NCAAW: South Carolina shows off SEC superiority in stomping of Texas

Catch up on the best games, performances and more from another thrilling week of women’s college hoops:

The Gamecocks grind the Longhorns

Sunday marked the first of five-straight games against ranked SEC opponents for South Carolina. But, if Sunday’s result was any indication, the stretch will not be an impediment for the Gamecocks, but instead provide more evidence of their excellence.

In front of a sold-out crowd in Colonial Life Arena, the Gamecocks won their 67th-straight home game and record 51st-straight regular-season SEC game, obliterating visiting Texas, 67-50.

While the Longhorns can claim that it was just one of the those afternoons where everything went wrong, it appeared the Gamecocks benefitted from an intimidation factor that sent the visitors out of sorts.

The nation’s most efficient offense was rendered inept. With a team-wide 27.8 percent shooting mark from the field, it was Texas’ least efficient shooting performance since…the last time they played South Carolina, which occurred in the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It was an extremely frustrating afternoon for Madison Booker, with the usually sweet shooting sophomore forward struggling to get anything to fall. She finished 3-for-19 from the field with seven points, hounded by South Carolina senior guard Bree Hall for most of the afternoon.

South Carolina, in contrast, shot efficiently, with senior guard Te-Hina Paopao and junior forward Chloe Kitts leading the team with matching 11-point efforts. Senior forward Sania Feagin added eight points and nine boards, while junior guard Raven Johnson had eight points and 10 rebounds.

That doesn’t mean head coach Dawn Staley will be satisfied. A preponderance of turnovers prevented South Carolina from enjoying an even more dominant victory. Too often, the Gamecocks opted for overly ambitious passes, especially when trying to enter the ball to their bigs on the block. A more measured approach might be necessary when they meet Alabama (Jan. 16), Oklahoma (Jan. 19), LSU (Jan. 23) and Tennessee (Jan. 27).

The Gamecocks also allowed the Longhorns to corral 20 offensive boards. Texas proved unable to make them pay, but the Tigers and Lady Vols, in particular, are two upcoming opponents who could.

Pitt pulls off historic comeback

It was a week full of upsets—and near upsets—in the ACC.

Virginia Tech knocked Georgia Tech from the ranks of the undefeated on Thursday. Then, the Jackets dropped a second-straight game to Louisville on Sunday. North Carolina defeated Duke in double overtime on Thursday. On Sunday, the Blue Devils survived a scare at Virginia. Notre Dame, likewise, found themselves in a closer-than-expected contest against Clemson on Sunday. NC State lost in Northern California on Thursday, falling to Cal. On Sunday, the Pack responded by handing Stanford their first home loss.

However, the most memorable game occurred in Pittsburgh. Pitt entered their matchup against SMU 0-4 in ACC play. As they fell down by 32 points in the first half, they seemed destined to fall to 0-5 in conference action.

Instead, the Panthers engineered the epic comeback. After holding the Mustangs scoreless in the third quarter, the Panthers maintained their momentum through the fourth, thrilling the home crowd with what became a 72-59 win. The 32-point comeback ties the largest comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history.

Grad forward Khadija Faye captained Pitt with a 21-point and 12-rebound double-double. From off the bench, sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson scored a team-high 22 points.

Wooden midseason watchlist

Last week, the Wooden Award midseason top 25 list was announced, with many familiar names, including favorites Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Lauren Betts, populating the list. The 25 players who remain in the running for one of the sport’s top honors are:

Georgia Amoore (Kentucky)
Raegan Beers (Oklahoma)
Lauren Betts (UCLA)
Madison Booker (Texas)
Paige Bueckers (UConn)
Audi Crooks (Iowa State)
Yvonne Ejim (Gonzaga)
Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)
Kiki Iriafen (USC)
Aziaha James (NC State)
Flau’jae Johnson (LSU)
Ta’Niya Latson (Florida State)
Ayoka Lee (Kansas State)
Cotie McMahon (Ohio State)
Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)
Aneesah Morrow (LSU)
Lucy Olsen (Iowa)
Te-Hina Paopao (South Carolina)
Khamil Pierre (Vanderbilt)
Sedona Prince (TCU)
JJ Quinerly (West Virginia)
Sarah Strong (UConn)
Harmoni Turner (Harvard)
Hailey Van Lith (TCU)
JuJu Watkins (USC)

Don’t miss these masterful performances

If you need a distraction from a world full of chaos, women’s college basketball players are providing it, as proven by the performances turned in from across the country over the past week:

Norfolk State grad guard Diamond Johnson dropped 28 points in the 94-54 victory over Delaware State on Monday. She did it by scoring efficiently at all three levels, along with dishing six assists, grabbing five rebounds and snatching eight steals.

On Wednesday, Maggie Doogan netted a career-high 37 points, with the junior forward’s effort helping Richmond edge George Mason, 88-86. Doogan was 10-for-11 from the line and made three 3s, while also distributing eight assists.

Grad guard Morgan Maly pushed Creighton past Marquette, 71-68, on Wednesday with eight 3-pointers and 28 points.

West Virginia took care of Texas Tech on Wednesday, 89-53, behind a nearly-perfect night from JJ Quinerly. The senior guard went 7-for-9 from the field and 7-for-7 from the line to finish with 21 points. She also tallied four assists and seven steals. For more on Quinerly, be sure to check out Eric Nemchock’s analysis of her WNBA potential.

Mia Jacobs had quite a week for Fresno State. On Wednesday, the junior forward from Australia finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds, with the double-double powering her team past San Jose State, 77-64. On Saturday, she put up another 30-10 game, scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Bulldogs bettered Boise State, 68-62. Along the way, she also scored her 1,000th-career point.

Not that anyone needed it, but senior guard Azzi Fudd authored a reminder game on Thursday, shooting almost 65 percent from the field and scoring a season-high 23 points as UConn crushed Xavier, 81-27.

Go crazy Grace Larkins! The senior guard has been putting on a show for South Dakota. On Thursday, she unleashed 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tossed eight assists in the 77-60 victory over St. Thomas. On Saturday, it was 45 points, 12 boards and eight assists in the 71-66 win against Omaha. Her 45 points, which she achieved without a 3-pointer, is a new school record.

Kennedy Todd-Williams was cooking in Ole Miss’ 87-59 win over Vanderbilt on Thursday. The grad guard went 5-for-7 from 3 and 6-for-6 from the line on her way to 25 points. She also tallied seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Although Georgia Tech lost their first game of the season on Thursday, falling 105-94 in double overtime to Virginia Tech, Kara Dunn gave the Jackets all she had. The junior guard finished with a 33-point and 10-rebound double-double while playing 47 minutes.

Ivy League action heated up this weekend. And junior guard Grace Arnolie made sure Brown entered the winner’s column on Saturday, with a 35-point effort to beat Yale, 77-69. While going 13-for-14 from the line, she also contributed seven assists and two steals.

It was a sweet, not sour, shooting day for Cal Baptist sophomore guard Khloe Lemon. She drained 11 3-pointers on Saturday. Her 11 triples ties the WAC record and sets a new school record. Lemon finished with 39 points as CBU defeated Utah Valley, 77-50.

Freshman forward Maia Rosarion was the difference maker for Morehead State on Saturday. She made her presence felt with 20 points, 15 rebounds (eight offensive), five blocks and four steals in the 64-61 win over Southeast Missouri State.

At 12-3 overall and 4-0 in the Patriot League, Navy is quietly putting together a solid season. And sophomore guard Zanai Barnett-Gay is a big reason why. On Saturday, she dropped a season-high 28 points, while also brining in seven rebounds, snagging six steals and dishing four assists, as the Mids came back against Loyola-Maryland for the 63-59 win.

Senior guard Aniya Gourdine helped Southern get the job done against Florida A&M on Saturday. She stuffed the stat sheet for 18 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in the 77-61 win.

Grad guard Molly Kaiser poured in the points from all over the floor on Saturday, scoring 32 points for New Mexico in a win over UTEP, 65-49.

JuJu Watkins not only lifted USC to a 95-73 win over Penn State on Sunday, but, in the process, did her best to try to the raise the spirits of LA. The sophomore superstar scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while also notching five steals and three blocks. After the game, the LA native shared, “I took it as a good opportunity to have some fun. Vibes are kind of down here in LA, so our goal was to put on a show and entertain people for a couple hours.”

An infectious injury bug strikes the sport

Shortly after UConn’s Paige Bueckers suffered a knee injury scare that will continue to sideline her for another few games, South Carolina and Ashlyn Watkins received more ominous injury news, as the junior forward tore her ACL during the Gamecocks’ victory over Mississippi State on Sunday, Jan. 5.

While South Carolina has the depth necessary to sustain Watkins’ season-long absence, as they demonstrated in the season opener (which Watkins missed due to suspension) and in Sunday’s win over Texas, the Gamecocks ceiling is lower without, arguably, their most athletically-gifted player, whose impact on games often exceeds the 7.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game that are registered in the box score.

Illinois, which has lurked around the edges of the top 25 for most of the season, offered a spirited response after learning that grad guard Makira Cook and sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan will both miss the remainder of the season, upsetting Iowa on Thursday evening.

Cook is dealing with an undisclosed health condition, while Dolan sustained a knee injury. Both players had suited up for the Illini in eight games this season. Cook, who has not played since Dec. 8, was averaging just under 12 points per game. Dolan, who has been sidelined since Dec. 28, was contributing 10.5 points per game.

A look ahead

This week offers yet another intriguing slate of conference matchups:

Thursday, Jan. 16

Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame (6 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

South Carolina vs. Alabama (7 p.m. ET, SECN+)

Cal vs. Duke (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

Friday, Jan. 17

Utah vs. TCU (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Sunday, Jan. 19

Oklahoma vs. South Carolina (3 p.m. ET)

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt (3 p.m. ET, SECN+)

Michigan State vs. Illinois (3 p.m. ET, B1G+)