Daily Briefing — Jan. 21, 2022: Putting the ‘L’ in ‘Louisville’

W Roundup

Free agency

Diamond DeShields: Has narrowed her list of teams in consideration down to three, per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago is not one of those three.

Atlanta: Expects point guard Chennedy Carter to be a big factor on the Dream going forward, per our Atlanta reporter, Spencer Nusbaum.

Rachel Galligan reported that the Dream have not had talks with DeShields.

(All times in Eastern)

Watch List, Friday, Jan. 21

Must-watch

None

Good games

Utah @ #10 Arizona, 9 p.m., Pac-12 Arizona

Also watchable

Northern Iowa @ Drake, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Sickos games

None

Thursday, Jan. 20 recap

#3 Louisville, #4 N.C. State: The Wolfpack beat the Cardinals 68-59, leading for most of the first quarter and then trailing big through the mid-fourth. Louisville peaked at a 97.8% win expectancy to begin the fourth quarter, then promptly lost the period 31-8. With this the teams’ sole regular-season meeting and N.C. State having been a premier force since the get-go, this more than likely decided the ACC regular-season championship.

The Cardinals shot just 36.2% from the field and 16.7% from three; the Wolfpack drew 19 fouls; Louisville forced 10 first-half turnovers. N.C. State backup point guard Diamond Johnson and wing Jakia Brown-Turner combined for 24 of the 31 fourth-quarter points on 9-for-11 from the field and 5-for-6 from three, after combining for just six points on 2-for-16 shooting in the first three quarters; center Elissa Cunane had a double-double with 15 points on 4-for-7 FG (7-7 FT) and 12 rebounds, plus two blocks in 28 minutes; big wing Kayla Jones committed four fouls in 24 minutes. The Cardinals were led by center Olivia Cochran’s career-high-tying 19 points on 8-for-12 from the field and seven rebounds (five offensive) against two blocks and four unintentional fouls in 28 minutes; big wing Emily Engstler notched a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double on 6-for-18 shooting (1-4 3pt.) with four offensive boards, two assists, and two steals against three turnovers; combo guard Hailey Van Lith had 13 points on 6-for-17 FG (1-3 3pt.), four assists, and two turnovers.

#8 Michigan: 83-44 win over Wisconsin. Won the second quarter 25-5. No starter played 30 minutes. Shot 53.6% from the field; out-rebounded the Badgers by 24; drew 18 fouls. Big Naz Hillmon led with a double-double of 21 points on 8-for-13 from the field and 5-for-9 from the line and 11 rebounds (six offensive), plus two assists and two steals against three turnovers in 23 minutes; wing Leigha Brown had 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting (1-3 3pt.), five assists, and three steals without a turnover; bench big Cameron Williams tallied 10 points in 12 minutes on 5-for-6 FG with five rebounds (three offensive).

#12 Maryland, RV* Ohio State: The Buckeyes beat the Terps 95-89, Ohio State wing Taylor Mikesell getting her first win against her former program. The Buckeyes shot 55.0% from the field and 57.1% from three, while the Terps were 47.1% overall and 45.0% from deep; Maryland were a +6 in rebounding, all on the offensive glass, but committed 18 turnovers and 24 fouls.

Mikesell scored a career-high 33 points on 11-for-13 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from three and 6-for-6 from the line with five rebounds and two steals without sitting; combo guard Jacy Sheldon notched a 24-point, 10-assist double-double on 8-for-17 shooting (2-4 3pt., 6-7 FT) with four rebounds against six turnovers while playing the whole game. The Terps were led by big Angel Reese’s double-double of 22 points on 7-for-12 FG (8-8 FT) and 11 rebounds (six offensive) with two blocks against two turnovers; combo forward Chloe Bibby had 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting (4-6 3pt.) and seven rebounds; combo guard Katie Benzan played all 40, finishing with 16 points on 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-7 form three, three rebounds, two assists, and three steals against three turnovers.

TDB Angel Reese Foul Watch: Three fouls in 27 minutes today; 4.9 fouls per 40 minutes (15th percentile), 5.9% foul percentage (15th percentile, per Her Hoop Stats) for the season.

#13 Georgia: 66-63 win over Mississippi State. Led by as many as 27 in the mid-second quarter. Out-rebounded the… other Bulldogs, I guess… by 12; were a -12 in turnover margin. Point guard Que Morrison led with 14 points on just 4-for-13 shooting (1-1 3pt.) and three assists; combo guard Mikayla Coombs had 13 points on 6-for-9 from the field, nine rebounds (five offensive), and three assists. Mississippi State big wing Rickea Jackson scored a game-high 27 points on 12-for-26 FG (2-3 3pt.) with seven rebounds and three blocks without a turnover.

#18 Georgia Tech: 65-55 win over Syracuse. Held the Orange to 32.8% from the field; were a +21 in rebounding margin; Syracuse notched 11 steals, part of 26 Yellow Jacket turnovers; Georgia Tech drew 20 fouls. Center Nerea Hermosa scored a game-high 21 points on 8-for-11 FG with seven rebounds (four offensive) against four turnovers; big Lorela Cubaj had 14 points on 5-for-11 from the field, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks against four turnovers and four fouls in 34 minutes; combo guard Eylia Love notched a double-double with 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting (4-8 FT) and 13 rebounds against five turnovers and four fouls in 35 minutes.

#19 Notre Dame: 73-71 loss to Boston College. Shot 50.9% from the field and 41.7% from three, but allowed 47.8% from deep on 23 attempts; committed 18 turnovers. Backup combo forward Sam Brunelle scored a team-high 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting (2-3 3pt.) with two steals against three turnovers; bench wing Sonia Citron had 13 points on 5-for-9 from the field (1-3 3pt.), eight rebounds, and four assists and drew six fouls; center Maya Dodson tallied 13 points on 6-for-9 FG, five rebounds, and two assists without a turnover; point guard Olivia Miles notched 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting (0-2 3pt.), three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals against four turnovers. The Eagles were led by wing Cameron Swartz’s 28 points on 10-for-22 from the field and 5-for-8 from three, five rebounds, and four assists against two turnovers.

#20 North Carolina: 61-52 win over Virginia, the 3-12 (0-5 in the ACC) Cavaliers’ first game within single-digits since an early December win over a bottom-three team in the A-10. Make of that what you will. The teams combined to shoot 32.6% from the field and 14.6% from three while combining for 39 points — another entry into the Crimes Against James Naismith category; the Tar Heels notched 12 steals; drew 21 fouls. Combo guard Deja Kelly led with 18 points on 5-for-12 from the field and 2-for-6 from three (6-7 FT), four rebounds, and four steals without a turnover; wing Kennedy Todd-Williams had 15 points on 3-for-5 shooting (1-3 3pt., 8-8 FT), six rebounds (three offensive) and five turnovers; no other Heels reached double-figures, with only one surpassing five points.

#23 Kentucky: 77-52 loss to Florida — a team that lost to George Mason — after once again suspending second-leading-scorer big Dre’una Edwards for “a disciplinary matter” and losing fourth-leading-scorer Robyn Benton to injury. Allowed the Gators to shoot 51.7% from the field and 46.7% from three to the Wildcats’ 27.3% and 22.2%, respectively; were out-rebounded by 17; forced 22 turnovers and 18 fouls. Wing Rhyne Howard had 17 points on 7-for-21 from the field and 2-for-6 from three and 10 rebounds (three offensive) for a double-double, plus three assists and three blocks; point guard Jada Walker scored 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting (2-4 3pt.) with four rebounds, two assists, and three steals against three turnovers. Florida was led by point guard Kiara Smith’s 25 points on 10-for-18 FG (1-3 3pt.), eight rebounds, and six assists against six turnovers.

#25 Iowa: 105-49 win over Minnesota, the largest loss in Gopher history. The Hawkeyes scored 37 points in the third quarter and won the fourth 21-3; allowed just three points (3!) across the final 13:42 while scoring 31 points across that span — 31 to 3!! Shot 58.% from the field and 52.9% from three for the game while holding the Gophers to 33.3% and 21.1%, respectively — Iowa’s first time holding a Power 5 team below 33.3% shooting in nearly two year, per Her Hoop Stats; were a +28 in rebounding, allowing just three offensive boards. Point guard Caitlin Clark had her fourth triple-double of the season with 35 points on 14-for-21 from the field and 4-for-6 from three, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists against four turnovers — she spent her final couple minutes on the floor hunting the 10th assist, only to add an 11th less than 20 seconds later; center Monika Czinano scored 23 points on 7-for-12 from the field and 9-for-10 from the line with seven rebounds and no turnovers in 25 minutes; off-ball guard Gabbie Marshall notched 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting (3-4 3pt.), three assists, and four steals without a turnover.

Cancellations

• RV Nebraska vs. Rutgers
• Stephen F. Austin @ Grand Canyon
• Coastal Carolina vs. UL-Monroe
• UT-Martin vs. Austin Peay

*Receiving Votes