The first full weekend of the season had a little bit of everything for us. Sarah Strong answered her worst game with the best of her career, JuJu Watkins got her Galen Center homecoming, and a Kentucky freshman made eight 3-pointers at the Ally Tipoff. Let’s dive into the weekend.
Friday
Notre Dame’s home opener was over before the end of the first quarter. The Irish led Stonehill 30-10 after one and rolled to a 123-40 win. Hannah Hidalgo had 27 points and 10 steals, and Leah Macy scored 24 on 12-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. Jaci Abii and Anaya Hardy each added double-doubles.
The 83-point margin was the second-largest in program history, and the Irish set a school record with 51 made field goals. They also forced 35 turnovers and finished with 28 steals.
Oklahoma State beat Morgan State 92-38, behind 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists from Liv McGill. Audi Crooks reached double figures for the 100th consecutive game.
Saturday
Madison Booker climbed the Texas record book with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting in a 91-29 win over Northern Colorado. She now has 2,023 career points and passed Clarissa Davis for third on the Longhorns’ all-time scoring list. Texas won the second quarter 26-3 and forced 32 turnovers. It was only the ninth time in program history that Texas held an opponent under 30 points.
Northern Kentucky beat Kent State 61-58, UMass won at Providence 60-50, and High Point won at Ball State 78-71.
Sunday
Sarah Strong had three days to think about Michigan, and Iowa paid for it. Strong scored a career-high 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting as #2 UConn beat #10 Iowa 91-79. She had 26 points by halftime, including 20 in the second quarter, and capped the half with a buzzer-beating three for a 52-37 lead. After the game, she put the Michigan loss on herself, saying she messed up “in every aspect” of that game.
Blanca Quiñonez added 21 points and four 3-pointers, KK Arnold scored 14, and Jovana Popović had 10 points and six assists.
At the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, Kentucky, freshman Ajsa Sivka introduced herself to the country. In her third college game, Sivka scored 32 points and tied a program record with eight 3-pointers as #14 Kentucky beat #25 NC State 93-78. The Wildcats opened 8-of-8 from the field, including 6-of-6 from three, and their 18 made threes tied a school record. Clara Strack added 24 points and eight rebounds. Khamil Pierre scored 34 for NC State, 18 of them in the first quarter.
The nightcap in Charlotte wasn’t close. #1 South Carolina outscored #12 North Carolina 51-16 across the second and third quarters on its way to an 84-39 win. Chloe Kitts had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Joyce Edwards added 15 points. That’s two ranked wins in two games for the Gamecocks.
JuJu Watkins made the most of her return to the Galen Center. She had 32 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and five steals in No. 3 USC’s 118-40 win over Utah State. She nearly had a double-double by halftime and left to a standing ovation with 2:34 remaining. Saniyah Hall added 20 points.
Not every favorite had a comfortable Sunday. UIC beat Northwestern 76-71 for its first win over a Big Ten team since 2013, behind 29 points from Julia Coleman. Northwestern had cut a 21-point deficit to three but ran out of time. Rice and Richmond were tied at 60 after regulation, and then the Owls won overtime 13-0. Princeton trailed Murray State with less than three minutes left before rallying for a 76-74 win, despite 29 points from Halli Poock.
Here are Friday's statistical leaders:
Here are Saturday's statistical leaders:
Here are Sunday's statistical leaders:
2027 four-star guard De'Andra Minor announced her commitment to Oregon. She chose the Ducks over Alabama and Auburn.
2027 five-star guard Ashley MacCalla committed to Rutgers. She chose the Scarlet Knights over Cal, Miami (FL), Oklahoma, and Virginia.
2027 Four-star guard Chance Berry has committed to West Virginia. She committed to the Mountaineers over Arizona State, NC State, and Texas Tech.
2027 five-star guard Sydney Savory committed to UConn. She chose UConn over North Carolina, Notre Dame, Texas, UCLA, and USC.
Skim Milkey dives into Maryland's Addi Mack.
Drew Hamm puts together the WBB Week in Review.
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