Women’s Basketball Game Breakdowns 11/28 -12/1
If you can hold out for the middle of this week, there will be some rewarding women’s basketball games to watch. The Monday and Tuesday schedule isn’t loaded with top contests, but Wednesday brings a strong matchup between North Carolina and Penn State in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge. In fact, four of the five games this week (Temple-Rutgers being the exception) are from this challenge. The remainder of the schedule is light on strong matchups, but the games featured will be quite strong.
No. 15 NORTH CAROLINA AT No. 14 PENN STATE (6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania)
Don’t be alone if you thought North Carolina’s last game was a little too close for comfort. After the Tar Heels (5-0) blew out their first four opponents, Kennesaw State held them respectable in a 14-point loss, 76-62. The play of Chay Shegog (21 points, 11 rebounds) and She’la White (20 points) helped North Carolina stay ahead and unbeaten going into this contest. This is the only test against a ranked team on North Carolina’s schedule until January, when the Tar Heels open Atlantic Coast Conference play against Miami. Penn State (5-1), whose lone loss came in an 80-71 setback against Delaware, is coming off a very strong 103-65 win over Nevada in a game where Maggie Lucas and Alex Bentley combined for 49 points in victory. This is a game between the Big Ten and ACC as part of its annual challenge.
TEMPLE AT No. 12 RUTGERS (7:30 p.m. Wednesday at The RAC in New Brunswick, New Jersey)
This regional rivalry pits teams from neighboring states against each other, and it has been a strong start for the Scarlet Knights. Temple (2-4), from the Atlantic-10, has had a rough go of it following two wins to open the season. Temple is on a four-game losing streak that includes defeats against Ohio State, Texas A&M and St. John’s. In fairness to the Owls, the four losses are by a combined 28 points and three of the losses were by six points or less. Shey Peddy’s 16 points led Temple against St. John’s. Rutgers (6-0) has wins against California, Arizona State and Georgia Tech and could be a strong challenger in the Big East. April Sykes had 14 points against Arizona State in a 59-52 win, and Monique Oliver added 13 rebounds.
FLORIDA STATE AT No. 21 OHIO STATE (8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio)
One night after the big showdown between the Duke and Ohio State men, the Buckeye women have their own big game against a Florida State team that has stumbled out of the starting gate and seeks recovery. The Seminoles (3-4) have dropped four of their last five games following a 2-0 start, but a 72-58 loss to Florida was the loss by the widest margin. In Sunday’s 66-63 loss to Nebraska, Cierra Bravard had 18 points and six rebounds but committed six turnovers. Ohio State (5-0) beat LSU, 77-68, in the first of three straight contests against top teams that includes a matchup Dec. 4 against Oklahoma. Samantha Prahilis scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Tayler Hill chipped in 23 points in the Buckeyes’ strong showing.
No. 16 PURDUE AT No. 10 DUKE (7 p.m. Thursday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina)
The Big Ten meets the ACC in the women’s basketball version of the challenge, with this game figuring to be the best of the bunch. Purdue (6-0) is off to a solid start this season, if you don’t count the Nov. 25 game against Kansas State that the Boilermakers won, 46-42, in overtime. Brittany Rayburn scored 16 points as Purdue couldn’t take advantage of the warm Cancun, Mexico climate on the court yet still won. Another Indiana school, Notre Dame, spoiled Duke’s unbeaten start with a 56-54 victory, but Duke (4-1) still has a program with solid footing. Duke has two tough tests coming up after this against Pittsburgh and Kentucky, so the Blue Devils will be tested in the next week. Natalie Novosel’s bank shot for Notre Dame knocked off the Blue Devils despite 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots from freshman Liz Williams.
No. 8 MIAMI AT MICHIGAN STATE (8 p.m. Thursday at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan)
Just because Michigan State is unranked by most pollsters doesn’t mean the Spartans won’t roll over and expire against Miami. Another game in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge brings Miami (5-1) to Michigan. The Hurricanes lost 92-76 to Tennessee in the second game of the season but have won four straight since, including wins against Prairie View and South Florida. Not too impressive? Miami has scored 90 or more points in four of its six games, so that may soothe some naysayers. Michigan State (5-2) has lost against Villanova and Florida-Gulf Coast, and the Spartans have beaten Milwaukee and Oakland in the last week. Porsche Poole had 16 points and five rebounds for MSU in the 67-42 win over Oakland.
