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College Women's Basketball Capsules: Pedersen leads No. 2 Stanford to victory
Comments 0 | Recommend 0DAVIS, Calif. — Haylee Donaghe had the best three days of her basketball life preparing for No. 2 Stanford. Even game day turned out to be a lot of fun despite a 25-point loss.
Kayla Pedersen had 17 points and 11 rebounds in leading the second-ranked Cardinal past UC Davis 76-51 on Sunday.
"We've played them before so we were able to focus on our game plan instead of freaking out that they were the No. 2 team in the nation," said Donaghe, whose young sister Hannah plays for Stanford but was sidelined with an injury. "We had three solid days of preparation and we got a lot accomplished. There was a buzz among the players that the second best team was coming to our house. When is that going to happen?"
Pedersen said she enjoyed the trip as the Cardinal helped draw a big crowd.
"I think it's great," said the junior forward. "I was at a shop near Stanford the other day and somebody stopped me and said 'I'm driving to Davis. I'm with you guys.' And even having Davis fans come out and cheer against us was great. It made for a fun atmosphere."
Jayne Appel added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinal (4-0), who won their fourth straight in the series. Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored 10 of her 11 points in the second half and JJ Hones had 11.
"We love playing in front of people," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "That's a well-coached team and their kids play hard. They're scrappy and they play together. They took away our transition game so we never got any easy baskets."
Donaghe scored 11 points to lead the Aggies (2-2), who were coming off an 18-point win over San Francisco.
The Aggies scored the game's first five points but Stanford went on a 16-2 run to take control.
"We wanted to enjoy the moment," Donaghe said. "Realistically we were not going to win that game but there were moments and we can take those and feel good about them as we move forward. This will help propel the rest of our schedule. Expectations of ourselves are higher now."
Stanford is the highest ranked team to play in Davis, drawing a crowd of 1,759 — more than three times what the Aggies drew for their home opener last Tuesday. Long lines of fans, students and otherwise, were on hand before the doors officially opened and the Aggies' band performed.
The Cardinal played their first game here in 32 years.
"One thing we can take away from this game is the need to stay strong," Pedersen said. "Things were not going for us at times and that challenged us to refine things."
Sandy Simpson became the Aggies' winningest coach last year in leading the school during their transition to Division I.
"When you are going up against one of the top two teams in the country you think about what we do to keep them off balance," Simpson said. "We picked our poison and we stayed with the game plan. Stanford is just a fundamentally sound team. When you take away one thing they adjust and do something else. Most teams are not as disciplined as they are."
Stanford was bigger, stronger and deeper but that didn't stop the pesky Aggies from making a couple of runs during the second half.
The Cardinal left most of their starters in the game into the final minute.
The Cardinal led 42-25 at the half.
No. 4 North Carolina tops UNLV 78-68
LAS VEGAS — Italee Lucas made a triumphant return home to Las Vegas.
She scored 24 points to help No. 4 North Carolina beat UNLV 78-68 on Sunday.
"She had a great year last year and I think she'll have a great year this year," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "She fits our style and I let her do a lot of her stuff that probably a lot of other coaches wouldn't. But she's really grown and matured as a player in her decision making, and she's an outstanding shooter. She just brings a lot of energy out there."
Lucas scored seven of the Tar Heels' first 11 points during the second half. Then, after missing two free throws with 1:19 left, the junior scored off her own offensive rebound to give North Carolina a 74-66 lead.
"I'm just really excited that it (the victory) was in front of my fans and my family," said Lucas. "They got a chance to see me on (something) other than TV."
Hatchell had to take Lucas out of the game, though, when she re-injured her knee with just under one minute left.
"Before this game I've been having knee problems," Lucas said. "This is my second game actually playing. It's fine; I just tweaked it a little bit.
Cetera DeGraffenreid, who converted on all 10 of her free throws, followed with 22 points for the Tar Heels.
"Cetera runs the show for us, does a great job," Hatchell said. "I ran a lot of kids and you can tell with the minutes. We're still, at times, lost out there, but we'll continue to get better."
Chay Shegog and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt each had 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (3-0).
Jamie Smith led the Lady Rebels (2-2) with 17 points and 18 rebounds. Kelli Thompson added 15 points. The Lady Rebels came within four points of the lead in the first half and closed within five points twice during the final five minutes of the game.
"They went up and down the floor with us," Hatchell said. "I thought they shot the ball really, really well. Kathy's (UNLV coach Kathy Olivier is) doing a great job here and they're going to be really good."
Bjorklund leads Lady Vols past Virginia, 77-63
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A record crowd at Virginia was nothing unusual for No. 6 Tennessee to face, and with Angie Bjorklund getting her shooting stroke working, the Lady Vols rolled 77-63 on Sunday.
Bjorklund scored 24 points and hit the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer early in the second half to halt a rally by the 12th-ranked Cavaliers. It also quieted the crowd of 11,895 that was lured in by a promotion designed to set a new attendance mark for the women's program, and provide a boost for the underdog Cavaliers.
Bjorklund's shot with 18:14 left came after Virginia had close to within 42-39, and she was fouled and completed the four-point play. When Taber Spani followed with a 3-pointer, the Lady Vols' lead was back to 10.
Tennessee (3-0) avenged a loss on its own home floor to Virginia last season, and coach Pat Summitt said early on, Bjorklund seemed to be trying to do too much. She missed the loss with back problems.
"At first she was trying to do it all in about the first four minutes," Summitt said. "But she settled down after that. She played with a lot of confidence."
Playing for only the second time in Charlottesville, Tennessee led 40-33 at halftime and pulled away after the Cavaliers (3-1) made their burst. Virginia got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Bjorklund had a lot to do with it.
"She tore it up tonight. She was just so hot. It was hard to stop her," Monica Wright said.
Shekinna Stricklen added 20 points and Glory Johnson 14 for Tennessee, now 12-2 against Virginia.
Wright, a pre-season All-American, led Virginia with 21 points, but made just 8 of 21 shots. A year ago, she scored 35 as the Cavaliers won 83-82 before 11,627 fans as Thompson-Boling Arena.
"We were making sure that never, ever, ever happened again," Johnson said.
Chelsea Shine, coming off a 27-point effort in a victory against South Carolina Upstate, had her first shot blocked by 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain and never seemed to recover. She scored three on 1-for-6 shooting.
"I think she seemed a little bit timid and easy shots she was missing," coach Debbie Ryan said.
Summitt said it's nothing new to see Cain make an early impression on defense.
"I think Kelley's presence definitely had an impact and has had an impact in every game," she said after Cain had six points, six rebounds and six blocks. "She this year is healthy, but she's also a lot smarter in not taking herself out of position and going for every block."
Ariana Moorer scored 12 for the Cavaliers and Simone Egwu had 10.
The Lady Vols used an early 24-9 run to open a 26-15 lead. Stricklen had eight points in the spurt, and Cain blocked three shots and altered several others.
Tennessee built its lead as high as 13 on several ocassions, but Wright and Moorer hit 3-pointers and Whitny Edwards had a jumper in an 8-2 run for Virginia to end the half.
The game was billed as Hot Dog Day, with every fan receiving a voucher for a free hot dog and drink as part of a promotion to draw the largest crowd in program history. The previous mark of 11,174 was set Feb. 5, 1986, also a Hot Dog Day, when Virginia played North Carolina at its old arena.
-- Hank Kurz Jr.
Hightower gets 1,000th point as No. 7 LSU cruises
BATON ROUGE, La. — After taking a huge lead in the first half, the only suspense left for No. 7 LSU and its fans was whether star Allison Hightower would eclipse the 1,000-point career mark.
Everyone seemed to know about the impending milestone — except for Hightower.
"To tell the truth, I didn't know anything about it," said Hightower, who scored 15 points in LSU's easy 86-49 victory over Nicholls State. "I was confused. People were saying, 'Allison, shoot the ball. Why didn't you make that free throw?'
"I was wondering what was going on."
Hightower, who came into the game needing 14 points to become the 28th LSU player to score 1,000, reached the mark with 15:15 remaining on a pair of free throws. LSU coach Van Chancellor then called time out to allow Hightower to leave the game for good to an ovation.
"That was the only reason I started her in the second half," Chancellor said. "Anything she could mean to a program is what she means to us. She plays so hard everywhere. She's the best defensive player in the (SEC), maybe the country, a great rebounder and a great offensive player."
Playing their second game in two nights, the Lady Tigers (4-0) showed no signs of fatigue against the Colonels (0-3).
Actually, their effort was more pleasing to Chancellor than what he saw in Saturday's 18-point victory over Houston.
LSU scored the first 15 points before Nicholls State finally got on the board 5 minutes in. The Lady Tigers held the Colonels to 25 percent shooting from the field en route to a 46-15 halftime lead.
The LSU lead grew to as many as 42 points in the second half, though Nicholls State was able to narrow the gap at times against the Lady Tigers' reserves.
"We weren't too happy with them (Saturday)," Chancellor said. "I don't think they wanted to go through that again. We were much more aggressive."
Reserve guards Bianca Lutley and Adrianne Webb added 12 points each for LSU. All 13 active Lady Tigers saw action and all but three scored, as the LSU bench outscored Nicholls State's reserves 50-2.
"We knew we had to come out and give more effort," said Black, who had a career-high 10 points.
Black also had a game-high nine rebounds as LSU outboarded Nicholls State 48-23. The Lady Tigers shot 55.2 percent to 33.3 for the Colonels.
"I thought we should beat Nicholls State," Chancellor said candidly. "We did, and like I thought we should have."
Webb came off a career-high 17 point effort against Houston and definitely stated her case this weekend for more playing time, according to Chancellor.
"You have to be able to guard somebody, make shots and not turn the ball over," Chancellor said. "I've got to be able to trust her. I trust her like I trust anybody."
Nicholls State guard Ricshanda Bickham scored a game-high 23 points, 16 in the second half. Teammate Alisha Allen added 14.
"Playing against a team like LSU is such an enormous opportunity for us," Nicholls State coach DoBee Plaisance said. "The kids played hard, but what we'll use from this is being able to see what we need to work on."
The coach's daughter, Theresa Plaisance, will be playing for Chancellor next year.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity for my daughter to learn from Van," Plaisance said. "I feel very fortunate, but surreal might be the best way to describe this game."
The win was LSU's 29th straight against Louisiana schools. It's the Lady Tigers' first 4-0 start since the 2006-07 season.
Monroe, No. 13 Seminoles beat Georgia State 66-53
ATLANTA — When leading scorer Jacinta Monroe twisted her left knee, Alsyha Harvin had to shoulder more of the load for No. 13 Florida State and she did just that.
Harvin scored all 13 of her points in the second half and also had a team-best seven rebounds as the Seminoles (4-0) held off a Georgia State rally for a 66-53 victory on Sunday.
"I had to step up," Harvin said. "I didn't really have a feel for the game in the first half and missed a lot of shots. Once I hit my first shot, I got going. And when Jacinta got hurt, I knew I needed to do more than just score."
Monroe hyperextended her knee midway through the second half and the Seminoles soon found a lead that had been as large as 19 points in the first half cut to five as Danyiell McKellar took over. She led Georgia State (1-1) with 21 points.
But FSU coach Sue Semrau shifted Harvin onto McKellar and the Seminoles were able to regain control.
"When you look at what she did on both ends of the court, she was a big-time senior for us," Semrau said of Harvin. "She really did a great job stopping that run on both the offensive and defensive ends."
Monroe had 14 points before leaving the game and Semrau expects her to be ready to play when FSU hosts Auburn on Friday in the first round of the Seminole Classic. "She'll be fine," the coach said.
McKellar scored 17 points in the second half before fouling out with 2:35 remaining. Crystal Johnson also fouled out for the Panthers, who got 10 points from Brittany Graham.
FSU, going 5-for-10 from behind the 3-point arc, led 32-17 edge at intermission as Monroe had eight points.
It was the Seminoles' third game in six days. "It will be nice to get a little break," Harvin said. "But this gave us a little feel for what it will be like at tournament time."
Georgia State, which shot just 24 percent in the first half, played without two key players. Jylisa Williams and Traci Haltiwanger sat out because of undisclosed violations of team rules.
No. 16 Georgia rallies to beat Rutgers
ATHENS, Ga. — Turnovers finally helped a Georgia team win.
Unlike the football team, which followed a season-long trend and self-destructed with fumbles and interceptions in Saturday's loss to Kentucky, Georgia's No. 16 women's basketball team scored 29 points off 29 turnovers in rallying past Rutgers 49-48 on Sunday.
Ashley Houts scored 17 points to help Georgia (3-0) overcome a 12-point deficit down the stretch. Georgia trailed 44-32 with 7:14 to play after Rutgers freshman Monique Oliver's layup.
Houts answered with a 3-pointer to ignite a 15-2 Georgia run. A 3-pointer by freshman Anne Marie Armstrong put Georgia ahead 47-46 with 2:04 to play.
Georgia coach Andy Landers gave credit to walk-on freshman Candace Williams, who played 8 minutes during the comeback and contributed nothing that showed on the stat sheet.
"She came in and reactivated the top of the zone," he said. "That started our comeback."
Georgia won despite shooting 26 percent from field and being outrebounded 45-31. But Rutgers (2-2) shot just 38 percent and got only 10 opportunities from the free-throw line.
"We are as good defensively as they are," Landers said. "In a game like this, it usually comes to free throws, rebounding and turnovers."
Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer saw the outcome the same way.
"In a game like this, we needed to reduce a lot of things, especially the turnovers," she said. "It would have helped a lot if we had had a point guard."
Point guard Khadijah Rushdan injured her knee with 3:41 to play and Rutgers clinging to a 46-41 lead. She had to be helped off the floor and did not return.
Armstrong and Jasmine James, another freshman, followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, the second with 2:04 to play, to put Georgia up 47-46.
The teams traded stops before Rutgers thought it had a backcourt violation on Houts with 11.2 seconds to play, but the officials ruled that it was an inadvertent whistle and gave the ball to Georgia.
Houts was subsequently fouled and made two free throws with 8.9 seconds remaining, making it 49-46.
Rutgers' Mya McCurdy hit a quick jumper with 2.5 seconds to play, but from inside the 3-point line, closing the gap to the final margin.
Rutgers' April Sykes intercepted Georgia's last inbound pass near midcourt with less than 3 seconds to play, but her 30-foot heave clanged off the rim at the buzzer clanged.
Rashidat Junaid led Rutgers with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Meredith Mitchell scored a career-high 11 points for Georgia.
The game was physical.
Georgia's Porsha Phillips took an elbow to the mouth 30 seconds into the game. Also, center Angel Robinson left the game on a spine board with 9:02 to play after banging her head on the floor and complaining of neck pain. She was transported to a local hospital for an exam.
Rack leads Mississippi St. past Maryland 84-55
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Alexis Rack was feeling it.
The Mississippi State guard scored a career-high 43 points — tied for the fourth-best single-game total for a Bulldogs women's basketball player — to lead her 25th-ranked team to a convincing 84-55 win over Maryland on Sunday. And at times she felt like she couldn't miss.
"Sometimes I was just letting it go," Rack admitted.
And hitting more often than not.
The senior scored every way possible, driving the lane for layups early, following her own misses for putbacks and hitting 7 of 13 3-point shots, falling just five points shy of LaToya Thomas' school record of 48 points, set in 2000.
She was simply too fast for Maryland (3-1) and her Mississippi State (3-0) teammates didn't mind watching her go at the Terrapins.
"When Alexis is shooting like that," Mary Kathryn Govero said, "I tell her, 'You keep doing what you're doing and we'll get the rebound if you miss.'"
Rack's contributions didn't stop with her offense. She had a team-leading six of 21 assists and was key in the Bulldogs' stifling defensive effort that forced 27 Terrapin turnovers and included 10 steals.
After allowing Maryland's first basket, Mississippi State ripped off a 15-1 run that featured two 3-pointers from Rack and a hustle play that made the Terrapins look a little like their namesake. She shot and missed a 3, skirted the Maryland defense, grabbed the rebound, beat two defenders and hit a short jumper.
By the time Mississippi State got done with an 11-0 run a few minutes later, Rack had scored 12 points, handed out four assists and helped force eight turnovers for a 28-8 lead with just 10:10 gone.
Mississippi State coach Sharon Fanning-Otis called it a "statement" game, but Maryland coach Brenda Frese summed it up best.
"Obviously we had no answer for Rack," Frese said. "She played like an all-American."
The Bulldogs led by as much as 24 in the first half on the way to a 48-25 halftime lead and used a 9-0 run at the start of the second half to ice the Terrapins, usually one of the nation's dominant teams.
Everyone expected a close game, but Mississippi State has eight seniors to Maryland's nine underclassmen and took advantage of its experience to let everyone know the Bulldogs will be a factor this year.
"We just wanted to make a statement," Rack said. "If you're over there on the other side, come ready."
That's a warning that will precede the Bulldogs as they head for the Virgin Islands next week for a holiday tournament that features games with No. 10 Texas, Rutgers and Southern Cal.
"We have something to prove to ourselves," Rack said. "Every game as we go farther in our schedule is getting tougher."
-- Chris Talbott
Johnson helps Michigan St beat Western Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lykendra Johnson scored 21 points and Aisha Jefferson added 12 to lead No. 21 Michigan State to a 74-51 win over Western Michigan on Sunday.
Michigan State's 6-foot-9 center Allyssa DeHaan added seven points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Spartans (2-2).
Johnson, who only missed one of her nine shots, had 16 points in the first half. Brittney Thomas scored at the buzzer to give the Spartans a 33-23 lead at halftime. The Spartans went on a 9-0 run to open the second half and led by double digits the rest of the way.
Sara Vest had 15 points and eight rebounds for Western Michigan (1-3).
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