November 29, 2021 

Daily Briefing — Nov. 29, 2021: Arkansas, Duke notch quality wins

Plus a 38-point, fouled-out performance

It’s Monday, I’m sorry. Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the daily Watch List, Duke dominance, and the Yesterday’s Recap! Day 21 of college basketball is here, and thanks to Thanksgiving tournaments from Thursday to Saturday what would usually be the longest Recap is quite short — but not as short as today’s barren Watch List.

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(All times in Eastern)

Watch List, Monday, Nov. 29

Must-watch

None

Good games

None

Also watchable

None

Sickos games

None

Pac-12 or Big 10 on national television (or national streaming)

None

Sunday, Nov. 28 recap

#10 Louisville: 71-56 win over Colorado State. Shot 52.8% from the field and 5-of-10 from three, but committed 15 turnovers. Wing Kianna Smith scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting (1-2 3pt.); off-ball guard Ahlana Smith notched a season-high 11 points on 5-of-7 from the field off the bench; big wing Emily Engstler had 10 points on 4-9 FG, eight rebounds, two blocks, and three turnovers.

#13 Iowa State: 76-71 win over UMass. The Minutewomen closed within one point with just over two minutes left, then missed multiple game-tying or go-ahead jumpers. UMass actually outshot the Cyclones both overall and from three — +1.2% from the field, +2.2% from deep — but thanks to Simpson’s Paradox, Iowa State’s significantly higher three-point-attempt rate signified the victory; the Cyclones played just six players at least a minute and a half. Big wing Ashley Joens had a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double on 7-22 shooting (3-12 3pt., 6-7 FT) with three assists, two blocks, and five turnovers; combo guard Lexi Donarski matched that game-high of 23 points on 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-11 from three (5-6 FT) without a turnovers; center Morgan Kane notched 11 points on 4-6 FG and nine rebounds (six offensive) without a turnover; off-ball guard Aubrey Joens scored 15 points on 5-9 3pt. with six rebounds and no turnovers. The Minutewomen were led by combo forward Sam Breen’s double-double of 21 points on 7-17 shooting (3-7 3pt.) and 12 rebounds.



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#19 UCLA: 73-65 win over St. John’s. The Red Storm tied the game as late as the mid-fourth quarter. Point guard Charisma Osborne had a double-double with 19 points on 5-of-15 from the field and 4-of-11 from three (5-6 FT), plus six assists and two steals against four fouls; big IImar’I Thomas matched that game-high of 19 points on 8-13 shooting (0-2 3pt.) with three rebounds and three turnovers; Dominique Onu — the consensus^ No. 25 freshman in the country, recruited at point guard but playing off-ball since enrolling early last spring — scored a career-high 10 points on 4-7 FG (1-3 3pt.) off the bench.

RV* Arkansas: 83-63 win over Belmont, more than double RV Georgia Tech’s margin against the Bruins. Make of that what you will. Center Erynn Barnum had 15 points on 5-9 shooting, seven rebounds, and a career-high-tying four steals in 20 minutes; point guard Samara Spencer notched 13 points on 5-of-10 from the field (3-5 3pt.) and three assists; wing Jersey Wolfengarger scored 10 bench points on 3-7 FG (1-2 3pt.) with four rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers.

RV Duke: 91-75 win over Troy. It ought’ve been larger, too, with the Blue Devils shooting 45.9% from the field and 40.6% from three, but they shot just 10-for-25 from the line; Duke committed 19 turnovers. Freshman point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson scored a career-high 26 points in 32 bench minutes on 9-14 shooting (8-10 3pt., 0-4 FT) with five rebounds, four assists, and six turnovers; off-ball guard Celeste Taylor had 24 points on 8-17 shooting (3-6 3pt., 5-10 FT), 11 rebounds, six assists, and six steals against four turnovers — the first 26/11/6/6 performance in almost three years; big wing Elizabeth Balogun notched 11 points on 4-10 FG (1-5 3pt., 2-6 FT), nine rebounds, and three blocks; center Jade Williams had nine points on 4-8 shooting, 13 rebounds (seven offensive), and three assists against four turnovers.

RV Michigan State: 85-75 win over Marshall. The game was tied as late as the mid-fourth quarter. Point guard Nia Clouden scored 24 points on 7-13 shooting (10-11 FT) with six rebounds, eight assists, three turnovers, and four fouls; center Alisia Smith had 20 points on 7-11 FG (6-6 FT), six rebounds (three offensive), and two blocks against three fouls in 25 minutes; freshman point guard DeeDee Hagemann scored a “career”-high 15 points on 4-6 from field (2-2 3pt., 5-6 FT) off the bench with three rebounds and three assists against four turnovers. Combo guard Savannah Wheeler led the Thundering Herd with 30 points on 9-18 shooting (4-8 3pt., 8-9 FT) against six turnovers.

Kansas City: 85-76 win over UT-Arlington. Point guard Naomie Alnatas scored 38 points on 12-19 shooting (6-7 3pt., 8-9 FT) with four rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and three turnovers while fouling out.

Mizzou: 88-67 win over Lehigh. Combo guard Lauren Hansen scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-17 from the field and 9-of-14 from three with five rebounds.

Navy: 69-64 loss to George Mason. Point guard Jennifer Coleman had a game-high 30 points on 9-21 shooting (3-6 3pt., 9-15 FT), 12 rebounds, and seven assists against four turnovers in 40 minutes.

South Dakota State: Cancelled its game against Charlotte shortly before tipoff, due to what analyst and broadcaster Debbie Antonelli reported as a medical emergency within the Jackrabbits program.

Blown Leads

Fairfield: 71-64 loss to Yale. Had a 93.5% win expectancy with a 62-55 lead and four-and-a-half minutes to go. The Stags then went 1-for-4 from the field with a turnover and two fouls before having to start intentionally fouling.

San Francisco: 73-67 overtime loss to Nevada. Peaked at a 97.6% win expectancy with a 59-53 lead under two minutes, and still had a 96.8% expectancy with a three-point lead and nine seconds left. Allowed a buzzer-beating three, then the Wolf Pack opened the overtime period on an 8-2 they wouldn’t relinquish. Point guard Ioanna Krimili led the Dons with 34 points on 11-of-26 from the field and 5-of-15 from three (7-7 FT) and four rebounds in 42 minutes.

UNC Greensboro: 65-63 loss to Gardner-Webb. The Spartans had a 98.9% win expectancy with a 10-point lead and 4:15 remaining. The Runnin’ Bulldogs then scored 12 unanswered to close the game. 

*Receiving Votes
^Consensus rankings are drawn from an aggregation of ESPN, Blue Star, Prep Girls, ASGR, and Prospects Nation

Written by Em Adler

Em Adler (she/her) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.

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