Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Nelson-Ododa helps No. 4 UConn rout Temple 83-54
NO. 4 UCONN 83, TEMPLE 54
PHILADELPHIA — Geno Auriemma knows his team is a work in progress, likening it to a jazz band.
On Sunday, the fourthranked Huskies were in tune for most of the game in a win over Temple.
“When we all blend together we make great music. Now it’s like we’re all tuning up our instruments,” Auriemma said. “When it’s going good, it’s good.”
The Huskies continued to struggle at times on offense, but they were fewer than in the first two games of the season.
“Today we were able to play through some of the lulls that we had. First quarter was great, second quarter not-so great,” Auriemma said. “Third quarter, not-so great. The fourth quarter we were really good. We had stretches today we were better than at any time in the other games we played.”
Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a career-high 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks to lead UConn in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
“Today she was damn good. She had 14 offensive rebounds in our last two games. That’s 14 possessions we didn’t have that we got,” Auriemma said. “Altered a lot of shots, blocked a lot of shots. Made a couple shots from the perimeter. Today she looked like the player I wanted her to look like. Concerted effort to be more active.”
Christyn Williams scored 19 points and Megan Walker added 15 for the Huskies.
NO. 5 TEXAS A&M 62, RICE 61
HOUSTON — Texas A&M got a win and also learned how much it has to improve.
Chennedy Carter scored 29 points and Ciera Johnson made a layup with 9 seconds left to give No. 5 Texas A&M a ictory over Rice.
“We are going to have to get a lot better than what we played tonight to even start thinking about conference championships,” Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said. “We had the game in hand, with a seven-point lead, and we couldn’t finish it because of Rice, because of foul trouble on our part.”
Carter, the preseason Southeastern Conference player of the year, was 11 of 27 from the field, including 4 of 8 on 3-pointers. She scored 17 points in the first quarter, outscoring the Owls by herself, as Texas A&M built a 24-14 lead.
“When Chennedy is under control and plays as unselfish as she’s capable she might be the best guard in the country,” Blair said.
NO. 3 STANFORD 76, GONZAGA 70, OT
STANFORD, Calif. — Lexie Hull scored eight points and grabbed a big rebound in the final 3 minutes and No. 3 Stanford beat Gonzaga 76-70 in overtime Sunday night.
Hull finished with 20 points and eight rebounds to help the Cardinal (4-0) avenge a 79-73 road loss to the Bulldogs (2-1) last December.
Kiana Williams scored 20 of her 22 points after halftime. Haley Jones added 11.
Jill Townsend scored 32 points before fouling out in overtime to lead the Bulldogs. Kayleigh Truong and Melody Kempton each added 12 and Jessie Loera had 10.
While Stanford won a first-round NCAA Tournament game at home against Gonzaga in 2018, the Zags also stole a 68-63 victory at Maples Pavilion on Nov. 18, 2016.
ARIZONA 83, NO. 22 TEXAS 58
AUSTIN, Texas — Aari McDonald scored a school-record with 44 points to help Arizona rout Texas.
McDonald surpassed the mark of 39 she had shared with Davellyn Whyte (2010), shooting 14 of 18 with two 3-pointers and making all 14 of her free throws. McDonald had 22 points by halftime when the Wildcats (4-0) took a 38-19 lead. Texas cut the lead by four after three periods, but McDonald scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.
NO. 6 SOUTH CAROLINA 92, APPALACHIAN STATE 50
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mikiah Herbert Harrigan had a season-high 21 points and South Carolina scored the first 32 points.
The Gamecocks (4-0) outscored the Mountaineers (03) 35-3 in the opening period, matching the fewest points they’d ever allowed in a quarter. It equaled the three given up to Belmont in the second quarter of an NCAA first-round victory last March and Savannah State in the third quarter of a December 2017 victory.
NO. 8 MARYLAND 99, DELAWARE 55
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Taylor Mikesell matched her career high with 23 points for Maryland.
Ashley Owusu and Blair Watson each added 12 points for the Terrapins (3-1). Maryland didn’t need a comeback against the Blue Hens (0-3) in their first game since erasing a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter Wednesday night in a 70-68 victory at James Madison.
NO. 12 FLORIDA STATE 88, SAMFORD 59
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Nausia Woolfolk hit four 3-pointers and scored 23 points and had 12 rebounds to lead Florida State. Kiah Gillespie added 15 points for the Seminoles (4-0).
NO. 17 MIAMI 12, IUPUI 65
MIAMI — Endia Banks scored 23 points, Beatrice Mompremier had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Miami used a late 12-0 run to fend off IUPUI. Mykea Gray saved the Hurricanes (3-0), scoring all 16 of her points in the fourth quarter.
NO. 21 INDIANA 91, JACKSON STATE 51
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Freshman Mackenzie Holmes scored 15 points to lead Indiana. Holmes made 7 of 10 shots and had seven rebounds. Grace Berger added 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Indiana (3-0) scored the last seven points of the first quarter, capping a 16-3 run that made the score 26-10. The Hoosiers pushed the lead to 46-19 at the half. Jackson State shot 20% in the first half and had 12 turnovers.
MINNESOTA 80, NO. 19 ARIZONA STATE 66
MINNEAPOLIS — Destiny Pitts scored 22 points and Gadiva Hubbard added 20 for Minnesota.
Jasmine Brunson had 15 points for the Gophers (3-1), who shot 50 percent, including 8 of 18 from 3-point range. Minnesota opened with a 9-0 run and never trailed.
NO. 7 OREGON STATE 80, MISSOURI STATE 69
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Destiny Slocum ignited a third quarter run and scored all 17 of her points in the second half, leading Oregon State past Missouri State in the Preseason WNIT championship game.
Slocum’s 3-pointer at third-quarter buzzer capped a 13-0 run for a 55-49 lead and Oregon State went on to end the nation’s longest road winning streak at 13 games.