Women’s Basketball Game Previews 11/21 – 11/24
Most of the games this week revolve around tournaments or one-sided matchups, but what a shock delivered on Sunday, right? While top-ranked Baylor was winning, sixth-ranked Tennessee took it on the chin at the hands of Virginia. No one can promise each game will be this exciting, but Stanford-Connecticut looks like it could be a classic. There are some other games that have either rankings or rivalries attached to them, led by these games.
No. 4 STANFORD AT No. 3 CONNECTICUT (7:30 p.m. Monday at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut)
One of the biggest matchups of the early women’s basketball season, this top-five matchup should definitely be one to enjoy. Stanford won the last meeting between the clubs, 71-59, on Dec. 30 of last year, and that knotted the overall series at six games apiece. Stanford has had great luck with three programs so far, racking up easy victories over Texas, Gonzaga and Old Dominion. Leading scorer Ngemkadi Ogwumike, a 6-2 forward, is averaging 23.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Connecticut has absolutely walloped its two opponents, with a 40-point win over Holy Cross and a 59-point win over Pacific behind Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis’s 25 points. The margin here will be a LOT closer.
GEORGIA STATE AT No. 22 FLORIDA STATE (7 p.m. Monday at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida)
If you are a fan of Florida State women’s basketball, let’s just say you haven’t been singing the fight song all week. After wins over South Florida and Minnesota, the Southeastern Conference bit Florida State twice as the Seminoles lost to both Arkansas and in-state rival Florida. Florida State won the last meeting between these teams, 66-53, two seasons ago. Cierra Bravard has had 25 consecutive double-digit scoring games and that should not change. Georgia State, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, dropped its only game of the season to Arizona by a 79-66 margin.
LEHIGH AT No. 12 RUTGERS (7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey)
Rutgers is off to a solid 3-0 start, even though it survived a season-opening scare in a 73-70 win over California. The Scarlet Knights also have wins over Boston College and LaSalle under their belts. Khadijah Rushdan led the way with 20 points in the victory over LaSalle, while April Sykes added 12 points. Lehigh got off a rough start, as the Patriot League member lost to LaSalle, St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart before beating St. Peter’s 64-48. This is the first of four straight home games for Rutgers, which also faces Georgia Tech, Temple and Arizona State on this home stand.
No. 18 PURDUE VS. TULANE (1:30 p.m. Thursday at Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico)
Nice way to celebrate Thanksgiving, Boilermakers. Purdue travels to the well-known resort community to take part in the Cancun Challenge basketball tournament. Purdue is off to a 3-0 start following wins over Bowling Green, Indiana-Purdue and Tennessee-Martin. Sam Ostarello and Courtney Moses combined for 25 points in the 65-39 win over Tennessee-Martin. Someone’s undefeated record is on the line because Tulane is 3-0 overall. So far the Green Wave has beaten up on Louisiana opponents with wins over Loyola-New Orleans, Louisiana-Monroe and LSU. The latter win was impressive because Tulane beat the 17th-ranked team in the country by three points in overtime.
ILLINOIS VS. GREEN BAY (5:30 p.m. Thursday at Mario Morales Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Like Purdue, two cold-weather teams get to travel for Thanksgiving to a warmer location. Illinois is off to a 2-3 start thanks to some bad luck against Pac-12 opponents. Illinois lost to both Oregon and California after victories against Cleveland State and Memphis. Kersten Magrum had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 78-74 loss to Oregon, so the team can definitely score. The Phoenix are 3-0 and averaging 83 points a game following victories over North Dakota State, Toledo and Eastern Michigan. Julie Wojta led Green Bay with 23 points and eight boards in the Eastern Michigan game.
