Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 1/21/2021

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UCONN 67 TENNESSEE 61

Ok, I'm exhausted, how about you guys???

This game reminded me of some of the really tough UConn/Tennessee of the past. Competitive, physical, tough basketball. I will admit. I had to look away a few times. It was just a little too stressful for me.

I'm getting too old for this stuff.

Anyway, I will break down the game, add videos, interviews and whatever else I can find about this game in a future post game report. Just not tonight. Look for game links in the UConn Link section.

It was a great win for a young team that as Sue Bird said in between this game and the Louisville/Syracuse "we watched this team grow up right before our eyes".

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As you will see when you read the Top 25 scores, the number 22, 23 and 25 ranked teams lost Thursday night. It should be interesting to see if all of them drop out of the Top 25.

No. 22 Georgia is off until Monday so they might stay in the top 25...barely.

No. 23 Syracuse plays Sunday against Clemson, so that should give them a bounce back win.

No. 25 Tennessee is playing Kentucky on Sunday. A win should keep them in the Top 25. A loss, say goodnight Irene.

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No. 7 Maryland at Iowa - Postponed

No. 16 Indiana at Michigan State - Postponed

No. 20 Gonzaga vs San Diego- Postponed

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By David in Naples

UConn proved tonight they are more than a “good high school team.” They outscored the Lady Vols 22-12 in the 4th period to pull a come from behind victory. They was a lot to like about the Huskies effort, and some things to scratch your head over.

Things to like:
1. Christyn scoring 20 puts on 8-18 shooting.
2. Paige making her only three late in the 4th to seal the victory.
3. Olivia w/ 11 rebounds.
4. The defense holding Horston to 1-11 shooting.
5. Only 11 turnovers, including 0 each from Liv & Aubrey.

Head scratchers:
1. Paige missing her first 5 three point shots.
2. Tenn. w/ 14 offensive rebounds.
3. Makurat w/ 0 points, 1 shot & 1 assist.
4. 11 missed free throws in 21 tries.

A comeback win, on the road, in a hostile environment is valuable to the young Huskies. Overall, a good effort and a great result.

Go Huskies..!!

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No. 1 Louisville 67 No. 23 Syracuse 54 - Louisville used the three point shot to take down a game Syracuse team at the Yum. Precocious freshman Hailey Van Lith hit 6 of 10 three pointers to score her 18 points. Dana Evans was terrific as usual hitting 3-8 three pointers and had 7 assists to lead the Cardinals to victory. Syracuse is a decent team but was no match for Louisville. The Orange were led by Emily Engstler with 16 points and Kamilla Cardoso with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 4 South Carolina 62 No. 22 Georgia 50 - USC got another historic performance from sophomore forward Aliyah Boston, who put up the second triple-double of her career with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. It was the first triple-double by a Gamecock in SEC play ever. Boston’s block fest was key to a dominant defensive performance from the Gamecocks that allowed them to overcome some offensive struggles. She picked up two of her swats, as well as a steal, within the game’s first few minutes, setting the tone for a contest that featured 43 combined turnovers, 23 from Georgia and 20 for Carolina.

No. 11 Michigan 77 No. 17 Ohio State 81 - In a slight upset, Ohio State held off Michigan to win at home. The story of this game is Michigan star forward Naz Hillmon scored 50 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Yes, 50 points. I am posting the Youtube video below. In watching it, you'd think that Ohio State might have wanted to double team her more after her first 40 points..lol. Ohio State countered Hillmon with all 5 starters in double figures. What killed Michigan is that the rest of the team only scored 27 points and went 2-20 on threes.

No. 12 Kentucky 76 Auburn 71 - Kentucky did what they had to do in beating a mediocre Auburn team, holding on in the fourth quarter for the victory. Rhyne Howard came back after missing one game with an ankle injury to score 14 points and Blair Green scored 18 points to lead Kentucky to the win. No. 12 Kentucky moves to 11-3 on the season and 4-2 in the SEC.

No. 18 Depaul 80 Butler 66 - Congrats to Deja Church on scoring her career 1000th point in DePaul's win over Butler. This was the Blue Demons' fourth win in a row improved their overall record to 9-3 including 6-1 in the BIG EAST Conference. Butler fell to 1-10, 1-9. DePaul came out cold from the opening tip, making just one of its first 10 shots and falling behind 6-2 at the first quarter media timeout. Held had the lone basket in the first five minutes. The Blue Demons woke up after the media break and first quarter produced a 17-12 lead. Bekelja opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and Morris followed with a basket in giving DePaul its first double-digit lead at 22-12. The Bulldogs crept back within seven when DePaul coach Doug Bruno unleashed his vaunted full-court press. A Church three-pointer followed by scores from Bekelja and Held sent DePaul into halftime with a 41-27 lead. DePaul led by 16 early in the third quarter. DePaul closed out the quarter with a 6-0 burst and led 65-46 heading into the final 10 minutes. A Morris three lengthened the lead to 74-51 early in the fourth quarter. Church scored just before the media timeout with DePaul ahead 76-57. At that point, Church needed one more basket for the magic number. On the first possession out of the break, Church drove the lane and scored on a layup for the 1,000th point of her collegiate career that included her first two years at Michigan.

No. 21 Northwestern 73 Illinois 54 - Lindsey Pulliam scored 19 of her season-high 28 points in the third quarter and grabbed six rebounds to help No. 21 Northwestern beat Illinois on Thursday night.

Pulliam scored eight points during a 10-0 run for the Wildcats (8-2, 6-2 Big Ten) late in the third quarter that made it 49-30 and pushed their lead into double digits for good. Pulliam was 8 of 12 from the field in the period and finished the game 12 of 23. It was Northwestern’s fourth straight win and the 11th straight victory against Illinois. Veronica Burton added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, Sydney Wood scored 10 points and Courtney Shaw pulled in 11 rebounds. 