Women’s Basketball Games of the Week 12/27 – 12/29
TOLEDO at NORTHWESTERN (7 p.m. Tuesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois)
One of only four games on the Tuesday women’s calendar, this Mid-American Conference-Big Ten showdown sends Toledo over to the Chicago area. Toledo (6-4) has a decent chance to avoid a loss in this game; three of its four losses have come against Wisconsin-based schools, two to Green Bay and one to Milwaukee. Toledo has beaten a Big Ten school already this year, but Indiana has a 4-8 record and this game will be a bit harder. Still, it will be a feather in the Rockets’ cap if they win. Northwestern (10-2) has won six of its last seven games, and this is the Wildcats’ last non-league tilt before Big Ten play opens up on Friday. Northwestern beat North Dakota State 68-55 in its last game, led by Kendall Hackney’s 27 points and seven rebounds.
FURMAN at No. 9 GEORGIA (7 p.m. Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia)
This might be a potentially interesting game between a high-major team and a ranked school. Furman is off to an 8-3 start, including a 4-0 record in Southern Conference action, and the Paladins are riding a winning streak over Elon, UNC-Greensboro and Marshall. Furman overcame a six-point halftime deficit to beat Marshall in its last game. The Paladins’ losses are to Charleston Southern, Clemson and South Carolina, but one loss was in overtime and one was by two points. Georgia (10-2) lost to Georgetown earlier this season but the Bulldogs are on a stretch of six wins in seven games. Since a 71-68 loss to Gonzaga on Dec. 19, Georgia has beaten Montana State and Appalachian State. Khaalidah Miller scored 23 points against Appalachian State in the victory.
QUINNIPIAC at AMERICAN (7 p.m. Wednesday at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.)
It may not be a major game, but it doesn’t matter. Sometimes the mid-major games are just as exciting to watch. Quinnipiac, from the Northeast Conference, takes on Patriot League foe American University in a holiday-season game. Quinnipiac (7-3) lost 74-65 to Sacred Heart, but the Bobcats are on a pretty good roll with seven wins in the last eight games. The Bobcats have won their last two games against Rhode Island and Yale. American (7-4) has won two in a row against Troy and Loyola-Maryland, but before that American had bad luck with two losses against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Maryland itself. American is 2-4 in games played at home, and that could play in Quinnipiac’s favor.
DUQUESNE at PITTSBURGH (7 p.m. Wednesday at Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
A city rivalry game is on the docket Wednesday night as Duquesne makes the short trek to take on Pittsburgh. Duquesne (10-2), which plays in the Atlantic-10, saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end recently when it lost 62-49 to Florida despite a 15-point effort from Orsi Szecsi. Duquesne’s other loss was against North Dakota, by six points. Pittsburgh (7-5), a Big East team, has beaten Valparaiso, Indiana and Michigan State in short order. The Panthers are coming around after losses to ranked Duke and Georgetown earlier in the month. In the 64-54 win over Michigan State, freshman Brianna Kiesel scored 16 points.
VILLANOVA vs. ST. BONAVENTURE (4 p.m. Thursday at The MAC in West Long Branch, New Jersey)
Monmouth plays host to the Hawk Hoops Classic, and this game should be entertaining because it always is when Big East and Atlantic-10 teams get together. Villanova (9-2) has won six in a row following losses against Princeton and Delaware, but in wins over St. Joseph’s and Temple the team has scored under 60 points a game. In a battle of Philadelphia schools, Villanova beat Temple 56-47 as Lauren Burford and Emily Leer each scored 13 points. St. Bonaventure (11-1) also lost to Delaware but the Bonnies have a seven-game winning streak. In the most recent victory, a 68-49 win over Colgate, the Bonnies overcame a one-point halftime deficit. This game could be a toss-up.
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO at No. 19 GREEN BAY (8 p.m. Thursday at Kress Events Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Horizon League play gets underway Thursday for these two schools, and whoever wins this game will have a slight upper hand with plenty more basketball yet to play. UIC (7-4) has wins over Northern Illinois, Roosevelt and Eastern Illinois in its last three games following a three-game losing streak. Green Bay (10-0) has handled two Mid-American schools and one Big Ten squad in the last three victories. The Phoenix’ 65-49 win over Wisconsin was most impressive, keyed by 29 points and eight rebounds from Julie Wojta. This could be a close game, but don’t be surprised if Green Bay runs away with the contest. If the Phoenix blow out UIC, then Green Bay might skate all the way to the Horizon League title.
No. 3 STANFORD at USC (10 p.m. Thursday at Galen Center in Los Angeles, California)
Stanford travels to southern California for back-to-back games against USC and UCLA as it opens up Pac-12 play this week. The Cardinal are off to a 9-1 start, blemished only by a 68-58 loss to Connecticut in a national showdown, but Stanford also has a 97-80 win over Tennessee. Joslyn Tinkle scored 20 points in the Cardinal’s most recent win, 90-48, over Cal-Santa Barbara. USC (5-5) has had a slightly rougher road than Stanford, but the Trojans have won four of their last six games. USC’s losses are to Nebraska, Georgia, Notre Dame, Arizona State and Texas A&M. Three of those five schools were ranked when USC faced them. USC broke a two-game losing streak with a 75-71 overtime win over Pepperdine as Cassie Harberts led the way with 23 points.
