The Guru’s Local/National NCAAW RoundUp: Villanova Ends Regular Season on High Note Cruising Over Seton Hall; No. 6 LSU Hands Tennesee 5th Straight Loss

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

How sweep its is for Villanova, winning Thursday night in easy fashion up in North Jersey 82-52 over Seton Hall (18-10, 12-7) in the Pirates’ Walsh Gym in South Orange to conclude the regular season in dominating action as the Wildcats (23-6, 16-4) followed Sunday’s 64-39 payback home victory over Marquette on Senior Day to now head to the Big East tournament next weekend in second place with the No. 2 seed at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Coach Denise Dillon’s group have a bye over next Friday’s opening round and head to the quarterfinals on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Sophomore Jasmine Bascoe followed Sunday’s 18-point, seven assists performance by scoring 28 with seven assists and five rebounds, as Villanova plundered the Pirates to take the season’s series 2-0 while Denae Carter had 13 points, freshman Brooke Bender had three from deep to account for all nine of her points, and Brynn McCurry had eight points and eight rebounds.

Locals did not play on Monday or Tuesday, while two others did on Thursday night, Delaware in a Conference USA game at home in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark had a comeback fall short in a 73-71 loss to Western Kentucky (8-18, 4-11).

Ande-‘a Cherisier had 18 points and 11 boards, her board work brought her within two to reach 500 in her career, while Lay Fantroy had 15 points and 14 boards.

Additionally, the Fighting Blue Hens got a game-high 23 points from Ella Wanzer, shooting 8-for-14 from the field, including a career-high seven 3-pointers, tying the most made in the Sarah Jenkins era at the helm.

Trinity Vance added to the double-digit pile with 12 points.

Delaware (12-16, 6-10) stays home Saturday to host Middle Tennessee at 5 p.m. and hold the program’s Senior Day.

It’s a new coach at Rider (7-21, 5-14) this season in Jackie Hartzell, who had great success at the D-2 level in the area, but last night’s 67-55 loss to Siena (12-16, 10-9) at home in the Broncs’ Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J., brought the same near-the-season-ending as 12 months ago, elimination from making the field for next weekend’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tourney at James Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The championship is expected to be contested in the title round again by reigning two-time winner Fairfield or Quinnipiac, the duo have only lost to each other on their respective home courts.

Kristina Ekofo, one of two departing graduates honored before the game, - the other Kayland Deveney, had a game-high 19 points.

“We played well in the first half, but the third quarter, we couldn’t score, and we just didn’t rebound the ball,” Hartzell said. “When a team has more offensive rebounds, you’re just not going to win.

“Credit to Siena, they played hard and they played like they really wanted the game. They were aggressive, and unfortunately, we just weren’t able to match it.”

Rider finishes the season Friday at Mount St. Mary’s at 1 p.m. on ESPN+ down in Maryland.

On Wednesday, Saint Joseph’s travelled to Fairfax, Va., outside Washington, D.C., to play a key Atlantic 10 contest at George Mason (20-8, 15-2), the reigning conference tournament champion and a decimating 22-11 second quarter sent the Hawks (19-9, 10-7) on the way to an 85-59 blowout loss at the Patriots’ EagleBank Arena, ending a four-game win streak.

GMU fired nine 3-pointers to to stay comfortably ahead after gaining separation before the half.

The visitors also ran into foul trouble.

“They played great and we were bad,” was the way veteran Hawks coach Cindy Griffin, in her 25th season at her alma mater, summed up the evening.

Faith Stinson scored 15 points for Saint Joseph’s.

The Hawks wrap up the regular season hosting preseason favorite Richmond Saturday at at 2 p.m. on Senior Day at Hagan Arena (ESPN+). They’ll likely need to win the A-10 tourney next weekend, returning to suburban Richmond, to snap the long NCAA tournament drought.

However, they’ve played well enough this season that they could end up returning to the WBIT or the WNIT and make a deep playoff run.

The Hawks will learn their seed soon after playing Richmond.

La Salle (16-12, 9-8), meanwhile, continued to show itself as one of the most improved A-10 teams winning in Richmond 71-54 at VCU (8-21, 4-13), whose well-liked coach was recently let go.

Aryss Macktoon had a career-high 28 points, shooting 12-for-21, a new personal mark for field goals made. She also added 10 points and dealt four assists while grabbing a game-high four steals.

Freshman Kiara Williams added 13 points to pass 250 in her rookie season while reserve Ivona Miljanic had three connect from deep for nine points and the senior eclipsed the 500-career milestone.

Before learning their seed for the A-10 tourney where the middle of the standings has much improved for the league the Explorers Saturday will conclude the regular season at home on their Senior Day at John E. Glaser Arena hosting Loyola, Chicago at 1 p.m. (ESPN+).

After lying on the bottom of the Big Ten most of the season, Penn State (11-17, 4-13) has begun picking up wins, including a stunning 85-82 upset of Southern Cal (17-11, 9-8) at home in Rec Hall Wednesday night, getting the job done again with Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller, who in her sixth straight 30+ outing scored a personal best 40 points fueled by another milestone – a career-best seven 3-pointers.

Gracie Merkle had 15 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor, and freshman forward Nyla McFadden was 4-for-5, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds.

After an absence last season from the Big Ten tourney under the new format resulting from the big realignment of a year ago, Penn State could play its way to next week’s mega affair at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Saturday by winning its final game of the regular season 2 p.m. (B!G+) visiting Indiana, which has had a down year.

Rutgers (9-19, 1-16), whose only conference win was at Penn State, which later returned the angst, barely got in last year, was bounced quickly and then landed in the WNIT picking a couple closing victories.

This year the Scarlet Knights’ fate was sealed from going by the same Indiana (16-13, 5-12) team in a fight to avoid the three-team rejection at the bottom of the standings.

The Hoosiers ruined Senior Night, winning 79-69 at Jersey Mikes’ Arena in Piscataway, N.J., to end the Scarlet Knights’ home stand for the season before they finish Saturday at Nebraska at 2 p.m. in Lincoln.

Indiana managed to win, though five Rutgers players were in double figures led by Zachara Perkins with 15 points while Lauryn Swann and Nene Ndiaye each scored 10 points, as did Kaylah Ivey scored 10.

Meanwhile Temple (12-15, 6-9) went wire-to-wire on the reverse side at home Wednesday night in the Liacouras Center suffering a 77-66 loss to American Conference leader Rice (25-3, 15-0), which has won 20 straight.

“It was a tough game, and I think we could have done better,” said Owls coach Diane Richardson. “I think we could have shown what talents we have, but without the consistency, we came up on the losing end.”

It was a battle of Owls, since the night bird is also the mascot of the opposition.

Temple’s Kaylah Turner had a game-high 22 points and Jaleesa Molina scored 17 with 11 rebounds.

Rice’s Dominque Ennis scored 21 points, and Shelby Hayes added 19 points.

Once again, the turnovers have been massive, Temple committing 20, a number they’ve hit consistently in recent games.

The home team Owls go on the road Saturday at Bartow Arena at 3 p.m. (ESPN+) to play UAB, in Birmingham, which will host the American Conference tourney in two weeks.

The schedule is light Friday night, the only game in town is a key one, Drexel looking to continue its move up the Coastal Athletic Association standings when the Dragons host Northeastern at 6 p.m. on FloCollege at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, where they’ll also host North Carolina A&T on Sunday.

The other action is all on the road in the Ivy League where No. 25 Princeton (21-3, 9-2) goes into the weekend tied for first with Columbia (18-6, 9-2) a game in front of Harvard (15-9, 8-3), which is a game in front of Brown (15-8, 7-4), which is above the cutoff two games above Penn (15-9, 5-6), which is either a Quakers loss or Bears win from elimination to return to next month’s four-team Ivy Madness, this year at Cornell.

On Friday, Princeton is at Dartmouth at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ in Hanover, N.H.

Penn is in Cambridge, Mass., at Harvard at 7 p.m., all games on ESPN+, while Columbia is at Yale at 6 p.m. in New Haven, Conn.

Brown is hosting Cornell at 7 p.m. in Providence, R.I. A Bears win gives the team a sweep of the Big Red, while Penn split, so there goes that tiebreaker, and Penn is not likely to pass Brown in the Net, should they tie.

The only path for the Quakers is to win out the last three games and Brown to lose the last three.

The National Scene

It keeps getting worse for Tennessee (16-11, 8-7), whose losing streak reached five Thursday night, losing 89-73 at No. 6 LSU (25-4, 11-4) in Baton Rouge as the battle in the rugged Southeastern Conference began the two-game closeout for best seed position for next week’s tournament in Greenville, S.C.

Mikaylah Williams scored 20 points with 10 rebounds and five assists, though the Lady Vols were close in the first half before the Tigers lowered the boom.

South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 18 points for LSU.

Tennessee has now lost 7 of its last nine games. Jaida Civil scored 17 for the Lady Vols, while Nya Robertson added 14 points and Talaysia Cooper scored 13.

Tennessee finishes at home hosting No. 5 Vanderbilt (26-3, 12-3) Sunday while LSU goes to Mississippi State.

Vanderbilt at home in Nashville easily won 85-60 beating No. 24 Alabama (21-8, 7-8) as Somerville (N.J.) native Mikayla Blakes continued to tear up the Commodores record book scoring 35 points.

Coach Shea Ralph’s group was 16-0 at Memorial Coliseum, a program record.

Meanwhile, No. 3 South Carolina (28-2, 14-1) continued to roll under Dawn Staley, clinching their fifth straight regular season SEC title in a 117-21 win over Missouri and former Tennessee coach Kellie Harper at home Columbia, as Madina Okot had 26 points and 17 rebounds, while Joyce Edwards added 23 points.

The Gamecocks will end their regular season Sunday at No. 16 Kentucky, which won 63-56 at Auburn.

No. 4 Texas (27-3, 12-3) at home in Austin cruised 79-50 over visiting No. 23 Georgia (21-8, 7-8) as Madison Booker scored 18 points.

The Longhorns, who finish at Alabama Sunday, are tie for second in the SEC with Vanderbilt.

Georgia on Sunday hosts Florida, which upset No. 19 Ole Miss 74-67 at home in Gainesville as Liv McGill had 28 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.

No. 1 UConn (30-0, 19-0), which beat Villanova last week to wrap up the top seed in the Big East tourney, won 84-52 over Georgetown in Hartford, as Geno Auriemma’s win total reached 1,280, tops in all collegiate basketball.

The Huskies have won 46 straight games dating to a loss late last season to Tennessee in Knoxville. It’s the 10th time they have been 30-0.

Azzi Fudd had 24 points and four steals while Sarah Strong had 13 points and 11 boards with seven assists.

UConn has also won 57 straight regular season Big East victories and beaten the Hoyas 42 straight times.

Earlier this week, Auriemma passed retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer with 655 appearances in the Associated Press poll for tops by women’s coaches and his team extended its record of 622 straight rankings dating to the preseason vote of 1993-94 a year before winning the first of 12 national titles.

In the Big Ten, No. 9 Iowa (23-5, 14-3) at home edged Illinois 82-78 as Ava Heiden had a career-high 28 points.

 

 

The Guru’s Local/National NCAAW Roundup: Penn Still Alive in Ivy Race Beating Yale While Princeton Helps With Win Over Brown; Saint Joseph’s Wins at Saint Louis; Penn State Gains Series Split Winning at Rutgers

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

PHILADELPHIA – Maybe it’s the next-to-the-last time this season, maybe not, but it all went right for Penn (15-9, 5-6) Saturday afternoon at home here in The Palestra as the Quakers had a solid effort in a 68-52 victory over Yale (6-18, 2-9).

That was a successful part one in the dwindling chance to make the four-team Ivy Madness tournament next month at Cornell’s Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

Veteran coach Mike McLaughlin said there was no need to dwell in the scenario at hand.

“They know we need to win,” he said of his team and a program that has missed just once making the field in the seven years of the Ivies becoming the last conference to have a postseason engagement sending the winner with the automatic qualifier on to the NCAA tournament. “Since they’re smarter than me, they can figure out statistical analysis. I’m just here to tell you one at a time.”

Scoreboard watching at to the nearby North wasn’t possible since Princeton, which needed to keep pace with first-place Columbia by beating Brown, wasn’t tipping until 5 p.m. and part two on the day’s menu called for a loss by the visiting Bears to the Tigers in Jadwin Gym, thus the Quakers also need a little help from their Ivy neighbors and top rivals.

“I’ll buy them something to eat when I see them next,” he said of Princeton, which came through with a lopsided win over Brown, dropping the Bears into fourth and now just two games above the Quakers.

“That’s what Philly people do, right?” He smiled. “They help out. We took care of our business. Whatever happens, happens, but I’m not opposed to buying if they help us out.”

In what has been a rollercoaster run since the league race opened soon after the arrival of the New Year, Penn was decidedly on the high end in this one.

Prior to the opening tip Mataya Gayle was on the receiving end of a ball presentation denoting last week’s moment at Cornell when she became the 27th player in the program to reach 1,000 points.

She then went on to show the stuff that got her to the milestone, scoring 22 points with four assists, while reserve Brooke Suttle scored 16, and Simone Sawyer was also in double digits with 12 points.

Ciniya Moore had 19 points for Yale and Luisa Vydrova scored 11.

“I was excited about it,” Gayle said of the ceremony. “I think it was more bittersweet. It’s the last time I’ll do thiss, so I was happy to get it. I’m proud of myself and the work I put in but just want to keep winning.”

A nice factor in the win was Penn’s ball handling, committing just seven turnovers.

“Only turning the ball over seen times gives us a chance to beat anyone,” McLaughlin.

For those just joining the Ivy chase, the tightest perhaps in the entire history of the Ancient Eight, the damage to Penn can be found in a double overtime loss at Brown, which comes here at the end of the conference schedule, a loss at Cornell, and last week’s Brown upset at home in Providence, R.I., of Harvard.

Meanwhile, for the second straight season, Columbia swept its two games with Princeton leaving the duo coming into this weekend tied for first, while Brown with the third seed on tiebreaker, was knotted with Harvard and Penn sitting in fifth three games back needing to win its remaining four and either Brown or Harvard lose their remaining four.

Strike Harvard (15-9, 8-3) from the equation after the Crimson clinched a spot and moved into third place with a lopsided rout of Cornell 74-737 at home in Cambridge, Mass., giving a sweep of the Big Red as Karlee White shot 10-for-14 from the field and scored 24 points.

Columbia (18-6, 9-2) easily did its part on the road to stay in first with the tiebreaking No. 1 seed, winning 81-42 at Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.

The Lions’ leader Riley Weiss scored 20, shooting 9-for-14, while on the bench Mia Broom made half her eight attempts from deep scoring 16 points, while reserve Nasi Simmons scored 10 on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.

Princeton (21-3, 9-2), which had an eight-week run in the Associated Press women’s poll end off the loss last week, did its helping hand to Penn, rolling to a 69-37 decimation of Brown (15-8, 7-4) as Madison St. Rose scored 30 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while Fadima Tall had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Brown’s Grace Arnolie scored 14 points, the only player in double figures for the visiting Bears.

Everyone will be doing back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, Penn visiting Harvard at 7 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion before moving on to Dartmouth Saturday.

Princeton is on the reverse of that trip visiting Dartmouth at 6 p.m. and then moving on to visit Harvard the next day.

Columbia is at Yale Friday at 6 p.m. and then visits Brown on Saturday while Brown hosts Cornell at 7 p.m. Friday and then hosts Columbia. All games will be on ESPN+.

Penn is in a must-win situation Friday at Harvard and needs Brown to lose at Cornell so the Bears also have a split.

If somehow, starting from last week, Penn winning out, daunting as it is, and Browns loses all four games, the Quakers take fourth by a game.

If the two teams were tied and each have a split with Cornell, and they would also have a split with Columbia, it comes down to the Net rating after the regular season concludes and right now through Friday Brown is 116 while Penn is 128.

Princeton has the best at 47 though that wouldn’t amount to much if the Tigers advance and then lose the title game.

Saint Joseph’s Wins at Saint Louis

The Hawks (19-8, 10-6) used a 22-6 third quarter to break away from the Billikens (11-18, 5-11) and go on to a 65-54 victory, their fourth straight, to stay in a fourth-place tie with Davidson as the Atlantic 10 race enters its final week leading to next month’s tournament in Henrico, Va., a suburb of Richmond.

Saint Joseph’s has the tougher schedule going to George Mason Wednesday and hosting Richmond Saturday to get the fourth seed and double bye to the quarterfinals.

But failing that, a fifth-place finish is attainable, which has a bye to the second round, and veteran coach Cindy Griffin’s bunch is capable of beating Davidson, but would in the semifinals then face the top seed, which has become a wide open spot in the chase to setting the final bracket.

Against Saint Louis, Aleah Snead had a game-high 18 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field, with seven assists and five rebounds, while Gabby Casey scored 16 points, with three assists, three boards, and three steals, and Kaylinn Bethea matched her career best with nine pointss while grabbing three rebounds.

Wednesday’s game at George Mason, the defending A-10 tournament champion which won the earlier meeting on Hawk Hill, tips at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ in Fairfax, Va.

La Salle is at preseason favorite Richmond Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ in the league’s original only game scheduled and the visiting Explorers are coming off last Wednesday’s upset of first-place Rhode Island at home, throwing the race at the top into a wild scramble the final week.

Penn State Road Win Gains Season Split with Rutgers in the Big Ten

Suddenly the Lady Lions (10-17, 3-13) have a shot to make the Big Ten tourney after Saturday’s Basement Bowl, Part 3, in which Penn State, which finished dead last and eliminated last season, won 87-78 Saturday at Rutgers (9-18, 1-15) in Jersey Mikes Arena in  Piscataway,  N.J..

A year ago, the Scarlet Knights snuck in at the finish, were quickly ousted and then landed in the WNIT and won a couple of games.

It was the return of former Rutgers standout Kiyomi McMiller, who transferred to PSU in the offseason, and she celebrated by matching her career-high with 37 points, her fifth straight game reaching 30 points.

She also had eight assists, five steals, four rebounds, and two blocks, while redshirt junior Gracie Merkle had 26 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field. She also had six rebounds and four assists.

The visitors shot 62% from the floor and 70% from deep, while also gaining a 40-30 advantage in the paint.

Rutgers’ Imani Lester scored 17 points, Nene Ndiaye scored 16, Faith Blackstone collected 13 points, Kaylah Ivey totalled 11, and Zachara Perkins had a double-double 15 points and 10 rebounds.

In the final week, Rutgers hosts Indiana, which is also below trying to avoid missing the tourney, Wednesday at 7 p.m. on B1G+ and visits Nebraska Saturday on B1G+ while Penn State hosts Southern Cal Wednesday at 6 p.m. on B1G+ in Rec Hall and then visits Indiana.

Lehigh and Lafayette Gain Patriot League Wins While Navy Sweeps Army

The Mountain Hawks (15-11, 11-4) nailed 13 shots from deep to gain a lopsided 76-61 victory at Boston U (8-18, 5-11), Lehigh’s fifth victory in its last six games.

Lily Fandre had 22 points for the winners, shooting 4-for-6 in the long-range barrage, Alana Reddy had a career-high 18 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field with 5-of-7 beyond the arc, Belle Bramer was 7-for-9 to score 15 points, and Whitney Lind scored 14.

Coach Addie Micir’s squad sits in fourth place a game behind Holy Cross and Army and three behind preseason favorite Navy.

Lafayette (10-17, 6-10), tied for sixth but holding the sixth seed, won 56-41 at American U. (6-21, 4-12) in Bender Arena in Washington, D.C., as Teresa Kiewiet was 9-for-15, scoring 26 points.

Preseason favorite Navy (19-7, 14-2) rallied from a nine-point deficit at second-place Army (21-6, 12-4), to take a narrow 54-51 victory on the road in West Point to clinch the top seed in next month’s tournament, allowing the Mids home court throughout the event if they advance.

Army is under first-year coach Katie Kuester, a former Saint Joseph’s star and assistant to longtime veteran Cindy Griffin, in her 25th year coaching the Hawks.

Navy gained a sweep of the series, which had both games on national television on CBSSN.

Zoe Mesuch scored 14 points, 11 in the second half, for the visitors, while Julianna Almeida had 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

“That was a heck of a fight and one heck of a college game,” said Navy coach Tim Taylor. “Clinching the one seed and home court advantage is exciting.”

Army’s Reese Ericson scored 13 points, and shot 4-for-7 from deep, Camryn Tade scored 11 with six assists, and Brooke Wilson scored 10 points.

Holy Cross (18-9, 12-4) won easily at home 63-41 over Bucknell (10-17, 6-10) as Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly had 14 points, Meg Cahalan, scored 13, Simone Foreman scored 12, and senior Kaitlyn Flanagan of Plymouth-Whitemarsh High and Plymouth Meeting, who scored her 1,000th point in her previous game on Wednesday, added 12 points with six assists and three steals.

On Saturday, Lafayette is at Army at 1 p.m., Lehigh is at Bucknell at 2 p.m., and Navy is at Colgate at 2 p.m., all on ESPN+.

Rider and Delaware Suffer Losses

The Broncs’ two-game win streak ended and returning to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tourney next month in Atlantic City after Rider (7-20, 5-13) being eliminated beforehand last season in the new format became more difficult after the 56-52 setback at Niagara (1-26, 1-17), which got its first overall triumph this season.

Alena Cofield was the only player in double digits for the visitors, scoring 14 points.

Next is a home game Thursday on Senior Day at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J., hosting Siena.

Elsewhere in the MAAC, the 1-2 punch at the top of the standings continued after two-time defending champion Fairfield and Quinnipiac, who played in the title game last year, won on each other’s court, continued to dominate the rest of the conference.

 

In Conference USA as Delaware continued in its inaugural season in the conference, the Flighting Blue Hens (12-15, 6-9) fell 83-57 at Missouri State (16-11, 8-6), dropping both games on the current road trip.

Lay Fantroy scored 18 points, while Jiya Perry had eight points and five boards.

The visitors next are home Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, hosting Western Kentucky.

Looking Ahead Locally

Besides the La Salle road game at Richmond, Sunday, three other locals play, Villanova, looking to bounce back from Wednesday’s Big East loss to No. 1 Connecticut at home, remain in Finneran Pavilion, also saluting its departing seniors, as the Wildcats host Marquette at 3:30 p.m. on Peacock looking to avenge one of its only conference setbacks outside of the Huskies.

Temple, which moved the home game from 2 p.m. to 1 p.m. because of impending weather conditions, hosts Memphis on ESPN+ in the Liacouras Center.

Drexel looks to complete a weekend road trip sweep in the Coastal Athletic Association visiting William & Mary at noon on FloCollege in Williamsburg, Va., another move up of an hour due to impending weather forecasts.

There are no local games scheduled Monday and Tuesday and very few overall.

The National Scene

There were just three ranked games, all in the Big  12, Saturday, and one was an upset as host Colorado (19-8, 10-5) at home in Boulder, won its fifth straight, and 8 out of the last 9, beating No. 20 Texas Tech 75-68 as Desiree Wooten had 19 points and five assists against the Raiders (24-5, 11-5).

Zyanna Walker scored 14 points, Anaelle Dutat had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Logyn Greer scored 12 points.

Texas Tech was led by Jalynn Bristow with 18 points and four blocks, while Snudda Collins had 13 points and Bailey Maupin collected 12.

The Buffs had 27 points out of 17 turnovers committed by the visitors.

On Tuesday, Colorado hosts Utah, while on Wednesday Texas Tech visits Kansas.

In Morgantown, No. 19 West Virginia (22-6, 12-4) at home romped 72-40 over Oklahoma State (21-8, 10-6) as Gia Cooke scored 21 points for the Mountaineers, while Kierra Wheeler had 18 points and 10 boards.

Stailee Heard scored 13 for the Cowgirls.

On Wednesday, West Virginia is at UCF in Florida while Oklahoma State visits Iowa State in Ames.

No. 15 Baylor (23-6, 12-4) at home in Waco, Texas, got 22 points from Taliah Scott, who was a perfect 11-for-11 on the line, while reserve Marcayla Johnson added 12 points in a 74-60 win over Arizona (11-16, 2-15).

The Wildcats got 11 points each from Noelani Cornfield and Daniah Trammell while Molly Ladwig added 10.

On Monday Baylor hosts Kansas State while on Tuesday Arizona hosts Houston.

On Sunday, the game drawing much attention because of the current tailspin of No. 21 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference is the Lady Vols, on a 2-6 slide, visiting No. 11 Oklahoma at 2 p.m. on ESPN.

It’s the first of a three-game regular season finish for the visitors, who then meet No. 7 LSU also on the road and host No. 5 Vanderbilt, which Sunday hosts No. 16 Kentucky at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 in Nashville.

Elsewhere Sunday in the SEC, Dawn Staley’s No. 3 South Carolina squad hosts No. 17 Ole Miss at noon on ESPN, No. 25 Alabama at noon visits Florida on the SEC Network; No. 4 Texas hosts Mississippi State at 2 p.m. in Austin on the SEC Network; and No. 7 LSY hosts Missouri at 4 p.m. in another SEC Network broadcast.

In the ACC, No. 22 North Carolina hosts Pitt at noon on the conference network; No. 8 Louisville hosts Virginia at noon on the CW Network; No. 9 Duke on a 17-game win streak visits Clemson at 2 p.m. on ESPN2, while Notre Dame is in Dallas visiting SMU at 6 p.m. on the ACC Network, Florida State hosts Stanford at 2 p.m., also on the ACCN; and Syracuse is at N.C. State at 2 p.m. on the CW Network.

No. 1 and unbeaten Connecticut, the defending NCAA champion, hosts Providence at Gampel Pavilion after clinching the top seed in next month’s Big East tournament Wednesday by beating Villanova.

In the Big Ten, No. 2 UCLA on Sunday can clinch the top seed in next month’s tournament by beating visiting Wisconsin at 5:30 p.m. on Peacock; No. 14 Maryland hosts Purdue at 1 p.m. on B1G+, No. 13 Iowa hosts No. 6 Michigan at noon on FOX; No. 10 Ohio State hosts Southern Cal at 2 p.m. on FS1; and No. 23 Minnesota hosts No. 18 Michigan State.

In the Big 12, No. 12 TCU hosts Iowa State at 4 p.m. on  ESPN.