Daily Briefing — Jan. 10, 2022: Trojan force

(All times in Eastern)

Watch List, Monday, Jan. 10

Must-watch

None

Good games

None

Also watchable

None

Sickos games

Kansas @ TCU, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+

Sunday, Jan. 9 recap

#1 South Carolina, #21 Kentucky: The Gamecocks beat the Wildcats 74-54. The teams were tied after the first quarter, before South Carolina won the middle half 46-23. The Gamecocks shot on 3-for-17 from three, but held Kentucky to just 29.6% from the field; South Carolina won the rebounding battle by 18.  Wing Zia Cooke led the Gamecocks with a game-high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting (1-3 3pt.), three assists, and two turnovers; center Aliyah Boston notched an 18-point, 15-rebound double-double on 9-for-12 from the field (0-1 3pt.), two assists, and five blocks without a turnover or foul; combo forward Victaria Saxton had 12 points on 4-for-7 FG, nine rebounds (five offensive), and two blocks against two turnovers; point guard Destanni Henderson struggled to 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting (1-6 3pt.) with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. The Wildcats were led by off-ball guard Robyn Benton’s 11 bench points on 5-for-13 from the field (1-3 3pt.), four rebounds, two steals, and two turnovers; point guard Jazmine Massengill notched 10 points on 4-for-7 FG (2-2 3pt.), seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals against three turnovers; wing Rhyne Howard struggled to nine points on just 2-for-14 from the field (0-3 3pt.) and 5-for-8 from the line, plus eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.

#2 Stanford: 66-50 win over Gonzaga. The teams combined to shoot 33.8% from the field and 23.2% from three; the Cardinal grabbed 24 boards, forced 16 turnovers while committing only five. Off-ball guard Hannah Jump tied a season-high 21 points on 8-for-16 from the field and 5-for-13 from three with a career-high-tying three steals; center Cameron Brink notched a double-double with 14 points on 5-for-11 FG and 16 rebounds (eight offensive) with five blocks against two turnovers in 24 minutes; point wing Haley Jones had 15 points on 7-for-17 (1-3 3pt., tying career-high in 3PA), seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals; Lexie Hull tallied eight points on just 4-for-16 from the field and 0-for-5 from three, eight rebounds (six offensive), and four assists.

The Daily Briefing Cameron Brink Foul Watch: One foul in 24 minutes today; 5.0 fouls per 40 minutes (14th percentile), 6.0% foul percentage (14st percentile, per Her Hoop Stats) for the season.

#4 Arizona: 76-67 loss to USC, the Wildcats’ first defeat of the season, despite the Trojans missing their leading scorer in wing Jordan Sanders. Shot 36.1% from the field and 27.3% from three while allowing 45.5% and 57.1%, respectively; committed 19 unintentional fouls. Opened with a 13-4 run through the mid-first quarter, but led by one one at the end of the period. Big Cate Reese had a game-high 29 points on 9-for-21 shooting (2-5 3pt., 9-9 FT), six rebounds, and two steals against seven turnovers; point guard Bendy Yeaney notched 12 points on 4-for-7 from the field (1-3 3pt.), three rebounds, eight assists, and two steals against four turnovers and four unintentional fouls; combo guard Madison Conner and wing Sam Thomas combined for 12 points on 3-for-20 shooting (Conner 1-8 3pt.). USC was led by off-ball guard Alyson Miura’s 15 points on 5-for-6 from three (0-2 from two) and six assists against two turnovers; big Jordyn Jenkins tallied 13 points on 5-for-11 FG (1-1 3pt.), seven rebounds (three offensive), and three assists against three turnovers. 

#5 N.C. State: 76-64 win over Miami. Only led by three at the half. Shot 54.7% from the field, 44.4% from three, and 83.3% from the line while the Hurricanes shot 36.4% overall, but were a -10 in rebounding, including 21 Miami offensive boards; assisted on 21 of its 29 buckets. Center Elissa Cunane scored a game-high 19 points on 8-for-10 FG with five rebounds, three assists, and four blocks; point guard Diamond Johnson played 28 minutes off the bench, finishing with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting (2-5 3pt.), three rebounds, two assists, and four steals against five turnovers; combo forward Kayla Jones had 11 points on 3-for-4 from three (1-2 from two) and six assists. 

#7 Tennessee: 70-58 win over Ole Miss. Won the second quarter 23-10. Shot 45.3% from the field — its highest mark against a quality opponent this season — while holding Mississippi to 33.9%; were a +18 in rebounding; committed 22 turnovers, but drew 20 fouls. Point wing Jordan Horston notched a double-double with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting (0-2 3pt., 4-6 FT) and 11 rebounds, plus two assists and two steals against five turnovers and three fouls; combo forward Alexus Dye scored 17 points on 7-for-12 FG with four rebounds and two turnovers; off-ball guard Tess Darby had 13 points on 3-for-6 from three, four rebounds, and two steals without a turnover. Center Shakira Austin led Ole Miss with a season-high 26 points on 8-for-10 from the field and 10-for-12 from the line and nine rebounds (four offensive) against four turnovers.

#8 Michigan: 76-47 win over Rutgers. Shot 56.3% form the field, 60.0% from three, and 81.3% from the line while holding the Scarlet Knights to 32.0% shooting. No starter played 30 minutes, but the Wolverines led 66-35 after three quarters. Big Naz Hillmon and wing Leigha Brown each scored a game-high 19 points — Hillmon on 7-for-9 FG with six rebounds and four assists, Brown on 6-for-10 shooting (3-4 3pt.) with three rebounds and two assists; off-ball guard Maddie Nolan had 14 points on 5-for-6 from the field (4-4 3pt.) and three rebounds against two turnovers. Wing Laila Phelia remained out in COVID protocols. 

#9 Texas: 93-58 win over UT-Rio Grand Valley. Shot 50.0% from the field and 57.1% from three — it’s third-best overall shooting performance and best game from three this season — but missed 10 free-throws; were a +23 in rebounding, including 23 offensive boards; notched 14 steals, part of 28 forced turnovers; committed 22 turnovers and 18 fouls; drew 20 fouls. Off-ball guard Aliyah Matharu once against led the team in scoring, finishing with 18 points in 18 bench minutes on 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from three with two assists against three turnovers and three fouls; wing Joanne Allen-Taylor had 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting (1-2 3pt.) and four rebounds; center Lauren Ebo notched 13 points on 5-for-9 FG (3-6 FT) and six rebounds (four offensive) in 11 minutes.

#10 Maryland: 87-73 win over Minnesota, the same margin over the Gophers as a Drake team missing its starting center, despite Minnesota being without its starting point guard. Make of that what you will. The teams combined to shoot 48.1% from the field, but the Terps forced 17 turnovers to take seven more attempts. Combo forward Chloe Bibby tied a Maryland-career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting (1-3 3pt.), six rebounds (three offensive), two assists, and three steals against two turnovers; big Angel Reese had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double on 9-for-11 FG with six offensive boards and three steals; point guard Ashley Owusu notched 15 points on 5-for-13 from the field (2-4 3pt.), six rebounds, and eight assists without a turnover.

The Daily Briefing Angel Reese Foul Watch: Three fouls in 21 minutes today; 5.1 fouls per 40 minutes (13th percentile), 6.1% foul percentage (13th percentile, per Her Hoop Stats) for the season.

#11 UConn: 63-55 win over Creighton. Had 6.375 players available between normal injuries, recovery from COVID, and point guard Nika Mühl’s 15-minute limit. Held the Bluejays to 37.1% shooting, though the teams combined to hit 22.2% from three. Off-ball guard Caroline Ducharme led with a game-high 17 points on 7-for-13 from the field and 2-for-6 from three with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks against two turnovers and three fouls — the first 17/5/2/2/3 game for a UConn freshman since Breanna Stewart in April 2013; combo guard Christyn Williams had 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting (2-5 3pt.), five rebounds, and three turnovers; big Dorka Juhász notched 10 points on 3-for-8 FG (1-4 3pt.), three rebounds, and three assists without a turnover; wing Evina Westbrook attempts one shot in 33 minutes, finishing with two points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and six turnovers — just the tenth 2/4/3/2 line with that many turnovers in that many minutes with so few shots in the Her Hoop Stats era.

#13 LSU: 76-48 win over Auburn. Held the Tigers to 24.2% from the field and 1-for-13 from three; drew 18 fouls. Won the first quarter 26-8. Point guard Khayla Pointer had a game-high 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting (2-4 3pt.), 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals against five turnovers; backup center Hannah Gusters scored 13 points in 18 minutes on 3-for-9 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line with four rebounds (two offensive) and two turnovers; center Faustine Aifuwa notched 10 points on 5-for-9 FG, five rebounds, and six blocks against two turnovers and three fouls in 23 minutes.

#15 Georgia: 72-68 win over Alabama. Trailed by 19 at halftime before winning the second half, 43-20. The Tide peaked around a 95.0% win expectancy with a 54-38 lead midway through the third quarter, and then the Bulldogs went on a 14-1 run a minute later. Shot 50.8% from the field while allowing Alabama to go 56.0% from three; forced 19 turnovers. Point guard Que Morrison played the entire game, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting (3-3 3pt., seven rebounds, six assists, and five turnovers; center Jenna Staiti had 17 points on 8-for-13 from the field (0-1 3pt.), two steals, and five blocks against two turnovers; combo guard Mikayla Coombs notched 13 points on 6-for-11 FG, five rebounds (four offensive), three assists, and four turnovers.

#16 Georgia Tech: 67-31 win over Virginia. Allowed 12 second-half points. TWELVE. Held the Cavaliers to 22.9% from the field; forced 18 turnovers. Big Lorela Cubaj had a double-double with 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting (1-1 3pt.), 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks; center Nerea Hermosa scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-14 FG with seven rebounds (three offensive) and two turnovers; combo guard Eylia Love notched nine points on 2-for-3 from three (0-4 from two), nine rebounds (three offensive), five assists, and three steals against four turnovers and three fouls in 31 minutes.

#17 Duke: 74-65 win over Syracuse. Held the Orange to 31.9% from the field and 22.2% from three; were out-rebounded by eight, despite its starting lineup standing a collective 14 inches taller than Syracuse’s; the teams combined for 40 fouls. Star combo guard Celeste Taylor left in the second quarter with a possibly severe shoulder injury. Center Onome Akinbode-James scored a career-high 16 points on 5-for-9 FG (6-6 FT) with six rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks in 18 minutes; combo guard Miela Goochild continued to start in place of point guard Vanessa de Jesus, finishing with 13 points on 4-for-8 from three, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals against three turnovers; point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson had 13 points on 4-for-7 from the field (1-3 3pt.) and 4-for-8 from the line, two steals, and three turnovers and three fouls in 30 minutes off the bench; backup center Jade Williams notched 10 points on 3-for-6 FG (4-6 FT), seven rebounds (four offensive), and two assists.

#19 North Carolina, RV* Virginia Tech: The Tar Heels beat the Hokies 71-46. North Carolina led by one point over eight-and-a-half minutes in, and then, well… The Heels shot 44.4% from three while holding Virginia Tech to 31.0% from the field and 16.7% from deep — though the Hokies shot just 3-for-18 on unguarded threes, per Synergy, from a backcourt group with a career 43.2% mark coming into 2021; Virginia Tech committed 21 turnovers and 18 fouls.

North Carolina combo guard Deja Kelly led with a double-double with 15 points on 4-for-15 shooting (3-6 3pt.) and 10 rebounds, plus three assists and two steals — the sophomore leads the Heels in scoring but is shooting just 33.7% on dribble-jumpers, per Synergy; combo guard Eva Hodgson played 28 minutes off the bench, finishing a game-high 19 points on 6-for-8 from the field (4-5 3pt.), three rebounds, and two turnovers; big wing Alyssa Ustby had 13 points on 6-for-14 FG (1-3 3pt.), three rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks; big Anya Poole notched 12 points on 6-10 FG and with rebounds (three offensive), limited by four fouls in 25 minutes. The Hokies were led by center Elizabeth Kitley’s 14-point, 17-rebounds double-double on 6-for-13 FG with five turnovers, struggling mightily with double-teams and using counter moves.

#22 Iowa, RV Nebraska: The Hawkeyes beat the Huskers 95-86. Iowa shot 21.9% better from the field and 31.4% better from three, but took 23 fewer attempts due to a -7 rebounding margin and -6 turnovers margin; the Huskers grabbed 23 offensive boards. Hawkeye point guard Caitlin Clark just missed a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 31 points on11-for-24 from the field, 1-for-6 from three, and 8-for-9 from the line, eight rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals against seven turnovers without hitting the bench; wing McKenna Warnock started 6-for-6 from three and ended with a double-double of 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting (7-9 3pt.) and 10 rebounds, plus two assists and two steals against five turnovers; center Monika Czinano scored 20 points on 10-for-14 FG with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and four fouls in 32 minutes.

Husker point guard Sam Haiby tallied a team-high 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting (1-3 3pt.), three rebounds, three assists, and two steals against two turnovers and four unintentional fouls in 27 minutes; combo guard Jaz Shelley had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double on 6-for-17 from the field and 1-for-8 from three with five offensive boards, three assists, three steals, and two blocks; center Alexis Markowski scored 14 points on 6-for-9 FG with eight rebounds (five offensive) against four fouls in 18 minutes.

#25 Texas A&M: 97-89 double-overtime loss to Florida, a team fresh off an 18-point loss to Ole Miss and whose best player just entered the portal after suffering a season-ending injury. The Aggies had a 99.4% win expectancy with an 18-point lead past the third-quarter midpoint, and still led by nine in the mid-fourth, before allowing a 15-1 run; had a 92.6% win expectancy in the first overtime period with a four-point lead and 1:10 to go; reader: over the final 17.5 minutes, the Gators were a +17.

Texas A&M allowed 43.3% from three, while the teams combined to miss 16 free-throws; committed 21 turnovers, while the teams combined for 51 fouls. Off-ball guard Qadashah Hoppie led with 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting (2-4 3pt.), three assists, and three steals against two turnovers in 46 minutes; wing Kayla Wells had 23 points on 7-for-15 from the field (1-2 3pt.) and 8-for-11 from the line, five rebounds, and two assists against five turnovers and four fouls in 49 minutes; combo guard Destiny Pitts did not play, with Texas A&M having several players in COVID protocols, per The Eagle’s Travis L. Brown. Florida was led by point guard Kiara Smith and combo guard Zippy Broughton’s combined 55 points on 19-for-34 from the field (Broughton 3-6 3pt.) and 13-16 from the line and 16 rebounds against eight turnovers and eight fouls, with Smith adding seven assists in 48 minutes and Broughton four steals and two blocks in 38.

RV Colorado: 71-63 over UCLA. Shot 44.4% from three and 25-for-33 from the line; forced 19 turnovers; the teams combined for 46 fouls. Point guard Jaylyn Sherrod led with a career-high 25 points on 5-for-12 from the field (3-5 3pt.) and 13-for-17 from the line, a season-high eight assists, and two steals; wing Frida Formann was limited to 29 minutes from four fouls, finishing with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting (3-7 3pt.) and three assists. UCLA star combo guard Charisma Osborne left with an ankle injury in the mid-fourth quarter.

RV FGCU: 83-64 win over Jacksonville. Won the first three quarters 74-43. Combo guard Kerstie Phills scored a season-high 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting (3-5 3pt.) with four rebounds against three fouls in 20 minutes; big wing Kierstan Bell had 17 points on 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from three, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 24 minutes; point guard Tishara Morehouse notched 14 points on 4-for-5 FG (1-2 3pt.), five rebounds, six assists, and two steals against three turnovers in 21 minutes.

RV Ohio State: 74-61 win over Northwestern. Shot just 35.8% from the field and 25.9% from three; assisted on 20 of its 24 buckets; notched 11 steals, part of 20 forced turnovers; drew 18 fouls. Combo guard Jacy Sheldon had a game-high 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting (1-4 3pt., 7-8 FT), four assists and three steals; big Rebeka Mikulášiková notched a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double on 5-for-11 FG (1-3 3pt.); wing Taylor Mikesell struggled to 13 points with 5-for-23 from the field and 3-for-15 from three with five rebounds and six assists against three turnovers; combo guard Braxtin Miller, bench combo guard Rikki Harris, and backup big Tanaya Beacham each committed four fouls, in 35, 24, and 16 respective minutes.

Drexel: 71-68 overtime win over UNC-Wilmington. Were down two in the waning seconds of regulation, and got blocked under the rim with three seconds remaining. Then this happened:

As a Sixers fan, I’m experiencing terrible PTSD. But at least a Philly team was on the winning end this time.

Boston College: 80-74 win over Clemson. Wing Cameron Swartz scored a career-high 39 points on 14-for-20 from  the field, 4-for-7 from three, and 7-for-7 from the line, just missing an Unholy Triple-Double with nine rebounds (three offensive) and eight turnovers.

Colorado State: 90-64 win over San José State. Off-ball guard Upe Atosu scored a career-high 32 points on 9-for-15 from the field, 6-for-12 from three, and 8-for-9 from the line with five assists.

Mississippi State: 80-71 win over Vanderbilt. Combo guard Anastasia Hayes scored a season-high 31 points on 11-for-20 shooting (2-5 3pt., 7-7 FT) with three assists while playing the whole game.

Blown leads

Fordham: 71-62 loss to La Salle, the A10’s preseason No. 8 team upsetting its No. 3. The Rams had a 96.5% win expectancy with a 13-point lead and 13 minutes to go, before the Explorers finished on a 17-3 run; La Salle won the fourth quarter 26-8. 

Cancellations

• #24 South Florida vs. Wichita State
• Wazzu @ Arizona State
• Seton Hall vs. Xavier
• Villanova @ Georgetown
• St. John’s vs. Butler
• Wyoming vs. Fresno State
• Northern Kentucky vs. Youngstown State
• Montana State vs. Montana
• Air Force vs. Nevada

That’s comparatively not a lot! Hooray!

*Receiving Votes