Women’s Basketball Games of the Weekend 1/14 – 1/15
No. 20 LOUISVILLE at No. 11 RUTGERS (2 p.m. Saturday at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey)
Before the season even started, these two teams were thought to have a strong chance in a loaded Big East Conference. If only Notre Dame weren’t in the way, this would be a game to decide first place. Still, should the Irish lose in the next few games, the winner of this contest will have the advantage. Rutgers (14-2, 3-0) has won five in a row, including a 63-39 victory over Pittsburgh behind Khadijah Rushdan’s 14 points and April Sykes’ 11 points. Only Miami and Tennessee have tripped up the Scarlet Knights. Louisville (14-3, 3-1) lost to Texas A&M and Kentucky before going on a 7-1 stretch marred only by a loss against St. John’s. Shoni Schimmel’s 16 points and four rebounds were key in a 63-57 victory over South Florida. There is plenty more basketball to play in this league, so fasten your seat belts.
No. 18 GREEN BAY at DETROIT (2 p.m. Saturday at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Michigan)
The Phoenix have not only risen, they have flown sky high. Despite the team’s red-hot start, it still has plenty of competition in a strong Horizon League. Green Bay (14-0, 4-0) beat Illinois-Chicago, Loyola (Illinois) and Milwaukee before knocking Wright State out of a share of first place with a 68-50 victory. Julie Wojta’s 22 points and 17 rebounds propelled the Phoenix to their 34th straight regular-season win. Detroit (8-9, 4-1) is tied with Wright State for second place in the league and has won seven of eight following a dismal 1-8 start to the year. The Titans recently lost to Illinois-Chicago but have wins against Loyola and Milwaukee in the last week.
KANSAS STATE at No. 10 TEXAS TECH (3 p.m. Saturday at United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas)
How Kansas State has escaped the pollsters so far remains unclear. After all, any team that is unbeaten in the Big 12 and tied with Baylor for first place can’t be all that bad, right? The Wildcats (12-3, 3-0) have won four straight since a 44-38 loss to UNLV, and it includes victories over Marist, Texas A&M, Kansas and Missouri. What’s wrong with that? Mariah White has been one of the team leaders with 23 points and eight assists in the Missouri victory. Texas Tech (14-1, 2-1) was surprised 71-68 by Oklahoma in its last game, putting an end to the Lady Raiders’ unbeaten string despite 21 points by Christine Hynde. This could be a potential trap game for Texas Tech because Baylor is on its schedule next, so K-State could take advantage of the “looking ahead” syndrome if it happens.
SAINT MARY’S at No. 21 GONZAGA (5 p.m. Saturday at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington)
The men’s teams had their fun last week, and now it’s the ladies’ turn. Control of the West Coast Conference is up for grabs in this game, with Gonzaga (15-2, 4-0) entering the contest a half-game ahead of San Diego, Brigham Young and Saint Mary’s (13-5, 4-1) in the standings. The Bulldogs have overcome early losses to Stanford and USC to roll off 10 wins in a row, including an 87-52 thrashing of San Francisco behind Kayla Sandish’s 20 points. Gonzaga will have a considerably harder time against the Gaels, who have won eight of their last nine and count only a 77-60 loss to San Diego as a blemish on their current record. Saint Mary’s knocked off Portland 75-71 in its last contest.
No. 3 STANFORD at COLORADO (6 p.m. Saturday at Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado)
Stanford is already two and a half games ahead of Colorado in the Pac 12 Conference race, but the Cardinal will get a challenge from the Buffaloes. Colorado has only two losses on the season and could be the first team to knock Stanford off in conference play if all goes well. Stanford (14-1, 5-0) hasn’t lost since a 68-58 setback against Connecticut in November. Its latest win was a 62-43 victory over Utah, as Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Colorado (13-2, 2-2) jumped off to a 12-0 start but has hit a snag as of late with losses to Washington and California. In a 68-55 loss to the Golden Bears, Chucky Jeffery had 21 points and six rebounds.
VANDERBILT at No. 5 TENNESSEE (2 p.m. Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee)
Kentucky and LSU may grace the top spots in the Southeastern Conference, but there is plenty of jockeying for position beneath them. Tennessee (12-4, 3-1) is tied with Georgia and South Carolina, one game behind the leaders, and Vanderbilt (14-2, 2-1) is one and a half games back. See what we mean by a tight race? Vanderbilt’s only bad luck has come against North Carolina State and South Carolina. The Commodores topped Ole Miss and Auburn in their last two games. Vanderbilt’s Christina Foggie scored 22 of her 27 points in the second half of the Auburn win.
No. 7 KENTUCKY at No. 22 SOUTH CAROLINA (3 p.m. Sunday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina)
Another strong SEC contest takes place in South Carolina when the Wildcats come to Columbia. Kentucky (15-2, 4-0) has a four-game winning streak rolling that has helped it stay unbeaten in the league, but the Cats nearly dropped from the top spot before hanging on for a 61-60 victory over Tennessee. A’dia Mathies’ layup with 4.2 seconds remaining gave her 34 points and nine rebounds and stopped Tennessee’s 36-game SEC winning streak. South Carolina (14-3, 3-1) saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end with a 58-48 loss to LSU. LaSondra Barrett scored 14 points and had six rebounds in the contest.
PENN STATE at NEBRASKA (3:05 p.m. Sunday at Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska)
Two solid Big Ten contests are on the Sunday agenda, the first one in Nebraska as the Lady Lions visit Lincoln. Penn State (12-4, 2-2) lost to the Cornhuskers at home this year, 71-63, so this could be a closer contest than some expect. Penn State has losses to the Huskers and Michigan State in league play and wins against Wisconsin and Michigan. Maggie Lucas led the way for Penn State against the Wolverines, with 22 points and five assists. Nebraska (15-1, 4-0) hasn’t lost since falling to Georgia Tech, 73-57, on Nov. 30, a span of nine games. Nebraska topped Wisconsin 75-69 in its last victory as Lindsey Moore’s 28 points led the way.
OHIO STATE at MICHIGAN STATE (4 p.m. Sunday at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan)
The second “big” Big Ten contest of the day takes place in Lansing when the Buckeyes travel up to the state capital. Ohio State (16-1, 3-1) jumped out to a 15-0 start before it was tripped up by Michigan, 73-62. The Buckeyes regained their form in an 82-72 win over Northwestern as Tayler Hill had 19 of her 24 points in the second half. Ohio State is one game behind conference tri-leaders Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan State (12-5, 4-0). The Spartans have beaten Indiana twice and Michigan and Penn State once, with losses coming against the likes of Miami, Texas and Pittsburgh. Porsche Poole’s 16 points helped the Spartans in their last win, a 67-47 victory over Indiana.
