This past week had several almost upsets, but most of the top women’s college basketball teams managed to stay undefeated. Ohio State survived an overtime battle against Penn State, and South Carolina overcame a career-best performance by Utah’s Alissa Pili.
UConn looked much improved against North Carolina, as the Huskies collected a solid win over the Tar Heels in a big step toward rebuilding their confidence. Paige Bueckers had a vintage performance in the Huskies’ win.
Another team handling business is the UCLA Bruins, who have held onto the No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll — their highest ranking in program history — for the fourth straight week thanks to multiple players shining.
Here are some of the biggest moments and storylines from the past week, and as well as the top games to watch over the coming days.
Bucket of the week: Paige Bueckers, UConn
The UConn star registered 26 points in her team’s 76-64 win over No. 24 North Carolina on Sunday to reach 1,000 career points. Bueckers’s performance was highly efficient, as she went a blistering 11-of-14 from the field.
Although Bueckers is a redshirt junior, injuries have resulted in that being her 55th career game, making her tied with Maya Moore for the fastest to join the 1,000-point club. Bueckers also recorded a career-high four blocks in the win.
Paige Bueckers’ 1,000th career point! pic.twitter.com/vD56UI4tHM
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) December 10, 2023
Assist of the week: Sydney Taylor, Louisville
This was just great ball movement by the Cardinals during their 73-61 win against Kentucky. The steal by Olivia Cochran, the pass by Nina Rickards, then Sydney Taylor with the assist and the layup by Nyla Harris.
The Cardinals are putting on a show 🤩 #NCAAWBB x 🎥 ACCN / @LouisvilleWBB pic.twitter.com/AjfS4Be7BJ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) December 10, 2023
Stop of the week: Lauren Betts, UCLA
Betts has been outstanding as a Bruin, helping her team excel on both ends of the court. Not only does she lead UCLA with 17 points per game, but she also has a team-best 16 blocks. This block happened when her team blew out CSUN 111-48, while holding the Matadors to just 27.3% from the field.
DENIED 🚫
LB’s rejection turns into an quick 2⃣ for Kiki!
📺: https://t.co/G7k8Y1xYR5#GoBruins | @laurenbetts12 x @Deeezzy3 x @kiki_rice0 pic.twitter.com/HpZAl1ZS0b
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) December 8, 2023
Game of the week: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Big Ten play got off to an exciting start as two top 25 teams battled it out in overtime. No. 12 Ohio State walked away with a 94-84 victory over then-No. 25 Penn State despite trailing for the entire second and third quarters.
The Buckeyes had to outscore the Lady Lions 21-12 in the fourth quarter to stay alive. Penn State’s Chanaya Pinto grabbed a steal with 20 seconds left in regulation, and Taylor Valladay hit a jumper with 11 seconds on the clock to even the score at 80-80.
Ohio State star Jacy Sheldon registered a season-high 31 points, including nine of the Buckeyes’ 14 points in overtime. Sophomore forward Cotie McMahon contributed 27 points, and guard Taylor Celeste recorded a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
“I think our upperclassmen did a great job of keeping everyone together and on the same page,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “We looked more connected and on the same page in the second half when we were down by 10 than we did at any point during the game. I told them afterwards to do that for 40 minutes — we’ll be right where we need to be.”
Q3 | 😤 What a move by @JacySheldon ‼️#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/h2eCewbpEi
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) December 10, 2023
Unfortunately, Penn State’s leading scorer Makenna Marisa suffered a leg injury and went to the locker room with 1:51 left in overtime. She had a team-best 28 points along with eight rebounds before exiting the game. There has yet to be an official update on her injury.
Biggest storylines from the week
Utah’s Pili shines in loss to South Carolina
The Utes gave South Carolina a difficult battle despite losing 78-69 on Sunday. Their leader was Alissa Pili, who registered a career-high 37 points against one of the best defenses in the nation. She shot an impressive 15-of-22 from the field, and added three steals and one block over 29 minutes.
“Man, it was so hard. Our main goal was to stop Pili, but she gave up a 30-piece,” South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao said after the game.
CAREER HIGH PERFORMANCE
Pili now has 35 points for a new career-high @alissa_pili (Also, what a move to get it)#GoUtes
📺 https://t.co/hz457Enoa7 pic.twitter.com/YqEz82zdlD
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) December 10, 2023
Caitlin Clark takeover continues
The Iowa star registered 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists during her team’s 67-58 win over the Iowa State on Dec. 6. This performance helped her reach 3,000 career points — making her the 15th player in women’s college basketball history to reach that milestone.
Clark is also the first player in Division I basketball history to reach 3,000 points while also having at least 750 rebounds and 750 assists.
The bucket where @CaitlinClark22 made history 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dcPbevPyKA
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) December 7, 2023
Kateri Poole no longer on LSU’s roster
LSU coach Kim Mulkey announced Sunday that Kateri Poole, a starter during their 2023 Women’s NCAA Tournament run, is not a member of the program anymore.
“She’s no longer with us,” Mulkey said.
Poole was a solid defensive piece for the team last year, but she has not played for the Tigers since Nov. 17 against Southeastern Louisiana — and she was only on the court for five minutes during that game.
LSU also didn’t have point guard Hailey Van Lith on the court Sunday, as she has been dealing with plantar fasciitis.
Interesting Stats
UNLV off to its best start in over two decades: The Lady Rebels entered the AP Top 25 this week after wins over Arizona and Oklahoma. Their 9-0 record is the best start in the Lindy La Rocque era. This is only Rocque’s third season at the helm of the program, and it’s been a productive one so far.
JuJu Watkins named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, again: The USC rising star has played five weeks of college basketball, and she has now been named the conference’s Freshman of the Week each of those weeks. The current record for a single season is eight total selections.
Kiki Rice flirts with quadruple-double: The UCLA guard registered 14 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against CSUN on Dec. 7, giving her the 10th triple-double in program history. She also registered an impressive seven steals. Only four women have achieved a quadruple-double in NCAA college basketball since steals started counting.
Lauren Betts has monster game: Rice’s teammate, Betts, stuffed the stat sheet herself against Florida State. Betts recorded 22 points, 18 blocks and four blocks in a resounding win over the Seminoles. Only two other players in women’s college basketball have reached at least 20 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks in a single game this season: Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley and Stanford’s Cameron Brink. Not bad company to keep.
Only 18 unbeaten teams remain:
NC State 10-0
Texas 10-0
Washington 10-0
TCU 10-0
Texas Tech 10-0
South Carolina 9-0
UCLA 9-0
West Virginia 9-0
Colorado State 9-0
UNLV 9-0
Marquette 9-0
USC 8-0
Miami 8-0
Old Dominion 8-0
California Baptist 8-0
UCF 8-0
Baylor 7-0
Oregon State 7-0
Matchups to watch:
(all times Eastern)
No. 20 Creighton vs. No. 19 Marquette | Wednesday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. | BEDN on FLOSPORTS: These two teams have split their series 13-13 since 2008. Creighton’s only loss this season was at the hands of Green Bay — a team receiving votes on the AP Top 25 poll — on Nov. 16. Meanwhile, Marquette is off to the best start in program history with a perfect 9-0 record.
No. 18 Louisville vs. No 17 UConn | Saturday, Dec. 16, 12 p.m. | FOX: Louisville might no longer have Hailey Van Lith, as the point guard is now with LSU, but the Cardinals have been just fine this season with wins against teams such as Gonzaga and Ole Miss. UConn is still working to be more consistent, but Paige Bueckers reminded everyone of her superstar potential during the Huskies’ win over North Carolina.