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.

The Guru’s Local/National NCAAW Roundup: Poor Shooting Costs La Salle Against St. Louis; No. 14 Ohio State Pounds Penn State; No. 19 Iowa State Drops 4th Straight; No. 10 TCU Wins at the Buzzer

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

PHILADELPHIA – In what was with one exception an unpleasant day for the locals, for the second time in less than 24 hours a career performance went to waste.

Following Jaleesa Molina scoring 20 points in Temple’s loss to Tulane Tuesday night, La Salle’s Ashleigh Connor against her former school collected 25 here with eight rebounds in a Kid’s Day Wednesday morning game at the John E. Glaser Arena but most of the rest of the Explorers shot blanks in a 66-57 Atlantic 10 loss to St. Louis.

Aryss Macktoon added 18 points with eight boards and four steals with a block, Joan Quinn scored 11 and reached a new high with five steals and Kiara Williams reached a personal best with 10 rebounds and tied another with three blocks.

A 29.9 shooting percent sent the Explorers (10-7, 3-3) to their third straight loss in the A-10 and on the line the team was 24-for-31.

The Billikens (9-10, 3-3) got 20 points and 13 boards out of Alyssa Koerkenmeier while Jahda Denis scored 18, and Zya Nugent had 13 points 10 boards.

Replicating the recent loss at Saint Joseph’s, the Explorers used a 19-9 third quarter to take a brief lead but the visitors rode a 20-7 fourth quarter to victory.

“It’s the same thing,” said La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray. “At halftime (trailing 37-31) we’re desperate and they’re trying to hold on to a lead.

“You’re not going to win many games shooting 29 percent. When you see the other team celebrating and jumping around at the end of the game, many times it means they came here not thinking they’re going to win.”

Foul trouble added to the misery with Quinn and Macktoon using up their quota of five while two other starters were each saddled with four.

MacGillivray said of getting five “usually there were three when you need to have a little better control.”

Next up is a 1 p.m. visit from Davidson Sunday on ESPN+.

Saint Joseph’s fell behind early on the road trailing 22-10 in the second quarter and couldn’t complete a rally losing an Atlantic 10 game 57-48 at St. Bonaventure (12-6, 3-3) in Olean, N.Y.

Rhian Stokes scored a game-high 20 points for the Hawks (12-5, 3-3) with five rebounds and three steals while Gabby Casey scored 15 with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

On Sunday in the first meeting since losing to George Mason in last season’s A-10 title game, the Hawks will host the Patriots at 2 p.m. in a nationally televised CBS Sports Network telecast at Hagan Arena.

In the Big Ten, Penn State lost 108-84 at No. 14 Ohio State (16-2, 6-1) in Columbus.

The Buckeyes, who got 33 points from Jaloni Cambridge and 23 from Chance Gray with seven of the home team’s season-high 17 makes from deep, have only lost to No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

Elsa Lemmila added 21 points.

The Lady Lions (7-11, 0-7) got 25 points from Moriah Murray while Gracie Merkle had 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller scored 20.

Penn State hosts Rutgers Sunday in the first of a home-and-home and the second time in two seasons the longtime rivals are meeting at a significant stage of the season both winless in conference play.

In the Patriot League Lehigh (8-8, 4-1) suffered its first conference loss of the season, falling 68-64 to Boston U. (5-11, 1-4) in the home game at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa., in which the visitors got their first league win.

Lehigh only had seven active players with Lily Fandre scoring 17 points while Belle Bramer and Whitney Lind each scored 15 points.

The Mountain Hawks next visit preseason favorite Navy Saturday in Annapolis, Md., at 1 p.m. (ESPN+).

Lafayette (7-9, 3-2) with the lone local triumph of the night won it’s Patriot League Game 62-49 at Bucknell (4-12, 0-5), the Leopards’ first win in Lewisburg, Pa., since the 2013 season.

Teresa Kiewiet scored 20 for the winners and Sauda Ntaconavigize collected 14 and Haylie Adamski scored 12 points.

Lafayette next goes to Holy Cross Saturday in Worcester, Mass., at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).

The host Crusaders fell 61-46 at Army (13-3, 4-1), which was led by Kya Smith with 18 points and seven rebounds.

The Black Knights are under first-year coach Katie Kuester, a former Saint Joseph’s star and assistant coach.

Hawks coach Cindy Griffin’s younger daughter Hannah plays for Holy Cross.

On Thursday Villanova is at No. 1 and defending NCAA champion UConn at 7 p.m. on FS1 in a 1-2 Big East matchup, the only local game on the schedule.

The host Huskies are honoring their 2015 and 2016 NCAA champions.

The National Scene

The Iowa State slide continued to four straight as the No. 19 Cyclones (14-3, 2-4) in the Big 12 fell 68-62 at Colorado (11-6, 3-3) which was led by Desiree Wooten with 24 points while Audi Crooks scored 17 points with 15 boards for the visitors.

On Sunday Colorado visits UCF and Iowa State is at Oklahoma State.

Elsewhere in the Big 12, No. 10 TCU (17-1, 5-1) narrowly avoided an upset at West Virginia (14-4, 4-2) in Morgantown as California transfer Marta Suarez hit a 3-pointer as time expired.

Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles scored 14 for the Horned Frogs and Suarez had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Mountaineers were led by Jordan Harrison with 19 points.

TCU hosts Arizona Saturday and West Virginia is at Cincinnati Sunday.

No. 18 Baylor (16-3, 5-1) won its Big 12 game 61-45 at Utah (13-5, 4-2) as Taliah Scott scored 14 points for the visiting Bears and Chyra Evans scored 14 with 11 boards for the Utes.

On Saturday Baylor visits BYU and Utah visits Houston.

In the only other ranked game, No. 3 UCLA (16-1, 6-0) in the Big Ten got 25 points from Kiki Rice shooting 8-for- from the field while Lauren Betts had 17 points and 10 boards in a 76-58 win at Minnesota (12-5, 3-3), which was led by Amaya Battle with 16 points and Mara Braun with 15.

The visiting Bruins next go home to Pauley Pavilion to host No. 12 Maryland Sunday while Minnesota is at Washington.

On Thursday night in the Southeastern Conference No. 4 Texas is at No. 2 South Carolina at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, the visiting Longhorns coming off their first season lost Sunday at LSU while the host Gamecocks can avenge a non-conference loss to Texas at the finish in November.

No. 5 Vanderbilt, the other unbeaten team, is at Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m., on the SEC Network which will also air No. 21 Alabama at Auburn at 9 p.m.

No. 7 Kentucky hosts Florida at 7 p.m. on SECN+, while in the Atlantic Coast Conference No. 8 Louisville is at No. 23 Notre Dame at 6 p.m. on the ACC Network.

In the Big Ten, No. 12 Maryland is at Southern Cal at 9 p.m. on Peacock, No. 24 Nebraska is at No. 8 Michigan at 7 p.m. on the same network, and Oregon is at No. 11 Iowa at 9 p.m. on FS1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Guru’s Local/National NCAAW Roundup: Temple Tumbles to Tulane While No. 17 Texas Tech Still Unbeaten

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

PHILADELPHIA – When a team goes off the rails, media members awaiting the arrival of the coach for postgame comments and questions, including several dealing with an approaching deadline, can find the moment become a time for anxiety.

Back in her day, it was enough of an adventure after wins, let alone losses even more so, waiting for Hall of Fame Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer to appear.

On one such occasion after a home loss by the Scarlet Knights to Temple, the broadcast contingent from the Owls had made it back to their home in South Jersey before Stringer arrived, the wait considered an informal NCAA record by those who used to keep track.

There was also the time at Villanova that Muffet McGraw, the Hall of Fame coach and Saint Joseph’s graduate, had one of her superpower Notre Dame contingents get surprisingly bedeviled by Harry Perretta’s Wildcats that even had the legendary coach of the home team stunned with his team up double digits and significant minutes still existing on the clock.

McGraw afterwards went into her own game of monopoly going directly to the team bus without stopping at the media session.

A week later after the Irish had gotten back on the winning track and seeing a Philly writer at the game afterwards, McGraw smiled and commented, “Hi. I guess I missed you at ‘Nova last week.”

The mention of these days of yesteryear involving the two who have been longtime friends comes in the wake of Tuesday night ‘s 71-58 Temple (7-9, 1-3) loss here in the Liacouras Center to Tulane (7-10, 2-3) in an American Conference game that has the Owls quickly under water early on the league schedule.

Despite Temple’s performance against a Green Wave group that’s not exactly a tsunami this season, coach Diane Richardson took a media first approach, quickly arriving friendly and personable as always.

 With the early era of cookies and tea postgame in this sport long gone, Richardson opened offering a few comments that required a for mature readers only alert.

“That was a piss-poor performance,” she said calmly of what was the only local game on Tuesday’s card. In fact, the national card was also extremely light.

“It was terrible and not Temple basketball at all. It’s got to be fixed,” Richardson continued.

“We have to play hard, and each person has to step up and do what their job is and not look around for somebody else to do it. I think today, we just kind of sat back and looked around to see who else was gonna do something or, ‘It wasn’t my fault because she didn’t do this.’ That is not playing together, and we have to play together in this conference. This conference is no joke.”

Going to wast was Jaleesa Molina’s career night with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Drew Alexander added 11 points while Kaylah Turner and Saniyah Craig each scored 10.

“They played harder and wanted it more,” Richardson said of Tulane, whose Kanija Daniel scored 19 points, Mecailin Marshall shooting 4-for-9 from deep, added 17 points, reserve Shiloh Kimpson collected 11 points and Dylan Hannah grabbed 10 rebounds.

Noted Richardson when asked of the moment Temple had fought back in the third period to take a one-point lead lasting 12 seconds before then losing control the rest of the way, she smiled and said, “Yes, but then we didn’t close it.”

Matters didn’t help either from beyond when preseason favorite South Florida (8-3, 4-1) won 70-53 over visiting UTSA (8-7, 3-1) in Tampa.

The conference is jumbled in front of the Owls enough, only Rice at 3-0 is perfect in early league play, that competing in the upper portion has paths but the first step in that direction must be taken Saturday when Temple visits East Carolina at 2 p.m. (ESPN+) before returning here Tuesday night to host South Florida at 7 p.m.

Locally on Wednesday, in Atlantic 10 action, La Salle hosts a morning game at 11 (ESPN+) at the John E. Glaser Arena trying to bounce back from Sunday’s loss at Saint Joseph’s, while the Hawks will try to make it two straight wins when they visit St. Bonaventure at 6 p.m. (ESPN+) in Olean, N.Y.

In the Patriot League, Lehigh hosts Boston U. at 6 p.m. at the Mountain Hawks’ Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa., while at the same time Lafayette visits Bucknell is Lewisburg, Pa., both airing on ESPN+.

In the Big Ten Penn State is at No. 14 Ohio State in Columbus at 6:30 p.m. on the subscription B1G+. The Lady Lions meet the Buckeyes still seeking their first conference win, something their next opponent and longtime rival visiting Rutgers on Sunday is also without.

The National Scene

Just two ranked games occurred on Tuesday and Monday, on Tuesday in the Big 12, No. 17 Texas Tech (19-0, 6-0) remained one of three teams unbeaten along with No. 1 UConn and No. 5 Vanderbilt after winning 71-59 over visiting Houston (6-11, 0-6) as Bailey Maupin, the reigning Big 12 and one of five USBWA players of the week, scored 12 of her 19 points in the second half, while Jalynn Bristow scored 14 points in the game in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Horned Frogs tied the program win-streak record at 19 and are one of three Big 12 teams to start the season 19-0, joining Baylor (40-0) the NCAA champion in 2011-12, and Nebraska (30-0), now in the Big Ten, in 2009-10.

It’s the first 6-0 Big 12 start since 2000-01.

Texas Tech next hosts Kansas State on Saturday.

On Monday, No. 21 Alabama (17-1, 3-1), which entered The Associated Press women’s poll, which is now 50 years old, earlier in the day for the first time this season, in the only overall game of note, won the Crimson Tide’s Southeastern Conference matchup 74-63 at Missouri (12-7, 0-4) in Columbia as Karly Weathers scored a career-high 23 points.

It’s Alabama’s best start in program history and next up is an in-state visit to Auburn on Thursday.

Another Tuesday games of note saw Georgetown (10-7, 3-5) at home in the nation’s capital beat St. John’s 59-34 in a Big East contest as Destiny Agubata scored 15 points with four boards for the winning Hoyas and Brooke Moore scored 11 for the Red Storm (14-5, 4-4).

On Wednesday, in the Big Ten, No. 3 UCLA is at Minnesota at 8 p.m. (B1G+) while in the Big 12 all on ESPN+, No. 10 TCU is at West Virginia at 7 p.m. in Morgantown, No. 18 Baylor is at Utah in Salt Lake City at 9 p.m., while at the same time No. 19 Iowa State, on a three-game skid, is at Colorado in Boulder.

In other games of note, Marquette is at Seton Hall at 7 p.m. in the Big East (ESPN+), Fairfield is at Marist at 11 a.m. in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (ESPN+) and Holy Cross is at Army at 5 p.m. (ESPN+) in the Patriot League.