That’s what #17 Texas A&M did, on their way to upsetting #6 Tennessee, 79-76 in OT.
Texas A&M knocked Tennessee from the ranks of the undefeated on Thursday night. This was the second year in a row that the game between these two teams in College Station was decided in overtime. The Aggies also won in 2017, 76-71.
The game featured 17 lead changes. The Aggies had three players score more than 20 points, led by Khaalia Hillsman with a double-double at 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Danni Williams with 22 points as well. Chennedy Carter, the NCAA freshman leader in points per game – among many other stats – had 21.
Michigan State also got the upset win, 82-63, over the # Terps. Maryland was dealing with the loss of their starting guard Blair Watson, their second leading scorer, to a *#$@@! ACL.
“We better get used to it,” Frese said of Michigan State’s aggression. “It’s not going away. That’s what you’re going to see every night, and I don’t think we responded well to it at all. I thought we got caught up in the officiating, they just let them play. They let both teams play.
Yes, it was an “upset,” but were you really surprised? (A bit, yes, at the margin) No. 3 Louisville dominates No. 2 Notre Dame for first win over Irish since 2009. From Graham:
So No. 3 Louisville played a game worthy of the weather. It gave a performance worthy of a champion, a 100-67 victory against No. 2 Notre Dame that pushed the Cardinals to 19-0.
“I thought Louisville looked like the best team in the country today,” Muffet McGraw said.
A Hall of Fame coach’s assessment is always worth noting. All the more when the team she coaches beat South Carolina and pushed Connecticut to the final minutes earlier this season.
That there wasn’t actually a trophy at stake didn’t seem to bother any of those on hand.
As advertised, Auburn was feisty, but South Carolina kept them at bay, 71-63. Of concern? 2000-club member A’ja’s ankle. (btw: Heathwood Hall retires A’ja Wilson’s jersey)
#12 Missouri tried to make it interesting by letting Vandy outscore them 23-9 in the fourth, but the Tigers held on for a 81-70 win.
Quinnipiac is enjoying the MAAC so far.
Interesting. With a solid win over Bucknell, Lehigh moves to 4-1 in the Patriot.
Squeak! Little Rock moves to 5-0 in the Sun Belt with a 2-point win over UT Arlington. Looking forward to their next game v. Texas State. The Bobcats are an improving program.
Whoa. Pacific gets their first win in the WCC with an impressive showing against San Diego, 81-68.
Weber State staking a claim to the Big Sky by giving Northern Colorado their first conference loss.
I see you Portland State, sitting at 3-1 in the Big Sky while ending Montana State’s 31-game home win streak.
US Santa Barbara squeaks out a one-point win over CSU Northridge and gets to 3-0 in the Big West.
Strong defense in the fourth pushed #22 Oregon State over #18 Arizona State, 57-54.
It’s not just Billings and Canada, as Michaela Onyenwere‘s 20 helps #14 UCLA overcome Utah, 81-74.
The Dukes say, “Not. So. Fast. Phoenix.” JMU stays unbeaten in the Colonial, sending Elon to their second conference loss, 70-67.
So…ETSU beat Chattanooga for the first time since 2010.
Marquette moves to 6-0 in the Big East.
WOW.
I mean, just WOW.
Marquette swiped a win out of the hands of Butler quite literally on Friday night, beating the Bulldogs, 69-67, thanks to a buzzer beater from Allazia Blockton.
CHECK IT OUT, and then we’ll get to how it happened.
Upcoming games:
2pm: Rutgers: No. 21/19 Women’s Basketball Looks To Get Back On Track Against Minnesota on Saturday
2pm: Ball State v. Buffalo – both are 3-1 in the MAC.
3pm: Oral Roberts v Wabbits. 3-1 v. 3-0 in the Summit
3pm: Still unbeaten in the Horizon, IUPUI goes up against Oakland.
4pm: Can Portland State keep the Big Sky run going v. Montana State (4-1)?
4pm: Already mentioned: Interesting Sun Belt match up – Little Rock (5-0) v Texas State (4-1).
5pm: TCU v. #15 West Virginia. How does each team react to “the game after” game?
8pm: Good test. #23 Michigan (3-2 in the Big 10) goes up against Nebraska (3-1 in the Big 10).
Sunday
Tennessee Lady Vols must move on from loss to face South Carolina as A’ja Wilson injury puts status for Tennessee game in doubt
In other news
Swish Appeal: Why USC may not repeat — and what’s turning everyone’s head in women’s basketball? This edition of the Triple Double touches on records that were broken, and why one particular team may be in trouble.
1) LEGENDS IN THE MAKING
Going into the New Year, we saw three records broken in the NCAA.
The first was on Saturday, December 30. Maranne Johnson of the Sacramento State Hornets set the Big Sky conference record for career three-pointers with 257. Some may remember Johnson from last season, when she briefly led the NCAA in three-pointers per game (she finished 13th overall). Johnson, a senior who was initially a walk-on from Antioch, CA, has been arguably the best long distance shooter the Big Sky has ever seen, and could potentially be the first-ever player from the conference to be drafted into the WNBA (in the league’s 21-year history, there has never been a player drafted from the Big Sky).
Listen up: No Ceilings Podcast: Conference Opening Win:
Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin addresses her team’s ASUN opening win at UNF, the continued growth of the team, what is most special about returning home this weekend, motherhood affecting coaching & more.
SF Gate: Senior Cowling already a legend of Cal women’s basketball
Moving on: Espinoza-Hunter Transferring From UConn Women’s Basketball Team
Kansas City Star: She changed from post player to guard for Mizzou’s best basketball team
To become the player she is now, Amber Smith had to lose the pizza weight.
Which is funny because a year ago, the sophomore on the Missouri women’s basketball team was gaining it to be successful. At 5 feet 11, she was undersized for a post player, but the Tigers had lost All-SEC forward Jordan Frericks to an ACL tear. They needed Smith to take her place, which meant Smith had to build up her body.
Jeffers, a two-time national champion now in her 32nd year as the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Capital University, is currently ranked second among active Division III coaches in total victories and possesses the fifth-most overall victories among Division III coaches, all-time.
ALMOST congrats: Bentley University women’s basketball coach Barbara Stevens will go for her 999th victory Saturday afternoon against New Haven and potentially her 1,000th win Wednesday at home in Waltham against Adelphi University.
Job alert: Former NBA Player, Chicago Native Awvee Storey Returns Home For Coaching Role With Chicago Sky
Wanna job at Nike? Sports Marketing WNBA/GL Account Manager
Cool: Chamique Holdsclaw, UConn’s Chris Dailey among 10 finalists for Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Sending good thoughts….From KWTX: Former Lady Bears star is in a fight for her life
Chameka Scott, 33, a former Lady Bears standout who helped lead the team to its first national championship in 2005, is in a fight for her life.
Scott was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2015 and underwent surgery followed by rounds of treatment.
The cancer has recurred in what Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey described Friday as a very aggressive manner.
’cause we can’t “stick to sports.” From Becky Carlson : Female Athlete Sexual Abuse in Sports
“Wo, that was a little too close,” the first man said.
“Yeah, _________ is popular with college girls.” the second man responded. “I heard the high school girls love him too.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little weird?” the first man asked.
“Nah, he seems to know his stuff and if any of the girls were uncomfortable then I’m sure they would say something.” the second man said.
“I guess so.” the first man replied, sounding unsure.
“I mean, young guy like that, probably not easy being around all those young girls all the time. I’m sure it’s nothing but… I mean, as long as it’s not my daughter.” the second man said.
Don’t forget: Women In Sports To Watch In 2018
From the historic Women’s March to feminism being celebrated as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year, women spoke out loudly in 2017.
Athletes like the WNBA’s Breanna Stewart and two-time Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman bravely shared their #MeToo stories, and once again the sports world drew an even greater appreciation for powerful female athletes.
What will 2018 bring for women in sports? Get ready for even more heroism, broken records and historic firsts.
Yes, it’s problematic to point out to the “exceptional” immigrants to counter trump’s racist agenda, but this is worth a read: Why do we let immigrants from ‘holes’ into our country? Because of people like this.
The Bible teaches that there are no real “shitholes,” of course, that the only things that defile us come from somebody’s mouth. But if that source isn’t persuasive enough for you, there is always the evidence you can acquire from firsthand acquaintance with someone from a faraway place.
Ngozi Anosike was one of those “why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here” immigrants. Coach Pat Summitt met her 15 years ago next week, in a gymnasium on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2003, when she recruited Ngozi’s daughter Nicky to play basketball at the University of Tennessee. Pat and Ngozi immediately recognized something kindred in each other: They both started from “holes.” “At the bottom, and I mean as far at the bottom as you can possibly go,” Nicky said.
Dope Magazine: The Perfect Storm: WNBA Team the Seattle Storm Ignites Social Justice
“I think in some ways, as women, we’re used to speaking out about social issues,” says Dawn Trudeau, Co-owner of WNBA team the Seattle Storm. “We’re concerned about taking care of our community and our families. I think that even just women’s professional sports, to some degree, is a social issue.
From Dave Zirin: Jaylen Brown and the Evolution of the Activist Athlete: By offering a systemic critique of racism and poverty, the 21-year-old is demonstrating how to bring depth to our political discussions.
Roughly 18 months ago—as Colin Kaepernick was peeling back people’s eyelids—I was told by a friend at Cal-Berkeley that there was an NBA rookie—yet to play a single minute of pro ball—who was going to rock the sports-politics landscape. “He’s NBA talent, no question,” I was told, “But he’s also like those political athletes you write about. A lot of the same professors and lecturers at Cal who have been dialoguing with Kap [Colin Kaepernick] rave about this kid.”
He told me the young man’s name, Jaylen Brown, and I immediately put it out of my mind for two reasons. First, Kaepernick was setting the sports world on fire, and NBA rookies who impressed their college professors was not at the forefront of my mind. Secondly, he had been drafted by the Boston Celtics, and I am some combination of genetically or behaviorally conditioned to ignore anyone doing anything while wearing that cursed Celtic green. I had too many young memories of Larry Bird tearing out my heart and felt too set in my ways to change.
But damn, was I wrong. Jaylen Brown, now in his second year and already a budding star, just gave an extensive interview with The Guardian, and everything that those professors pointed out were on display: a sense of history, a belief in resistance, a systemic critique of racism and poverty, and a contempt for a certain orange demagogue who uses race to rule.
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