Opening day brought us big performances by players and programs who looked like they had been playing for a few weeks already. Unfortunately, for the teams that played on Tuesday, it seemed like every time you pulled up scores, a Power Four program was on the ropes. There weren't a lot of games, but there were some extremely fun ones.
Let's start in Durham, North Carolina. Duke pulled out a 76-60 win over the visiting Green Bay Phoenix. Green Bay is a very tough mid-major who can put a scare into any Power Four program it plays. The Phoenix led at the end of the first quarter and had a six-point lead in the second quarter, but Duke was just too much in the end, as Green Bay couldn't hold onto the lead.
Playing without Toby Fournier (more on that below), Duke had four players in double-figures. Riley Nelson and Arianna Roberson led the charge with 15 points each. Aaliyah Crump added 11 points, and Destiny Thomas rounded out the four players with 10 points. Green Bay was paced by Maddie Skorupski with a game-high 16 points, and Kristina Ouimette pitched in 14 points.
One of the weirdest games of the day took place in Morgantown. West Virginia could not see to get their offense going and trailed by seven points in the first quarter. They took the lead and stretched it out pretty well by the fourth quarter, but even after a 60-43 lead with 6:28 left in the same, they were not safe.
Kudos for Rhode Island ending the game on a 21-8 run, but they were unable to get within a possession as time wound down. Delanie Hill was unstoppable for Rhode Island as she knocked down seven 3-pointers in just 10 attempts. Gia Cooke scored 28 points for West Virginia and led all scorers in the game. This is the type of action we crave!
Here are yesterday's statistical leaders:
Loyola Chicago trailed 28-11 with a minute left in the first quarter before Loyola Chicago outscored Wright State 21-4 in the second quarter. The win marked the first win for Morgan Paige in her head coaching career.
Northwestern survived a scare by Milwaukee to claw together a 64-60 win. The win gave Carla Berube her first win as Northwestern head coach.
Incarnate Word with a huge win over Tulsa, 63-57.
DII Illinois Springfield took down Southern Illinois, 75-70. Kayla Rice had 30 points for Illinois Springfield and gave us our fourth non-D1 over D1 win of the season.
Duke's Toby Fournier did not play in the game against Green Bay. She is currently sidelined with a lower leg injury. There is no current timetable for a return.
Duke's Toby Fournier did not play in the game against Green Bay. She is currently sidelined with a lower leg injury. There is no current timetable for a return.
Skim Milkey previews the SEC and breaks down each team heading into 2026-27.
Skim Milkey previews the Big 12 and breaks down each team heading into 2026-27.
Skim Milkey previews the week to come in women's hoops.
The Basket Under Review app is available for download on the Google Play Store!
If you are an Apple/iOS user, you can download the TestFlight version of the app here: https://testflight.apple.com/join/sTwECNxQ
The app will be available on the Apple App Store soon.
If you notice any glitches, mistakes, or have any feedback on the games, please email us at administrator@basketunderreview.com.
Follow Basket Under Review on: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
Thanks for reading the Basket Under Review Newsletter. This newsletter is evolving daily, so please feel free to send us some feedback by email at administrator@basketunderreview.com.