It was a busy week before the Christmas Holiday—and not just at the malls and airports. A number of top 25 teams faced tests this past week and fans were treated to three top-10 matchups.
No. 2 Duke was involved in two of the top-10 bouts. The Blue Devils welcomed No. 1 Connecticut to a packed Cameron Indoor Stadium, but could not stop Huskie forward Brianna Stewart, who scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift the nation’s top team to a commanding 83-61 victory on the road. Stewart then topped that performance with 29 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday in an 80-47 win over No. 21 California at the Maggie Dixon Classic in New York City.
Duke seemed somewhat lethargic against unranked Albany on Thursday, trailing 20-13 to the Great Danes in the first half, but found its footing and easily pulled away in the second half for an 80-51 victory. Just when you thought the Blue Devils’ week was over, it wasn’t. Duke traveled to Rupp Arena to face No. 5 Kentucky. Guard Tricia Liston scored a season-high 28 points, while forward Elizabeth Williams took advantage of a small Wildcat frontcourt to add 17 points and eight rebounds as the Blue Devils squeaked out a 69-61 win in front of the largest crowd in Kentucky women’s basketball history.
No. 6 Stanford knocked No. 3 Tennessee into the loss column for the first time this season with a 76-70 home win in Palo Alto, Cal. Chiney Ogwumike had a monster game, dropping 32 points and registering 20 rebounds to lead the Cardinal to its ninth straight victory.
In an epic Carolina battle, No. 14 North Carolina built a 39-27 first half lead on No. 10 South Carolina, and hung on to win 74-66 behind a double-double from forward Stephanie Mavunga. The Tar Heels also steamrolled New Orleans 124-41 earlier in the week, while the Gamecocks edged Winthrop 69-61 on Friday.
Unbeaten No. 11 Colorado fell to No. 7 Louisville 69-62. Cardinals guard Shoni Shimmel scored 30 points to give the Buffaloes their first loss of the season. The only ranked opponent left on Louisville’s schedule is Connecticut, who they face twice.
No. 20 Oklahoma has dropped two out of its last four games, with the most recent defeat coming against Marist who boomed the Sooners back to Midwest with 76-69 victory. The Red Foxes have won six straight games since starting the season 1-4. Oklahoma did notch a 79-51 victory over Fairfield earlier in the week. No. 12 LSU was upset by North Carolina State, as center Markeisha Gatling and forward Cody Burke scored 25 points apiece. The Wolfpack have quietly jumped out to an 11-1 record, with its lone loss coming to Wright State on Nov. 29.
No. 4 Notre Dame had no trouble running past Central Michigan 106-72, while No. 9 Baylor beat Mississippi 89-80. Forward Odyssey Sims scored 39 points in 39 minutes even though she only shot a mere 34 percent from the floor.
Game to Watch: Cincinnati at No. 1 Connecticut, Sunday Dec. 29 5:00 p.m. ESPN.
Key ACC Matchup: No. 23 Syracuse at Arizona State, Monday Dec. 30 8:00 p.m. PAC-12 Network.
Upset Alert: No. 4 Notre Dame at Oregon State, Sunday Dec. 29 5:00 p.m. PAC-12 Network. Can the Irish survive a cross-country road test and a pre-New Year’s letdown against the pesky Beavers, who have three losses by a combined 16 points?
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