NCAAW: No. 1 South Carolina extends winning streak to 40 games

The opening week of the 2024-25 NCAAW season did not disappoint, featuring a fair share of competitive games, surprising results and exceptional efforts. Here’s a review of the most significant happenings and developments:

South Carolina stays on top

On Sunday, South Carolina ensured they would maintain the nation’s No. 1 ranking, defeating NC State 71-57. The victory also marked the program’s 40th-straight win. Even with junior forward Chloe Kitts sidelined due to an academic policy issue, the Gamecocks flexed their depth. After an uneven opener, grad guard Te-Hina Paopao was in top form, scoring a game-high 23 points. Junior forward Ashlyn Watkins showed little rust in her season debut. Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was characteristically dynamic. Senior forward Sania Feagin, senior guard Bree Hall, and junior guard Raven Johnson were solid as ever. Although head coach Dawn Staley likely had some strong words for her squad after they allowed a 20-point second-half advantage to at one point wither to seven points, South Carolina remains the sport’s standard.

While the season’s opening week did not feature an abundance of upsets, there were enough surprises to likely result in some rumblings in the rankings. Three ranked teams—then-No. 11 Duke, then-No. 19 Florida State, and then-No. 25 Indiana—lost, with only the Blue Devils’ loss coming to a ranked team in then-No. 18 Maryland. The Terrapins looked better than the nation’s 18th-best team in dispatching Duke, 85-80. What Eric Nemchock emphasized in his draft profile of senior guard Shyanne Sellers was evident on the court on Sunday: the Terps’ influx of new talent not only will make things easier for Sellers, but, in turn, will make Maryland better. Sellers stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Rutgers transfer and junior guard Kaylene Smikle scored a game-high 23 points. Villanova transfer and senior forward Christina Dalce was all over the glass, grabbing seven offensive and seven defensive boards.

Ivy impression

The season’s first statement win came from an Ivy League squad, with Harvard invading Assembly Hall and defeating then-No. 25 Indiana in an overtime thriller, 72-68, on Thursday.

Senior guard Harmoni Turner captained the Crimson with 24 points, craftily finishing an array of inside-the-arc shots. She also added six steals, four rebounds, and four assists in 39 minutes. In a sweet bit of revenge, senior forward Mona Zarić, who spent her first two college seasons as a rarely used reserve for the Hoosiers, made critical plays down the stretch for the Crimson. She scored Harvard’s final field goal in overtime before sinking two free throws that sealed the upset.

Although Indiana dominated the glass and earned 38 free throws to Harvard’s 16, poor shooting, along with 27 turnovers, sunk the Hoosier’s hopes. The Crimson took advantage of the home team’s woes to get only their second win against a ranked opponent in the past 25 years. A letdown loss, however, followed Harvard’s high, with the Crimson falling to Quinnipiac on Sunday, 76-53.

Standout stat-stuffers

These players got off to fast starts after a long offseason, filling up box scores with some superb stat lines during the season’s first week:

Grambling State ran roughshod over Centenary on opening night, winning by 101 points, 131-30. Even more impressive? Junior guard Kahia Warmsley did not miss a shot. She made all 10 of her field goal attempts, two of which came from 3-point range. She also made both of her free throws, as she led the Tigers with 24 points.

Florida State senior forward Makayla Timpson, who Eric identified as a 2025 WNBA Draft prospect, had an excellent, glass-owning opener. She pulled down 22 rebounds, which were complemented by an efficient 17 points. With four steals and three blocks as well, Timpson helped the Seminoles crush North Florida, 119-49. Unfortunately, Timpson’s second-straight double-double—22 points, 14 rebounds—was not enough to keep Florida State, ranked No. 19 in the AP’s preseason poll, from falling prey to an Illinois upset bid, as the unranked Illini knocked off the Noles on Thursday, 83-74.

Richmond edged Temple 79-72 on opening day behind a scoring masterclass from junior guard Rachel Ullstrom. She netted 32 points, shooting better than 80 percent from the field and going a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line.

What a collegiate debut for Ohio State freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge! Chelsea Leite highlighted Cambridge among the freshmen to watch this season, and she instantly delivered by busting out for 31 points, six assists, five steals, and two blocks as the Buckeyes trounced Cleveland State 104-69 on Tuesday.

If Wisconsin is to outperform expectations in the Big Ten, Serah Williams will be a big reason why. In the Badgers’ opener on Tuesday, she posted a 29-point and 12-rebound double-double, along with four blocks. Wisconsin defeated Wright State 95-68.

Hailey Van Lith’s TCU tenure got off to a strong start. The graduate guard, identified as a transfer to watch by Edwin Garcia, had 21 points, seven assists, and six steals in the Horned Frogs’ 78-41 win over Houston Christian on Tuesday.

North Florida rang up a program-record 146 points in their opening win over Trinity Baptist on Wednesday. The 146-53 romp was spurred by sophomore guard Jaz Spencer, who came off the bench to score a team-high 24 points. Her points were propelled by a 5-for-7 effort from behind the arc. She also added five assists and seven steals.

One of the nation’s most prolific offensive players picked up right where she left off last season. Norfolk State grad guard Diamond Johnson drained six of her eight 3-point attempts on her way to 32 points, steering the Spartans to the 71-62 win over Longwood on Thursday. On Sunday, Johnson and Norfolk State notched an even more impressive achievement, going to Missouri to secure the program’s first win over an SEC team, 57-54.

Molly Kaiser went crazy for New Mexico State on Thursday, with the grad guard exploding for 35 points in the 85-63 win over Utah Tech. Her career-high scoring performance was complemented by five rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

Junior center Raegan Beers immediately reminded why she was one of the most sought-after transfers, opening her Oklahoma era with two straight double-doubles, including a 26-point and 14-rebound effort as the Sooners took care of Virginia with ease on Friday.

DeYona Gaston’s debut for her new team also has been delightful. The Auburn grad forward, who spent four seasons at Texas, had 36 points and 11 rebounds as the Tigers rolled over Virginia-Lynchburg, 128-36, on Friday.

On Friday, Arkansas State eked out a win at Arizona State, 100-96, behind a breakout performance from sophomore guard Crislyn Rose. She dropped a career-best 33 points, shooting 75 percent from the field.

Bethune-Cookman’s big 102-27 win over Fort Lauderdale on Saturday was powered by junior forward Asianae Nicholson, who came off the bench to post a 26-point and 11-rebound double-double. She shot nearly 80 percent from the field, while also racking up five steals.

Sunday saw two perfect performances from post players. First, Texas grad forward Taylor Jones was 8-for-8 from the field as she scored 18 points, grabbed five boards, and had six steals as the Longhorns cruised past Southeast Missouri, 119-47. Then, Iowa senior forward Addison O’Grady went 9-for-9 in the Hawkeyes’ 71-52 victory over Virginia Tech at the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte. O’Grady also finished with 18 points.

An even louder effort from a post player came from UCLA junior center Lauren Betts. In the Bruins’ 81-63 win over Colgate on Sunday, Betts netted a career-best 31 points, going 15-for-18 from the field. She also added nine boards and three blocks.

Stanford celebrates Tara VanDerveer Court

Tara VanDerveer has 1,216 wins. Tara VanDerveer Court has one.

On Sunday, the court at Maples Pavillion officially became Tara VanDerveer Court, named in honor of the all-time winningest head coach in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history. Stanford, now under the leadership of Kate Paye, inaugurated it in appropriate fashion, scoring an 89-58 win over Gonzaga.

No. 10 to the rafters at UW

Kelsey Plum will become the first University of Washington women’s basketball player to have her jersey retired. Her No. 10 jersey will be raised to the rafters of Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Jan. 18, 2025. The consensus national player of the year as a senior in 2017, Plum left Washington as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history.

A Deutschland debut in 2025-26

UConn and Louisville will begin the 2025-26 season by becoming the first two women’s teams to participate in the Armed Forces Classic. The game will be held on Nov. 4, 2025, at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

A look ahead

While UConn’s trip to Chapel Hill highlights the week’s action, Norfolk State will have an opportunity to score another upset over an SEC team as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. Here’s a sampling of the week’s most intriguing action:

Wednesday, Nov. 13

Norfolk State vs. Alabama (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)

Thursday, Nov. 14

Creighton vs. Kansas State (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Friday, Nov. 15

UConn vs. North Carolina (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Saturday, Nov. 16

Louisville vs. Kentucky (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)

Sunday, Nov. 17

Stanford vs. Indiana (2 p.m. ET, FS1)

NC State vs. TCU (3 p.m. ET, ESPN)