No. 1 Stanford dunks on UCLA
NO. 1 STANFORD 61, UCLA 49
LOS ANGELES — Francesca Belibi saw the open court and no defenders in front of her. Teammate Anna Wilson told her she was good to go, so Belibi stormed the paint and dunked, delighting her Stanford teammates.
“I was going crazy,” freshman Cameron Brink said. “I had to remember I had to get on defense. She brings so much energy for us and that was a big moment.”
Belibi finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, helping No. 1 Stanford survive its closest game of the season to beat 10th-ranked UCLA 6149 on Monday to remain undefeated.
The Cardinal were leading by five points when Belibi dunked early in the fourth quarter, a week after becoming the first woman to do so in a collegiate game since former Baylor star Brittney Griner in 2013.
“Definitely wasn’t thinking about time and score,” Belibi said. “If I had remembered, I would have shot a layup and made sure we got the points.”
Cardinal Coach Tara VanDerveer said: “Glad she made it because we needed that basket. Gives our team a lot of energy and it’s exciting for the fans watching.”
Brink added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinal (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12). Kiana Williams had 10 points and was one of four Stanford players with four assists.
Stanford cruised past its first six opponents, winning by a whopping 48.2 points per game while scoring an average of 93.2 points.
But the Cardinal got tested against the Bruins, who took a one-point lead in the second quarter, trailed by six points in the third and didn’t fall behind by double digits until late in the fourth, when Stanford outscored UCLA 18-12.
The Cardinal scored their fewest points of the season and committed a season-high 16 turnovers.
“We were within arm’s reach for most of the game,” UCLA’s Michaela Onyenwere said. “I’m proud of our fight, but I know we can learn so much from this game.”
Onyenwere had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Emily Bessoir added 15 points for the Bruins (5-2, 3-2). They shot just 27% from the floor and were 6 of 28 from threepoint range.
UCLA got to 47-43 in the fourth on a three-pointer by Lindsey Corsaro. Williams made 1 of 2 free throws before Brink scored six points in a row to extend Stanford’s lead to 54-45.
NO. 8 OREGON 69, WASHINGTON STATE 65
PULLMAN, Wash. — Nyara Sabally scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and No. 8 Oregon hung on to defeat Washington State. The Ducks extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 26 games, dating to last season.
Erin Boley added 18 points and made all five of her three-point attempts for Oregon (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12).
Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 20 points for Washington State (3-1, 2-1).
NO. 20 TEXAS 62, KANSAS ST. 52
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Charli Collier scored 27 points as No. 20 Texas defeated Kansas State.
The Longhorns (6-1, 1-0 Big 12) used full-court pressure to rattle Kansas State (5-4, 0-2) into 34 turnovers, one shy of the Kansas State record, and picked up 38 points.
NO. 23 GONZAGA 87, NORTH ALABAMA 57
LAS VEGAS — Twins LeeAnne and Jenn Wirth combined for 28 points and 22 rebounds to lead No. 23 Gonzaga (5-2) to a win over North Alabama for a twogame sweep in the Holiday Hoops Classic.
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NO. 1 GONZAGA 95, NORTHWESTERN STATE 57
SPOKANE, Wash. — Corey Kispert scored 27 points as No. 1 Gonzaga beat Northwestern State of Louisiana in the Bulldogs’ home opener.
Anton Watson scored 15 points for Gonzaga (5-0), while Jalen Suggs added 12 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
NO. 8 TENNESSEE 102, ST. JOSEPH’S 66
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Victor Bailey scored 18 points and No. 8 Tennessee beat winless Saint Joseph’s.
Bailey was one of six players who scored in double figures for the Volunteers (5-0). Santiago Vescovi had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Yves Pons added 13 points and 9 rebounds. Keon Johnson had 12 points, and John Fulkerson and Jaden Springer each scored 10.
NO. 21 FLORIDA STATE 72, GARDNER WEBB 59
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Anthony Polite had a career-high 15 points and Balsa Koprivica added a season-best 14 as No. 21 Florida State pulled away late to defeat Gardner Webb.
The Seminoles (5-1) outrebounded Gardner Webb 53-30 and went 24 of 32 (75%) from the free-throw line to put the game away.
NO. 24 VIRGINIA TECH 85, LONGWOOD 58
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Jalen Cone scored 18 points off the bench to lead No. 24 Virginia Tech over Longwood.
Cone shot 6 of 15 from the floor — all three-pointers — for the Hokies (7-1), who won their third consecutive game. Keve Aluma added 14 points and Joe Bamisile finished with 11.
STATE DIVISION I MEN NO. 2 BAYLOR 99, UAPB 42
Freshman guard LJ Cryer scored 15 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 2 Baylor cruised to a victory over the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (6-0) have scored at least 80 points in six consecutive games for the first time since 1994. They hit that mark on Cryer’s three-pointer with 9:33 left when they went up 81-30.
Cryer finished with 4 three-pointers for Baylor, which shot 48% (11 of 23) from long range and 52% (37 of 71) overall.
Preseason AP All-American guard Jared Butler had 14 points and 7 assists, while MaCio Teague scored 13 points and Matthew Mayer had 12. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua had 10 points and 8 rebounds for Baylor, and Flo Thamba added 8 rebounds.
Shaun Doss Jr. finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead UAPB (1-8).
Butler scored the game’s first two baskets, and was one of six Bears to score in a 19-2 run in the opening 7:18 of the game.
Baylor also had a 20-0 run before halftime, with Mitchell’s layup making it 39-4 with 5:01 left. Doss finally ended that with a three-pointer that came nearly eight minutes after his jumper that was the previous basket for the Golden Lions, who shot 28.3% (15 of 53).
The Bears scored 28 points off 23 UAPB turnovers.
MISSOURI ST. 85, UALR 77
Isiaih Mosley and Ja’Monta Black scored 26 points apiece as Missouri State topped the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.
Mosley made 9 of 10 free throws for his career high and added 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Black went 7 of 11 from the field, but all of his shots were from three-point range.
Gaige Prim added 10 points for Missouri State (3-0), marking his 16th consecutive game in double figures. Jared Ridder hit a shot from midcourt at the halftime buzzer to put Missouri State on top 40-28.
Markquis Nowell had 18 points and seven assists for the Trojans (4-3). Ruot Monyyong added 16 points. Isaiah Palermo had 14 points. After a third player fouled out in the last minute, UALR finished with four players on the court.