8 from deep for the Yellow Jackets and Lara Somfai had 19 points for the visiting Cardinal.

The winners next visit Clemson on Thursday at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network while Stanford the same night back home in Palo Alto, Calif., host Virginia Tech at 10 p.m. on ACCNX.

NYU Sets DIII Win Streak Mark

The Violets (20-0) coached by Meg Barber, who was on one of Dawn Staley’s early Temple staffs in Philadelphia, beat Carnegie Mellon 69-58 on Sunday to break a tie with rival Washington University of St. Louis and set the new Division III win streak record at 82.

The previous record of 81 was set from 1998 to 2001.

“Thrilled we beat Wash U for that record,” Barber said in an interview with the Associated Press following the victory.

“I’m a competitive person and wildly respect this league and to have any type of streak is incredible.”

The overall all-time streak is 111 set by the Division I UConn women, who also had a run of 90 straight triumphs.

Caroline Pepper scored 27 points for NYU, which is the two-time D-III defending champions.

A week ago Carnegie Mellon nearly ended the run, losing by a point, the closest any team has come to topping the Violets this season, less than the previous small margin of 12 points in any game.

The only teams besides that game that were within single digits during the streak were Chicago, losing by six points; Whittier within eight points, and Case Western also by eight two days ago.

NYU now looks to win a fifth straight UAA Conference title and third straight national championship.

Washington U won four straight national titles from 1998 to 2001.