ON TOP OF ROCKY TOP
Kiana Williams scores a basket in front of Tennessee’s Tamari Key at Maples Pavilion in top-ranked Stanford’s 78-51 win.
For more details on the game and Stanford’s women’s team, please go to MERCURYNEWS.COM/SPORTS.
Kiana Williams had 19 points and seven assists, and the No. 1 Stanford women’s basketball team had little trouble with No. 23 Tennessee, winning 78-51 on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion to improve to 10-0.
Lexie Hull added 11 points and nine rebounds to help the Cardinal move within a victory of the program’s best start since opening 11-0 in 2012-13.
Rennia Davis scored 14 points to lead Tennessee (8-2) but shot just 5 for 20.
Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer’s team, one of four Pac-12 programs ranked in the Top 10, played in-your-face, swarming defense to stymie the Lady Vols in the latest edition of a storied series that began in 1988 at Knoxville, Tennessee. That’s where the Cardinal captured the first of its two national championships in 1990.
BAYLOR’S JUICY LANDRUM SETS NCAA RECORD WITH 14 3-POINTERS >> Juicy Landrum set an NCAA record by making 14 3-pointers for all of her career-high 42 points, leading the No. 7 Baylor to a 111-43 home victory over Arkansas State.
Men’s college basketball
SAINT MARY’S ROLLS >> Jordan Ford scored 34 points, Malik Fitts added 20, and Saint Mary’s (1-2) made 16 3-pointers in a 9656 blowout of Arizona State in the Hall of Fame Showcase in Phoenix. Ford made 7 of 11 from 3-point range and the Gaels shot 16 for 26 from the arc.
The Gaels (11-2) overwhelmed Arizona State (8-3) with a barrage of 3-pointers from the opening tip, building a 32-point halftime lead.
NO. 2 GONZAGA LEAVES NORTH CAROLINA BLUE >> Corey Kispert scored 26 points, Filip Petrusev added 20, and No. 2 Gonzaga rolled past North Carolina 94-81 at home, handing the Tar Heels (6-5) their fourth straight loss. The Bulldogs (12-1) won their fourth straight since suffering their only loss of the season against Michigan in the final of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Football
FORMER CAL PLAYER FACES DUI CHARGES, LAWSUIT >> Deltha O’Neal, a former AllPro cornerback who once starred at Cal, is facing DUI charges and a lawsuit after he and a passenger were seriously injured in a fiery crash in Florida.
The 42-year-old O’Neal broke his back and neck in the August crash in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and was recently charged with two counts of DUI — one for causing a serious injury and another for property damage — after tests revealed his blood-alcohol level was 0.163, more than twice the legal limit.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said O’Neal lost control of his 2009 Mercedes-Benz while driving “at a high rate of speed” before losing control of the car, hitting a utility pole and several trees before his car caught fire.
According to court records, O’Neal fractured his back and neck, broke his ankle and also suffered brain bleeding, an eye injury as well as intestinal injuries. His passenger, Joseph Babcock, suffered a broken femur, as well as injuring his spleen. Babcock has filed a lawsuit against O’Neal seeking unspecified damages.
SCHOOL COACH PORTRAYED IN “REMEMBER THE TITANS” DIES >> Herman Boone, the Virginia high school football coach who inspired the movie “Remember the Titans,” has died. He was 84. Boone guided T.C. Williams High School to a state championship while navigating the early days of desegregation.
The North Carolina-born Boone led undefeated T.C. Williams High School to the state championship in 1971. His team and its initial success was also recognized as a galvanizing factor in helping bring the city through school consolidation.
College football
TWO MISSISSIPPI STATE PLAYERS INJURED IN CAR CRASH >> Mississippi State freshman J.P. Purvis was hospitalized and listed in critical condition following an auto accident Tuesday night near the campus. Aso injured were freshman De’Monte Russell, who was treated and released from a hospital in Starkville, Mississippi, and 18-year-old Xavier Taylor, who also was transported to a hospital in critical condition, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said.
In a news release, the university said Taylor was not affiliated with the school. The nature of the injuries suffered by Purvis or Russell was not disclosed.
Purvis was driving a 2017 Nissan Altima that hit the back of an 18-wheeler on Mississippi Highway 25 at 7:08 p.m. CT on Tuesday, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
SOONERS REPORTEDLY SUSPEND THREE >> Three Oklahoma players have been suspended and will miss the Sooners’ College Football Playoff semifinal, according to multiple reports. The No. 4 Sooners will play No. 1 LSU in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 28.
SoonerScoop.com reported Wednesday the suspended players are starting defensive end Ronnie Perkins, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and receiver Trejan Bridges. No reason for the suspensions has been released.
Golf
RENO’S PGA TOUR STOP MOVING TO TRUCKEE IN JULY >> The PGA Tour tournament that’s been held in Reno since 1999 is moving next summer to another mountain course designed by Jack Nicklaus about 30 miles away in Truckee, tournament officials announced.
Barracuda Networks, a San Francisco Bay Area-based tech company, will continue to be the title sponsor of the Barracuda Championship scheduled July 2-5, 2020 at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood Golf Course at Truckee.
Montreux Golf & Country Club course members voted earlier this year to no longer host the tournament.
Women’s NCAA volleyball
STANFORD HAS FOUR ALL-AMERICANS >> Led by two first-team selections, Stanford placed four players on the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America teams. Jenna Gray and Morgan Hentz were named to the All-America first team, while Audriana Fitzmorris and Madeleine Gates were third-team picks.
Stanford is making its 23rd appearance in the national semifinals tonight in Pittsburgh. The Cardinal will square off against No. 7 seed Minnesota at 6:30 p.m.