December 13, 2021
Daily Briefing — Dec. 13, 2021: Have you Heard?
By Em Adler
And an instant classic between Maryland and South Carolina
It’s Monday, I’m sorry. Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the daily Watch List, and Yesterday’s Recap! Day 35 of college basketball is here, and I’m back, folks — did you miss me? Today we’ve got a slate headlined by… the opportunity to re-watch South Carolina-vs.-Maryland. Boy, wasn’t that game great? Also, Lauren Heard keeps on dominating.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
(All times in Eastern)
Watch List, Monday, Dec. 13
Must-watch
None
Good games
None
Also watchable
None
Sickos games
None
Pac-12 or Big Ten on national television (or national streaming)
None
Sunday, Dec. 12 recap
#1 South Carolina, #8 Maryland: The Gamecocks beat the Terps 66-59. Each team was missing one of its top three players: South Carolina without point guard Destanni Henderson, and Maryland without wing Diamond Miller. This was the Gamecocks’ fourth top-10 win of the season, and it’s closest margin in any of those — folks, South Carolina is ridiculous. The teams combined to shoot 33.8% from the field, 26.7% from three, and 60.4% from the line. The Gamecocks out-rebounded the Terps by 27, including 24 offensive rebounds, and recorded 15 blocks; committed 16 turnovers.
Wing Zia Cooke led South Carolina with a game-high-tying 20 points on 5-for-13 from the field, 2-for-7 from three, and 8-for-10 from the line, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals against four turnovers without a foul; center Aliyah Boston had a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double on 7-for-15 shooting (0-1 3pt.) with six offensive rebounds and seven blocks; big Laeticia Amihere continued to initiate the offense without Henderson, finishing with four points on 1-for-7 FG (0-1 3pt.), eight rebounds, one assist, and two blocks against five turnovers. Maryland big Angel Reese matched Cooke’s game-high 20 points on 7-for-19 from the field (6-9 FT), plus 10 rebounds for a double-double and two assists and three blocks; point guard Ashley Owusu had 11 points on 3-for-17 shooting (5-8 FT), six rebounds, and three assists in the worst shooting performance of her collegiate career.
The Daily Briefing Angel Reese Foul Watch: Three fouls in 31 minutes today; 5.4 fouls per 40 minutes (12th percentile), 6.4% foul percentage (12th percentile, per Her Hoop Stats) for the season.
#2 N.C. State: 101-73 win over Saint Mary’s. Outscored the Gaels 25-7 in the first quarter before allowing 48 of their 73 points in the second half and a 44.6% FG%/40.0% 3P% to Saint Mary’s — with every Wolfpack starter playing between 17 and 21 minutes, the defensive result isn’t indicative of much. N.C. State shot 52.7% from the field, 10-for-20 from three, and made all 13 of its free-throws; committed only seven turnovers. Center Elissa Cunane scored 15 points on 5-for-10 form the field with nine rebounds (four offensive) without a turnover; combo forward Kayla Jones notched 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting (2-2 3pt.), three assists, and no turnovers; win Jakia Brown-Turner had 11 points on 4-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from three and six rebounds without a turnover; combo guard Aziaha James tallied 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting (1-2 3pt.), five rebounds, and two steals without a turnover off the bench.
#4 Stanford: 91-62 win over Pacific in the Cardinal’s first game in over two weeks. Shot just 26.9% from three on 26 attempts; had a 59.0% offensive rebounding rate; forced 19 turnovers and 18 fouls. Center Cameron Brink led with a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double on 12-for-16 from the field with five offensive rebounds, three assists, and four blocks against one turnover and foul in just 23 minutes; wing Lexie Hull had 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting (2-4 3pt.), four offensive rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks against a lone turnover; off-ball guard Hannah Jump was reinserted to the starting lineup, finishing with 12 points on 3-for-10 form three (1-2 from two); point wing Haley Jones went 1-for-2 from three!
The Daily Briefing Cameron Brink Foul Watch: One foul in 23 minutes today; 4.1 fouls per 40 minutes (30th percentile), 4.9% foul percentage (31st percentile, per Her Hoop Stats) for the season.
#6 Arizona: 77-60 win over New Mexico. Shot 36.1% on 36 three-point attempts on its sixth-highest single-game three-point rate in the Her Hoop Stats era (since 2009). Center Lauren Ware, who suffered a dislocated kneecap on Thursday, will be available in about 10 days, in line with the initial two-week diagnosis; big Cate Reese led with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting (4-8 FT) and 12 rebounds (four offensive) for a double-double, three assists, and two turnovers; wing Sam Thomas notched 13 points on 4-for-12 from the field and 3-for-8 from three, four assists, two steals, and two blocks against three turnovers; combo guard Madison Conner scored 15 points on 5-for-10 from three (0-1 from two) — both career-highs off the bench.
The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom
The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
#7 Louisville, #14 Kentucky: The Cardinals beat the Wildcats 64-58. After Kentucky flipped a seven-point early-fourth-quarter deficit to a one-point late with less than three minutes left, Louisville scored six-straight points to seal the win. The teams combined to shoot 39.5% from the field, 26.9% from three, and 65.6% from the line. The Cardinals forced 21 turnovers, but committed 18 fouls.
Point guard Chelsie Hall led Louisville with a game-high 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting (1-2 3pt., 4-6 FT) against three turnovers and three fouls; combo guard Hailey Van Lith had 13 points on 5-for-11 from the field (1-2 3pt.), four rebounds, and two steals against a career-high six turnovers; bench off-ball guard Ahlana Smith notched a career-high-tying 13 points on 6-for-11 FG (1-3 3pt.) and two steals. The Wildcats were led by their bigs, with Dre’una Edwards and Treasure Hunt combining for 28 points on 9-for-22 shooting (Edwards 0-2 3pt., Hunt 1-1 3pt.), 21 rebounds, and 12 turnovers, with Edwards adding five offensive rebounds and four assists; off-ball guard Robyn Benton tallied 13 points on 5-for-12 from the field (1-3 3pt.).
#9 Tennessee: 84-60 win over Georgia State. Shot just 39.2% from the field and 5-for-20 from three; grabbed 62 rebounds; committed 19 turnovers and 15 fouls, but forced 18 turnovers and 26 fouls. Center Tamari Key had a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double on 6-for-10 shooting (4-6 FT) with eight offensive rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and two turnovers in 19 minutes; point wing Jordan Horston scored 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting with 10 rebounds for a double-double, plus three assists, three steals, and four turnovers; big Keyen Green scored a Vols-career-high 14 points on 4-for-7 FG (6-8 FT) off the bench with seven rebounds; combo forward Sara Puckett had 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting (1-1 3pt.), eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals off the bench.
#10 Indiana, #20 Ohio State: The Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes 86-66. Indiana shot 58.1% form the field and 4-for-9 from three, while Ohio State shot just 36.4% overall despite 52.6% from deep. Hoosier center Mackenzie Holmes set a career-high with 30 points on 13-for-19 shooting (1-2 3pt.), adding seven rebounds and five blocks against three turnovers; point guard Grace Berger had 32 points on 9-for-13 shooting, seven rebounds, and five assists without a turnover; combo guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary notched 17 points on 6-for-11 FG (2-5 3pt.), seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals against four turnovers. Combo guard Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 23 points on 9-for-24 form the field and 4-for-7 from three, three offensive rebounds, two assists, and two steals against four turnovers and fouls each; wing Taylor Mikesell had 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting (3-5 3pt.), three rebounds, and two assists against three turnovers.
The Daily Briefing Indiana Bench Scoring Watch: 2 points (2.3% of team total), 3 attempts (4.8%) today; 66 points (9.0%), 59 attempts (10.1%) for the season.
#13 Michigan: 73-61 win over Minnesota. Trailed by as many as seven in the mid-third quarter, which you don’t want to do against a team that lost to RV* Oklahoma by 19. Shot 53.8% from the field but just 2-for-11 from three; forced 21 turnovers. Big Naz Hillmon had a game-high 25 points on 11-for-18 from the field (0-1 3pt.), eight rebounds (five offensive), and three assists against three turnovers; wing Leigha Brown scored 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting (0-3 3pt.) with five assists.
#15 Iowa State: 70-69 win over Northern Iowa. With Iowa having beaten the Panthers by 21, I believe the Cyclones have now transitively lost the Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa State led by 11 at the half, then got outscored in the second, including a -6 fourth quarter; played only seven players, with three starters registering at least 39 minutes. Shot 41.7% from three; forced only eight turnovers. Combo guard Lexi Donarski led with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting (4-5 3pt.), eight rebounds, and four turnovers; center Morgan Kane had a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double on 6-for-7 FG with three turnovers; wing Ashley Joens notched 12 points on 4-for-16 from the field and 2-for-6 from three, eight rebounds (four offensive), three assists, and two blocks without a turnover.
#17 South Florida: 64-57 win over VCU. The Rams had a 98.2% win expectancy with a 49-34 lead in the waning seconds of the third quarter, but the Bulls notched a 28-8 fourth en route to the comeback. South Florida shot 44.0% form the field, 38.9% from three, and 86.7% from the line; had a 53.6% offensive rebounding rate; had a +22 rebounding margin but finished with the same number of shot attempts thanks to 19 turnovers committed and only seven forced. Point guard Elisa Pinzan scored a game-high 24 points on 6-for-8 from the field and 9-for-10 form the line (3-4 3pt.) with four rebounds and no fouls against five turnovers; center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu made her first start of the year, finishing with 22 points on 10-for-11 FG and nine rebounds (four offensive) against three turnovers and four fouls in 29 minutes.
#18 Texas A&M: 87-75 loss to TCU, a team that has lost to Tulane by 10, RV North Carolina by 33, and Florida by nine. Shot just 3-for-13 from three and missed nine free-throws; were out-rebounded by 19. The teams combined for 44 turnovers and 53 fouls. Wing Kayla Wells scored 20 points on 5-for-18 from the field and 10-for-11 from the line (0-3 3pt.) with four turnovers; point guard Jordan Nixon had 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting (2-4 3pt.), four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals against four turnovers; off-ball guard Qadashah Hoppie scored 17 bench points on 6-for-11 FG (1-2 3pt.) with three assists. Horned Frog point guard Lauren Heard scored 33 points on 7-for-12 from the field and 18-for-21 from the line (1-2 3pt.) with five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and six turnovers.
TCU’s 3-2 conference record now slots them first in the Big 12.
#22 Notre Dame: 78-41 win over Purdue Fort Wayne. Point guard Olivia Miles scored 12 points on 4-for-9 from the field (1-3 3pt.) with eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals; center Maya Dodson matched those 12 points on 5-for-9 FG with five rebounds and five blocks; wing Sonia Citron joined the 12-point party on 5-for-10 shooting (0-2 3pt.) off the bench with three assists and three blocks; off-ball guard Anaya Peoples had 10 points on 5-for-6 FG and nine rebounds (five offensive).
#23 Oregon State: 56-52 loss to Villanova. Entered halftime tied, but were a -7 in the third quarter. Out-rebounded the Wildcats by 18, but took two fewer attempts thanks to forcing only three turnovers and eight fouls. The teams combined to shoot 31.1% from the field and 25.0% from three. Beaver point guard Talia von Oelhoffen had the worst game of her career, going scoreless on 0-for-8 from the field (0-3 3pt.); center Jelena Mitrovic had a double-double off the bench with 14 points on 7-for-12 from the field and 13 rebounds (seven offensive), plus three blocks; off-ball guard Greta Kampschroeder had five points on 2-for-9 shooting )1-4 3pt.), four rebounds, and four turnovers. Wing Maddy Siegrist led Villanova with 28 points — that’s half the team’s total — on 9-for-22 from the field, 3-for-7 from three, and 7-for-8 from the line, plus nine rebounds and two assists without a turnover.
#24 LSU: 96-55 win over Texas Southern. Shot 62.1% from the field and 6-for-9 from three; had a 59.1% offensive rebounding rate; committed 18 turnovers. Ten Tigers finished with at least five points. Center Faustine Aifuwa led with 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting and five rebounds; point guard Khayla Pointer had 13 points on 4-for-6 from the field (4-6 FT), six rebounds, four assists, and five steals against three turnovers.
RV Florida State: 69-55 loss to Florida, a team that lost to Towson by 17 and George Mason by four. Shot 40.0% from the field, 21.4% from three, and 47.1% from the line and committed 23 turnovers and 20 fouls. Center River Baldwin finished three turnovers shy of a triple-double, with 15 points (7-8 FG), 10 rebounds (three offensive), and seven turnovers; wing Morgan Jones had 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting, seven rebounds, and three assists against three turnovers.
RV North Carolina: 107-46 win over UNC Asheville. Shot 58.9% from the field and 55.0% from three and still rebounded over half its own misses; committed only eight turnovers. Big wing Alyssa Ustby notched a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double on 9-for-11 shooting (0-1 3pt.) with six offensive rebounds, four assists, four steals, three blocks, and two turnovers; combo guard Deja Kelly scored 19 points on 7-for-14 from the field (2-4 3pt.) with three assists and steals each without a turnover; combo guard Carlie Littlefield had 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting (4-5 3pt.), six rebounds, and four assists; big Anya Poole tallied 16 points on 6-for-9 FG, nine rebounds (three offensive), and three assists without a turnover.
RV Georgia Tech: 63-36 win over Furman. Shot just 36.1/33.3/44.4 (FG%/3P%/FT%), but allowed only a 24.5/27.3/57.1 line; assisted on 18 of its 22 buckets. Combo forward Digna Strautmane had a game-high 20 points on 6-for-12 from three (1-3 from two), six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks without a foul; big Lorela Cubaj had only five points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3pt.), but notched 14 rebounds (five offensive), six assist, two steals, and three blocks; off-ball guard Sarah Bates tallied 12 points on 4-for-8 from three (0-1 from two), five rebounds, and three assists without a turnover off the bench.
RV Gonzaga: 64-54 win over Stephen F. Austin. Very much a quality win, with the Lumberjacks ranking 26th in Her Hoop Stats rating. The teams combined to shoot 36.4% from the field and 25.6% from three; they scored only 16 combined first-quarter points. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle by 18, including a 55.9% offensive rebounding rate. Gonzaga point guard Kaylynne Truong and off-ball guard Cierra Walker each scored a game-high 18 points — Troung on 5-for-10 from the field, 1-for-5 from three and 7-for-8 form the line with four turnovers; Walker on 4-for-10 from three and 2-for-3 from two with four rebounds (two offensive). SFA point guard Stephanie Visscher played the entire game and matched those 18 points, on 7-for-15 FG (2-5 3pt.) with seven rebounds (three offensive), three steals, and two turnovers.
RV Virginia Tech: 89-40 win over Radford. Shot 52.9% from the field but 28.6% from three and 9-for-14 from the line; committed only six turnovers. Center Elizabeth Kitley had a double-double on a game-high 22 points on 10-for-16 FG and 10 rebounds (three offensive) with three blocks and no turnovers; combo forward Azana Baines had a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double on 7-for-8 shooting without a turnover.
*Receiving Votes
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.