“Around the NCAAW Weekly” highlights the notable events of the week. Check out the milestones, surprises, best games and outstanding performances for games played through Sunday, Dec. 11:
Milestones/accomplishments
12/5/2022: Tara VanDerveer claimed ownership of the AP poll.
Tara VanDerveer’s Stanford Cardinal remained No. 2 in the AP Top 25, giving the coach 619 weeks with one of her teams in the poll, breaking a tie with Pat Summitt for the most appearances all-time. https://t.co/DI1Nqjpp7p
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 5, 2022
12/10/2022: Aneesah Morrow of the DePaul Blue Demons dropped a program-record 45 points and reached 1,000 career points in 43 games. The Blue Demons defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 81-63; Morrow added 13 rebounds and five steals.
12/8/2022: Brenda Frese, head coach of the No. 20 Maryland Terrapins reached 600 career wins. Only 49 NCAAW Division I coaches have ever gotten there. Frese (601-173) trails only 16 active coaches in career wins. The Terps defeated the Purdue Boilermakers (RV, three points) 77-74.
12/10/2022: Lisa Bluder, head coach of the No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes, reached 234 career wins in Big Ten regular season play, a conference record. Hawkeye McKenna Warnock reached 1,000 career points and 600 career rebounds in her 97th career game, an 87-64 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Caitlin Clark notched 32 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
12/10/2022: Olivia Miles of the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish broke the program record for career triple-doubles with her third. She had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in a 108-44 win over the Merrimack Warriors.
12/5/2022:
12/11/2022: Taylor Robertson of the No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners moved into sole possession of fourth place in career NCAAW Division I 3-pointers with 469. She knocked down three triples in a 94-65 win over the Robert Morris Colonials.
12/8/2022: The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes allowed only seven second-half points in a 92-36 win over the UNH Wildcats. Seven matches the least amount points the Buckeyes have ever given up in a single half. For the last 16 minutes, UNH went without a field goal.
12/11/2022: Ashley Joens of the No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones moved into fourth place in Big 12 career scoring with 2,545 points. She had 22 in an 84-50 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins.
12/7/2022: The No. 24 Kansas State Wildcats set a record for most turnovers forced during the nine years Jeff Mittie has been their head coach with 33 in a 72-45 win over the Kansas City Roos.
12/10/2022: Gabby Gregory of Kansas State made it to 1,000 career points in her 83rd career game, which was an 82-78 loss to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Gregory had 31 points and six rebounds in defeat.
12/6/2022: Maddy Siegrist of the No. 25 Villanova Wildcats reached fourth in program rebounds in her team’s 83-42 win over the American Eagles. She now has 864 for her career.
12/7/2022: The No. 19 Baylor Bears earned their largest margin of victory under second-year head coach Nicki Collen, defeating the UT Arlington Mavericks 91-36.
Streak tracker
No. 6 UConn Huskies consecutive seasons without losing back-to-back games — 29
No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks consecutive ranked wins — 17
No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks consecutive Top 5 wins — 7
No. 2 Stanford Cardinal consecutive Pac-12 wins — 34
No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks consecutive home wins — 30
No. 8 NC State Wolfpack consecutive ACC home wins — 17
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes consecutive games forcing at least 20 turnovers — 10
Surprises
Upsets
12/8/2022: Toledo Rockets over No. 14 Michigan Wolverines, 71-68
Nan Garcia had 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals for the Rockets and Sammi Mikonowicz (11 points, seven boards, two assists) made the game-winning basket with 13 seconds left.
12/10/2022: South Dakota State Jackrabbits over No. 24 Kansas State Wildcats, 82-78
Myah Selland led the Jackrabbits with 20 points and the team made enough free throws down the stretch to squeak by.
12/8/2022: RV (37 points) Kansas Jayhawks over Arizona Wildcats, 77-50
12/11/2022: No. 20 Maryland Terrapins over No. 6 UConn Huskies, 85-78
Close calls
12/11/2022: No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes over Michigan State Spartans, 74-68
12/8/2022: No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers over Penn State Lady Lions, 67-58
12/8/2022: No. 6 UConn Huskies over Princeton Tigers, 69-64
12/10/2022: No. 18 Creighton Bluejays over Drake Bulldogs, 75-71
12/8/2022: No. 20 Maryland Terrapins over Purdue Boilermakers, 77-74
Other news
12/8/2022:
BREAKING: Russia has freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with American officials confirming to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn that the U.S. is releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.https://t.co/pSkk8nMa71
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 8, 2022
12/11/2022:
12/11/2022:
12/9/2022:
Experts caution that after the euphoria of being reunited with loved ones, Brittney Griner might find herself emotionally and psychologically overwhelmed.
Former detainees describe the challenges Griner might face now that she’s home. https://t.co/Vm0MeEL5BB
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 10, 2022
12/9/2022:
Diana Taurasi woke up Mercury president Vince Kozar by phone. Brianna Turner’s mom rushed into her bedroom.
News of Brittney Griner’s release sent waves of shock, joy and relief through her teammates and franchise.https://t.co/D84zYBi2DZ
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 9, 2022
12/8/2022:
Tennessee senior center Tamari Key will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season after blood clots were discovered in her lungs, the program announced Thursday. https://t.co/KG7u2hCKE7
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 8, 2022
12/6/2022:
UConn star Azzi Fudd is expected to miss three to six weeks with a right knee injury suffered in Sunday’s loss to Notre Dame, the team announced.
The Huskies were already without Paige Bueckers, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.https://t.co/EiNBn31xZl
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) December 6, 2022
12/7/2022:
12/6/2022:
Eight players were ejected after an on-court skirmish broke out during Monday’s matchup between TCU and George Washington in Fort Worth, Texas. https://t.co/TQhBD6znzj
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 6, 2022
12/6/2022:
Dayton, Purdue and Texas A&M have withdrawn from the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic as part of continuing fallout from a similar event at a Strip resort run by the same organizers over Thanksgiving where safety concerns were raised. https://t.co/tsCToR0aaY
— espnW (@espnW) December 6, 2022
Other games of the week
12/7/2022: Tulane Green Wave over Troy Trojans, 103-100 (2OT)
12/10/2022: Rice Owls over Houston Cougars, 91-88 (2OT)
Destiny Jackson had 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Owls.
12/10/2022: Loyola Maryland Greyhounds over Hofstra Pride, 62-61 (OT)
Other top performances
12/11/2022: Endyia Rogers — 34 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals for the No. 17 Oregon Ducks in a 75-67 win over the Oregon State Beavers
12/11/2022: Charlisse Leger-Walker — 40 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block for the Washington State Cougars in an 82-66 loss to the Washington Huskies
12/11/2022: Emily Bramanti — 38 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block for the Stonehill Skyhawks in an 81-74 win over the Bryant Bulldogs
12/10/2022: Abbey Hsu — 34 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Columbia Lions in an 83-74 win over the UMass Minutewomen