Rien que de filet!: NCAAW Daily Report (Friday)

Caitlin Clark broke the scoring record. Aside from the Iowa – Michigan matchup, there were six other NCAAW games on what I’m calling Three Point Thursday. Why, you might ask? A total of eighty-eight three-pointers were made. Gonzaga-SMC led the way with 30, and Louisville-Boston College ended with 3. 

Clark led the way for the Hawkeyes in the win over Michigan

As we all know by now, Clark scored the first 8 points and broke Kelsey Plum‘s scoring record in front of a screaming Iowa crowd. Coach Lisa Bluder called a time-out, giving the fans a chance to shower Clark with cheers. From there on, Iowa held the lead except for a brief second in the first quarter when Jordan Hobbs hit a jumper for Michigan, making it 6-5. At 7:48, Clark hit a three (the shot that broke the record), and then Iowa took the first quarter.

In the second, the closest Michigan came was within four on a Laila Phelia layup, but that was it. In the second half, Iowa outscored Michigan 53-48, and #4 Iowa won 106-89. Iowa shot 53.1% and Michigan shot 51.5%. Iowa scored 18 3-pointers and Michigan scored three. Michigan outrebounded Iowa 35-29, but Iowa had 25 assists on 34 made shots. Michigan had 14 assists on 35 made shots. The Wolverines got 56 points in the paint while the Hawkeyes had 32.

Turnovers and fouls factored in Iowa – Michigan matchup

Turnovers and fouls were pretty close, with Michigan taking a slight lead in both categories. I didn’t see this as a particularly good defensive game, but rather as a well-fought offensive matchup. Yes, Iowa won by 17, but they gave up 89 points. For Michigan, Elissa Brett fouled out, and Hannah Stuelke fouled out for Iowa. Clark’s 49 points and 13 assists led the way for Iowa. Kate Martin scored 20 and Stuelke 13. The rest of the team totaled 24 points.

For Michigan, Jordan Hobbs scored 16, Lauren Hansen 14, Chyra Evans 13, and Laila Phelia 12. Off the bench, Taylor Woodson scored 13 and Cameron Williams 10. Michigan had a much more balanced scoring game with four of five starters in double figures. Without Clark, Iowa does not. If Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall are all gone next season, Lisa Bluder is going to have to do a substantial rebuild, unless some super freshmen show up and Hannah Stuelke can lead the charge.

Kitley helps Virginia Tech win over Duke in ACC action

No. 13 Virginia Tech and Duke squared off in a low-scoring back-and-forth game. Both Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore played all 40 minutes and Matilda Eke 38. They were responsible for 58 of VT’s 61 points. Kitley scored 34 with 12 rebounds, Eke scored 11, and Georgia Amoore 13, going 4-21 with two 3s. In the fourth quarter, Duke held a slight lead until Kitley hit a jumper at 5:19. Ekh hit a three at 4:29, ballooning the lead to four.

A free throw by Delaney Thomas cut the lead to three and Oluchi Okananwa cut it further to one with a layup at 3:28. Kitley made a three thirty seconds later, and then Reagan Richardson brought Duke to within one at 2:28. Kitley made a layup at 2:02, Amoore a three at 0:20, Kennedy Brown hit for three at 0:09, and then promptly fouled Amoore, who hit both free throws and that was that.

Ashley Jackson scored 18 for Duke, and Reagan Richardson and Oluchi Okananwa scored 11, with Okananwa adding 11 boards. VT shot 40.7% and Duke shot 36.5%. The first reveal has Virginia Tech as a three-seed, and Charlie Creme’s Bracketology has Duke as an eight-seed. Of course, those could change, and I am sure that both Kenny Brooks and Kara Lawson will address the shooting woes from this game. The more I watched Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore,  the more I think there are places for them in the WNBA. 

NC State takes care of Notre Dame in Top-20 NCAAW action

No. 6 NC State went to South Bend and put a hurt on No. 16 Notre Dame, beating them 59-43. The Wolfpack defense won this game, holding the Irish to 26.9% shooting. Without Maddie Westbeld and Sonia Citron, this game could have been much worse. Hannah Hidalgo didn’t score until the third quarter, getting eight of her ten points. The Wolfpack didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard either.

River Baldwin scored 14 with 10 rebounds, Madison Hayes scored 16, Saniya Rivers scored 10 with 10 boards, and Aziaha James grabbed 11 points. NC State took the lead from the get-go and never lost it. Notre Dame looked clumsy and out of sync, and although NC State shot 42.9%, it was not a very pretty game. But tenacity will out, and perhaps that was what Notre Dame lacked in this game. They are currently a five-seed in Bracketology. They don’t need any more games like this one.

Syracuse picks up conference win over Miami

No. 19 Syracuse took down Miami 71-60. This game was about the fourth quarter. Syracuse led 53-36 after three. Miami opened the fourth on a 9-2 run when Syracuse called a time-out. By the 2:53 mark, Miami had closed the gap to five points. Then Dyaisha Fair made a pair of 3s with Georgia Woolley adding another, and saved a pair of jumpers for Miami, that was it.

For Syracuse, Georgia Woolley scored 24 points, Dyaisha Fair 11 with 6 boards and 5 assists, and Alyssa Latham scored 10 with 6 boards off the bench. For Miami, Shayeann Day-Wilson scored 11, the only starter in double figures, and Latasha Lattimore scored 10 off the bench. At the moment, Syracuse is a five-seed and Miami a nine-seed, with Miami currently in the bracket with South Carolina. Syracuse could potentially face Indiana in their bracket. 

Top-ranked South Carolina gets the road win over Tennessee

No. 1 South Carolina beat Tennessee 66-55, but it wasn’t pretty at all. The Gamecocks struggled throughout the first half, barely winning the first quarter and losing the second. Tennessee looked sharper and more determined during the first half but allowed South Carolina to creep back in during the last minute and a half to take a 15-14 lead. The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with Tennessee winning the quarter, taking a 28-25 lead into the half.

The third quarter saw more of the same, ending tied at 48-48. Ashlyn Watkins opened the fourth quarter with a jumper, followed by a pair of Bree Hall free throws to make it 52-48 at the 8:22 mark. From that point, the Gamecocks outscored Tennessee 14-7, and once again, much like with LSU, South Carolina found a way to win. Kamilla Cardoso scored 18 with 10 boards, and Ashlyn Watkins scored 14 points with 10 boards. Raven Johnson was held to 2 points but bagged 15 rebounds.

Te-Hina Paopao was held to 4 points. Games like this against a better team will get South Carolina knocked out of the tournament, and as we all know, on any given day, right?

Louisville wins close over Boston College in ACC play

No. 18 Louisville won a slugfest against Boston College 69-67. The first two quarters went back and forth, ending in a tie at the half, 32-32. The third quarter was tight, with Boston College up by only one at the end of the quarter. Louisville held a slight lead throughout most of the fourth until T’yana Todd hit a jumper at the 1:13 mark, tying the game at 67-67. Then, with 0:18 left on the clock, Nina Rickards made a layup for the Cardinals, and that sealed it. Louisville had four starters in double figures.

Rickards had 16, Kiki Jefferson scored 14, Olivia Cochran scored 11 with 9 boards, and  Sydney Taylor scored 13. For BC, Dontavia Waggoner led the way with 22 points, T’yana Todd scored 16, Andrea Daley 10, and Jodi Lacey added 10 off the bench. This was a real test for Louisville, and Jeff Walz will have to do his best to try and avoid games like this one. The outcome might not be what they want.

Gonzaga cruised to a 28-point win over Saint Mary’s

And finally, No. 17 Gonzaga did what Gonzaga does, rolling over Saint Mary’s 96-68. While the field goal percentages were close, with Gonzaga shooting 50% and Saint Mary’s 45.1, Gonzaga went 35-70 and SMU 23-51. You don’t ever lose when you drop twelve more buckets than your opponent. The first quarter was close, with Gonzaga only having a three-point lead. They took the second 25-8, the third 30-18, and slacked off the fourth with Saint Mary’s taking it 21-17.

All five starters and one bench player for Gonzaga were in double figures, with only one starter and one bench player for Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga’s only two losses were to then #24 Washington State and then #20 Louisville. Then the winning streak began, in which they beat then #3 Stanford handily, 96-78. In the most recent Bracketology, Gonzaga is a five seed. That matches them up with Drake University. Drake sits atop the MVC and could be if it ends up like this, a very formidable opponent.

Drake is a tenacious team and not one to be taken lightly. They might surprise some folks this year.

And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.

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