January 31 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA
ACC Network
Time to mute the broadcasters and listen to music all game!
(Virginia shot 56% from three-point range and won 74-64 to move to 21-1 overall and 10-0 in ACC play).
Here's a nice collection of songs for something we like to call Singles Night:
Flight Test - Flaming Lips
Step - Vampire Weekend
Wild Child - Lou Reed
You Keep Me Hanging On - Supremes
Uncle John's Band - Grateful Dead
Venus as a Boy - Bjork
Yer So Bad - Tom Petty
Genghis Khan - Mike Snow
In An Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
Gumboots - Paul Simon
Paper Planes - MIA
Cherish- Madonna
First Light - Bela Fleck
I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen) - The Staves
Without You - David Bowie
Angel from Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt
Humpty Dumpty - Chick Corea Acoustic Band
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
These Days - Jackson Browne
Feel Flows - Beach Boys
A New Wave - Sleater-Kinney
Game 505 - Fordham women at Saint Louis
January 31 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO
NBC Sports Network
I thought with Fordham's leader G'mrice Davis out for Wednesday afternoon's game it'd be a back court battle between the Rams' Bre Cavanaugh and Jackie Kemph of Saint Louis. And while both players were very good - Cavanaugh scored 37 points and Kemph had 21 points with nine assists - I was most impressed with Billikens' senior froward Maddison Gits.
Gits scored a career-high 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 91-85, double-overtime for the hosts.
Davis came into the day second nationally in rebounding and averaging a team-best 16.7 points. With her out of the lineup, Cavanaugh, the team's second-leading scorer but just a freshman, took on the majority of the scoring responsibility and it took her 30 shots to get to that career-high scoring mark. It didn't help that Mary Goulding had nine first-quarter points, but just nine the rest of the day and Lauren Holden scored just nine of her 17 after the break.
Kemph, a senior and the school's all-time leader in points and assists, had 17 of her points after halftime. Saint Louis erased a 16-point second-half deficit and actually led 65-59 with about 4 1/2 minutes to play in the fourth. That's when Cavanaugh and Gits began trading points over the final stretch of the fourth. After Kemph fed Gits for a bucket that put the Billikens up 69-68 with just under a minute left, a 1-of-2 trip to the free-throw line for Kemph and Cavanaugh's 2-of-2 trip to tie things up at 70-70 with 10 seconds left were the last points of regulation.
The first overtime was fairly uneventful - just five points for each team and Jordyn Frantz of Saint Louis missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Cavanaugh began the second extra session by scoring the first eight Fordham points, including a jumper with two minutes to play that tied it at 83-83. The Billikens took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Kemph on the ensuing possession.
Saint Louis (12-10), which moved to 6-3 in Atlantic 10 play and dropped Fordham (17-6) to 8-2, really turned things around with a great third quarter. The Billikens trailed 41-27 at halftime and by 16 at one point in the third, but ending up shooting 10-of-14 from the field in that period and led by two heading to the fourth.
NBC Sports Network
I thought with Fordham's leader G'mrice Davis out for Wednesday afternoon's game it'd be a back court battle between the Rams' Bre Cavanaugh and Jackie Kemph of Saint Louis. And while both players were very good - Cavanaugh scored 37 points and Kemph had 21 points with nine assists - I was most impressed with Billikens' senior froward Maddison Gits.
Gits scored a career-high 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 91-85, double-overtime for the hosts.
Davis came into the day second nationally in rebounding and averaging a team-best 16.7 points. With her out of the lineup, Cavanaugh, the team's second-leading scorer but just a freshman, took on the majority of the scoring responsibility and it took her 30 shots to get to that career-high scoring mark. It didn't help that Mary Goulding had nine first-quarter points, but just nine the rest of the day and Lauren Holden scored just nine of her 17 after the break.
Kemph, a senior and the school's all-time leader in points and assists, had 17 of her points after halftime. Saint Louis erased a 16-point second-half deficit and actually led 65-59 with about 4 1/2 minutes to play in the fourth. That's when Cavanaugh and Gits began trading points over the final stretch of the fourth. After Kemph fed Gits for a bucket that put the Billikens up 69-68 with just under a minute left, a 1-of-2 trip to the free-throw line for Kemph and Cavanaugh's 2-of-2 trip to tie things up at 70-70 with 10 seconds left were the last points of regulation.
The first overtime was fairly uneventful - just five points for each team and Jordyn Frantz of Saint Louis missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Cavanaugh began the second extra session by scoring the first eight Fordham points, including a jumper with two minutes to play that tied it at 83-83. The Billikens took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Kemph on the ensuing possession.
Saint Louis (12-10), which moved to 6-3 in Atlantic 10 play and dropped Fordham (17-6) to 8-2, really turned things around with a great third quarter. The Billikens trailed 41-27 at halftime and by 16 at one point in the third, but ending up shooting 10-of-14 from the field in that period and led by two heading to the fourth.
Game 504 - VMI at Samford
January 29 at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, AL
espn3.com
What a game for Triston Chambers.
The sophomore guard was 8-of-13 from three-point range on his way to a career-high 34 points in Samford's 93-79 win.
Chambers got a ton of help from his teammates as the other four starters all reached double-figures: 14 each for Justin Coleman (and six assists), Eric Adams and Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and 12 for Josh Sharkey (and seven assists). That quintet made more than half of their field goal attempts (27-of-53).
* Play-by-play man Curt Bloom is now a front-runner for our Nonsense of the Year award:
"VMI is playing with something that's not in our stat sheet - it's called swagger. And you can't teach that."
Curt!
Excellent work, sir.
espn3.com
What a game for Triston Chambers.
The sophomore guard was 8-of-13 from three-point range on his way to a career-high 34 points in Samford's 93-79 win.
Chambers got a ton of help from his teammates as the other four starters all reached double-figures: 14 each for Justin Coleman (and six assists), Eric Adams and Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and 12 for Josh Sharkey (and seven assists). That quintet made more than half of their field goal attempts (27-of-53).
* Play-by-play man Curt Bloom is now a front-runner for our Nonsense of the Year award:
"VMI is playing with something that's not in our stat sheet - it's called swagger. And you can't teach that."
Curt!
Excellent work, sir.
Game 503 - Old Dominion women at Rice
January 28 at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX
espn3.com
The Matt Pedersen & John Witten Top 8:
"she's truly brought culture"....
...."not only culture, but charisma"
"gamesmanship"
"court awareness"
"she's just out-quicking her"
"euro step"
"the most valuable thing in the gym is the basketball"
"they trust their system"
And finally, a quick "basketball" count:
Total: 31
Pedersen: 20
Witten: 11
espn3.com
The Matt Pedersen & John Witten Top 8:
"she's truly brought culture"....
...."not only culture, but charisma"
"gamesmanship"
"court awareness"
"she's just out-quicking her"
"euro step"
"the most valuable thing in the gym is the basketball"
"they trust their system"
And finally, a quick "basketball" count:
Total: 31
Pedersen: 20
Witten: 11
Game 502 - Colorado State at New Mexico
January 27 at The Pit in Albuquerque, NM
ESPN
Always nice to hear from Richie Schueler, who combined with Trey Bender for a fine night of saying the word "basketball":
Total: 30
First half: 16, Second: 14
Bender: 8
Schueler: 22
Notable
"taking care of the basketball" (said eight times)
"...and is saying 'give me the basketball so I can finish'"
ESPN
Always nice to hear from Richie Schueler, who combined with Trey Bender for a fine night of saying the word "basketball":
Total: 30
First half: 16, Second: 14
Bender: 8
Schueler: 22
Notable
"taking care of the basketball" (said eight times)
"...and is saying 'give me the basketball so I can finish'"
Games 500-501: Sun Belt squeaker
501 - Texas State at Georgia State
January 27 at GSU Sports Arena
Georgia State had been 0-of-5 from the free-throw line before D'Marcus Simonds stepped to the stripe and knocked down four straight over the final 20 seconds as the Panthers escaped with a 54-50 victory.
It was a defensive struggle as Texas State, top-15 nationally in scoring defense, held GSU to its lowest point total since a 71-56 loss to Prairie View A&M on November 22 which from this point on we shall never, ever again speak of.
Meanwhile, GSU's top-20 nationally in field goal percentage defense & held the Bobcats to 35% shooting and a 2-of-16 performance from three.
Simonds did some great things just before those clutch free throws. Texas State led 48-46 when Simonds made a pair of difficult baskets in the lane to put GSU in front 50-48 with just under a minute to go. GSU's defense then came up with the stop of the day, forcing a shot clock violation with 25 seconds left. Texas State hadn't yet reached the double-bonus, so Simonds was faced with a pair of one-and-one situations and he calmly sent the Panthers to their seventh straight win.
A three-step guide to how you end up winning only 54-50 when you shoot 49% from the field and hold your opponent to 35%
1. you turn the ball over 16 times (Texas State had 11 (!) steals)
2. you give up 12 offensive rebounds, including three on one possession with under three minutes to play, which didn't even end up leading to points for Texas State, but still: someone grab a defensive rebound
3. two players - Simonds (20 points) and Jeff Thomas (14 points) - score more than half your points
But a win to move to 7-2 in Sun Belt play (after starting 0-2) is all that really matters.
500 - Texas State women at Georgia State
January 27 at GSU Sports Arena
The Georgia State women didn't play a good second half at all, but I'm not sure a well-played final 20 minutes would've helped with the way Toshua Leavitt and Taeler Deer performed on Saturday.
Leavitt was 10-of-16 from three-point range to tie a career high with 34 points (the 10 threes also equaled her career-best) and Deer handed out a career-best 14 assists to go along with 19 points in the Bobcats' 83-63 victory.
GSU led at the break 36-35, but the visitors from San Marcos hit half of their 16 threes in the second half, led by the incredible Leavitt (6-of-9). In fact, Madison Newby's free throws with 1:47 left in the third put the Panthers up 51-50, but three straight bad defensive possessions followed, including the inability to locate Leavitt on a pair of 3-pointers, and a lay-in by Ti'Aria Pitts with three seconds to play made it a 58-51 game. The hosts never recovered in the final period.
January 27 at GSU Sports Arena
Georgia State had been 0-of-5 from the free-throw line before D'Marcus Simonds stepped to the stripe and knocked down four straight over the final 20 seconds as the Panthers escaped with a 54-50 victory.
It was a defensive struggle as Texas State, top-15 nationally in scoring defense, held GSU to its lowest point total since a 71-56 loss to Prairie View A&M on November 22 which from this point on we shall never, ever again speak of.
Meanwhile, GSU's top-20 nationally in field goal percentage defense & held the Bobcats to 35% shooting and a 2-of-16 performance from three.
Simonds did some great things just before those clutch free throws. Texas State led 48-46 when Simonds made a pair of difficult baskets in the lane to put GSU in front 50-48 with just under a minute to go. GSU's defense then came up with the stop of the day, forcing a shot clock violation with 25 seconds left. Texas State hadn't yet reached the double-bonus, so Simonds was faced with a pair of one-and-one situations and he calmly sent the Panthers to their seventh straight win.
A three-step guide to how you end up winning only 54-50 when you shoot 49% from the field and hold your opponent to 35%
1. you turn the ball over 16 times (Texas State had 11 (!) steals)
2. you give up 12 offensive rebounds, including three on one possession with under three minutes to play, which didn't even end up leading to points for Texas State, but still: someone grab a defensive rebound
3. two players - Simonds (20 points) and Jeff Thomas (14 points) - score more than half your points
But a win to move to 7-2 in Sun Belt play (after starting 0-2) is all that really matters.
500 - Texas State women at Georgia State
January 27 at GSU Sports Arena
The Georgia State women didn't play a good second half at all, but I'm not sure a well-played final 20 minutes would've helped with the way Toshua Leavitt and Taeler Deer performed on Saturday.
Leavitt was 10-of-16 from three-point range to tie a career high with 34 points (the 10 threes also equaled her career-best) and Deer handed out a career-best 14 assists to go along with 19 points in the Bobcats' 83-63 victory.
GSU led at the break 36-35, but the visitors from San Marcos hit half of their 16 threes in the second half, led by the incredible Leavitt (6-of-9). In fact, Madison Newby's free throws with 1:47 left in the third put the Panthers up 51-50, but three straight bad defensive possessions followed, including the inability to locate Leavitt on a pair of 3-pointers, and a lay-in by Ti'Aria Pitts with three seconds to play made it a 58-51 game. The hosts never recovered in the final period.
Game 499 - Middle Tennessee women at Marshall
January 26 at Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, WV
espn3.com
"dribble penetration"
We've talked about "dribble drive" before on this site. It isn't anything because the next drive attempted without dribbling will be called traveling.
Dribble penetration seems to be the cousin of dribble drive because, again, is there penetration into the lane without also dribbling?
Our next mission at 200 Game Season is to hear "dribble drive penetration".
Make it happen, Bill Raftery.
espn3.com
"dribble penetration"
We've talked about "dribble drive" before on this site. It isn't anything because the next drive attempted without dribbling will be called traveling.
Dribble penetration seems to be the cousin of dribble drive because, again, is there penetration into the lane without also dribbling?
Our next mission at 200 Game Season is to hear "dribble drive penetration".
Make it happen, Bill Raftery.
Game 497-498: Thursday split
498 - UT Arlington at Georgia State
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Nice win for the Panthers, who got everything they could've asked for from D'Marcus Simonds in an 81-75 win.
The sophomore poured in 29 points on 13-of-27 shooting, and added 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Another great atmosphere at the arena as well tonight and it got louder and louder as the game went on. GSU erased an eight-point first-half deficit and a seven-point deficit in the second half to win its sixth straight. Also a great night for Jordan Session, who played excellent defense and contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive), his second double-double of the season and first since a November 26 win over Tulane.
Back to Simonds, who came into the night tied for 24th nationally in scoring, then put together his 11th 20-point game of the year. Current Houston Rocket R.J. Hunter holds the school's scoring record with 1,819 points (which he accomplished in just three seasons), but if this pace continues for Simonds - he's at 836 career points on January 25 of his sophomore season - he's sure to pass Hunter at some point.
Kevin Hervey, who came into the night just .3 points back of Simonds atop the Sun Belt scoring leader board, scored 22 and he and Kaelon Wilson (21 points) combined for a 17-of-33 shooting night, but their teammates were just 10-of-35.
497 - UT Arlington women at Georgia State
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena
A really tough loss for the Georgia State women in the opener as UT Arlington scored nine of the last 12 points of overtime to pick up a 81-76 victory. Before that, GSU had a shot to win the game in regulation, but trailing 70-69 with 1.8 seconds left, Juliet James missed the back end of a 1-and-1.
It would've been an even worse loss for the visiting Mavericks, who led by 16 points in the opening half. Madison Newby was terrific with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 12 assists and led GSU back into it, but she attempted just two shots and scored two points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
It looked like UT Arlington's Rebecca VanDijk was going to dominate all evening and the Mavericks were going to cruise. VanDijk started the game hitting her first six shots, all of which came within two feet of the basket, and had 23 points by halftime. But like Arlington's defense on Newby, Georgia State focused on doubling and making life uncomfortable for Van Dijk and the senior scored just four points after halftime.
Janessa Murphy stepped up for GSU - 17 of her 20 points after halftime - and Laurynn McGowen did the same for the visitors - 13 of her 20 after the break.
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Nice win for the Panthers, who got everything they could've asked for from D'Marcus Simonds in an 81-75 win.
The sophomore poured in 29 points on 13-of-27 shooting, and added 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Another great atmosphere at the arena as well tonight and it got louder and louder as the game went on. GSU erased an eight-point first-half deficit and a seven-point deficit in the second half to win its sixth straight. Also a great night for Jordan Session, who played excellent defense and contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive), his second double-double of the season and first since a November 26 win over Tulane.
Back to Simonds, who came into the night tied for 24th nationally in scoring, then put together his 11th 20-point game of the year. Current Houston Rocket R.J. Hunter holds the school's scoring record with 1,819 points (which he accomplished in just three seasons), but if this pace continues for Simonds - he's at 836 career points on January 25 of his sophomore season - he's sure to pass Hunter at some point.
Kevin Hervey, who came into the night just .3 points back of Simonds atop the Sun Belt scoring leader board, scored 22 and he and Kaelon Wilson (21 points) combined for a 17-of-33 shooting night, but their teammates were just 10-of-35.
497 - UT Arlington women at Georgia State
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena
A really tough loss for the Georgia State women in the opener as UT Arlington scored nine of the last 12 points of overtime to pick up a 81-76 victory. Before that, GSU had a shot to win the game in regulation, but trailing 70-69 with 1.8 seconds left, Juliet James missed the back end of a 1-and-1.
It would've been an even worse loss for the visiting Mavericks, who led by 16 points in the opening half. Madison Newby was terrific with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 12 assists and led GSU back into it, but she attempted just two shots and scored two points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
It looked like UT Arlington's Rebecca VanDijk was going to dominate all evening and the Mavericks were going to cruise. VanDijk started the game hitting her first six shots, all of which came within two feet of the basket, and had 23 points by halftime. But like Arlington's defense on Newby, Georgia State focused on doubling and making life uncomfortable for Van Dijk and the senior scored just four points after halftime.
Janessa Murphy stepped up for GSU - 17 of her 20 points after halftime - and Laurynn McGowen did the same for the visitors - 13 of her 20 after the break.
Game 496 - Stanford at USC
January 24 at Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA
ESPNU
Pretty impressive win for USC, which won 69-64 without Scoochie Smith All Star Bennie Boatwright (foot injury).
Jonah Matthews was great off the Trojans' bench, knocking down 4-of-6 from three-point range for a game-high 18 points. Matthews, who tied his season-high in points and bounced back from a two-point, 0-of-6 shooting performance in USC's loss to Stanford on January 7, is an excellent shooter (42% from three on the year) with a smooth release and he picked up a lot of the slack with Boatwright and his 15 points per night unavailable.
Also got a chance to see several nice performances from the big men in this game, in particular Stanford's duo of Reid Travis (team-high 16 points, 7-of-12 shooting) and Michael Humphrey (14 points, 6-of-8). USC's Chimezie Metu (12 & 10 with five assists) and Nick Rakocevic, who started in place of Boatwright and hit half of his eight field goal attempts and grabbed eight rebounds, both played well.
ESPNU
Pretty impressive win for USC, which won 69-64 without Scoochie Smith All Star Bennie Boatwright (foot injury).
Jonah Matthews was great off the Trojans' bench, knocking down 4-of-6 from three-point range for a game-high 18 points. Matthews, who tied his season-high in points and bounced back from a two-point, 0-of-6 shooting performance in USC's loss to Stanford on January 7, is an excellent shooter (42% from three on the year) with a smooth release and he picked up a lot of the slack with Boatwright and his 15 points per night unavailable.
Also got a chance to see several nice performances from the big men in this game, in particular Stanford's duo of Reid Travis (team-high 16 points, 7-of-12 shooting) and Michael Humphrey (14 points, 6-of-8). USC's Chimezie Metu (12 & 10 with five assists) and Nick Rakocevic, who started in place of Boatwright and hit half of his eight field goal attempts and grabbed eight rebounds, both played well.
Games 494-495: Monday doubleheader
495 - West Virginia at TCU
January 22 at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, TX
ESPN
Huge win for TCU, which held the visiting Mountaineers to 33% shooting in an 82-73 win.
Nice balance on offense as well for the Horned Frogs as Alex Robinson led the way with 17 points, while Desmond Bane (15 points), Vladimir Brodziansky (14) and reserve Kouat Noi (13) all played huge roles.
That's the first win for TCU in 11 games (and six at Schollmaier) in the series since the two teams became Big 12 foes in 2012-2013.
494 - Appalachian State women at Troy
January 22 at Trojan Arena in Troy, AL
espn3.com
January 22 at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, TX
ESPN
Huge win for TCU, which held the visiting Mountaineers to 33% shooting in an 82-73 win.
Nice balance on offense as well for the Horned Frogs as Alex Robinson led the way with 17 points, while Desmond Bane (15 points), Vladimir Brodziansky (14) and reserve Kouat Noi (13) all played huge roles.
That's the first win for TCU in 11 games (and six at Schollmaier) in the series since the two teams became Big 12 foes in 2012-2013.
494 - Appalachian State women at Troy
January 22 at Trojan Arena in Troy, AL
espn3.com
Game 493 - Rider women at Marist
January 21 at McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, NY
espn3.com
Marist slipped past Rider, 68-67, and the announcing duo of Geoff Brault and Steve Eggink put together a memorable day of saying the word "basketball":
Total: 45
First quarter: 13
Brault: 6
Eggink: 7
Second: 12
B: 7
E: 5
Third: 9
B: 2
E: 7
Fourth: 11
B: 3
E: 8
And some other nonsense:
"great pace to the tin"
"active hands by Rebekah Hand"
"pushing pace" (2)
"her junior floor general"
"a three pronged attack"
"heady possession"
"token pressure"
"screen the screener"
"stir the drink for Lynn Milligan and Rider"
"her basketball IQ"
espn3.com
Marist slipped past Rider, 68-67, and the announcing duo of Geoff Brault and Steve Eggink put together a memorable day of saying the word "basketball":
Total: 45
First quarter: 13
Brault: 6
Eggink: 7
Second: 12
B: 7
E: 5
Third: 9
B: 2
E: 7
Fourth: 11
B: 3
E: 8
And some other nonsense:
"great pace to the tin"
"active hands by Rebekah Hand"
"pushing pace" (2)
"her junior floor general"
"a three pronged attack"
"heady possession"
"token pressure"
"screen the screener"
"stir the drink for Lynn Milligan and Rider"
"her basketball IQ"
Games 491-492: College/pro doubleheader
492 - Golden State at Houston
January 20 at Toyota Center in Houston, TX
January 20 at Toyota Center in Houston, TX
ABC
Fantastic game for Chris Paul, who led the Rockets to a 116-108 victory.
Paul scored 33 points and added 11 rebounds and seven assists. The 32-year old also made 6-of-11 from behind the arc and that rebound total is his most since also grabbing 11 in November, 2016 for the Clippers against Oklahoma City.
491 - Baylor at Kansas
January 20 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS
ESPN
The misery against Kansas continues for Baylor.
Malik Newman had a game-high 24 points, including the go-ahead lay-in with just over a minute to play as Kansas won 70-67.
Baylor is now 0-16 lifetime at Allen Fieldhouse and has lost 11 consecutive games in the series.
The Bears led 67-61 on a nice foul like jumper by Manu Lecomte with just under three minutes to play, but Newman was on another level late in the game. He followed Lecomte's bucket with a three-point play that began a personal, 7-0 run that was capped by a bucket at the 1:11 mark that put the Jayhawks up 68-67.
Newman actually scored 12 straight Kansas points during a three-minute stretch. He was outstanding at a perfect time for Kansas, which moved to 6-1 in Big 12 play. Devonte Graham did what your best player is supposed to do when he struggles with his shot (3-of-10 from the field) as he handed out seven assists and grabbed eight rebounds.
Baylor hasn't won in the series since March, 2013.
Fantastic game for Chris Paul, who led the Rockets to a 116-108 victory.
Paul scored 33 points and added 11 rebounds and seven assists. The 32-year old also made 6-of-11 from behind the arc and that rebound total is his most since also grabbing 11 in November, 2016 for the Clippers against Oklahoma City.
491 - Baylor at Kansas
January 20 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS
ESPN
The misery against Kansas continues for Baylor.
Malik Newman had a game-high 24 points, including the go-ahead lay-in with just over a minute to play as Kansas won 70-67.
Baylor is now 0-16 lifetime at Allen Fieldhouse and has lost 11 consecutive games in the series.
The Bears led 67-61 on a nice foul like jumper by Manu Lecomte with just under three minutes to play, but Newman was on another level late in the game. He followed Lecomte's bucket with a three-point play that began a personal, 7-0 run that was capped by a bucket at the 1:11 mark that put the Jayhawks up 68-67.
Newman actually scored 12 straight Kansas points during a three-minute stretch. He was outstanding at a perfect time for Kansas, which moved to 6-1 in Big 12 play. Devonte Graham did what your best player is supposed to do when he struggles with his shot (3-of-10 from the field) as he handed out seven assists and grabbed eight rebounds.
Baylor hasn't won in the series since March, 2013.
Games 489-490: Rivalry Saturday
January 20 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
490 - Georgia Southern at Georgia State
Georgia State led by just three points with about 10 1/2 minutes to go, but 3-pointers from Devin Mitchell and Isaiah Williams, and a D'Marcus Simonds' dunk during a quick, 8-0 spurt put the Panthers up 66-55. Southern also helped by missing 10 consecutive shots at one point and Simonds added six more of his 24 points down the stretch in a 83-66 victory.
Excellent night from behind the arc for Georgia State, which hit 13-of-27 in winning its fifth consecutive game.
Southern led 38-37 at halftime, then shot 11-of-40 in the second half.
Simonds added 10 rebounds and six assists, Williams scored a season-high 16 off the bench and Jeff Thomas hit all five of his three-point attempts to lead a great night for the offense. The Panthers scored their most points since also scoring 83 in a loss at Dayton on December 16.
489 - Georgia Southern women at Georgia State
Finally, a Sun Belt win for the Georgia State women, which won 71-56 to improve to 1-6 in league play.
Kierra Henry led the way with 18 points in Georgia State's fourth consecutive win against its rivals. Georgia Southern, which stayed winless at 0-7 against league foes, shot 35% from the field and was out-rebounded 56-24. In fact, the Eagles had a tough time out-rebounding Panthers' post player Francesca Milani, who grabbed a career-high 18.
Basketball phrases
"every team is bringing their A game"
"she has one gear and when it's on it's on"
"those are the things that don't show up on paper"
"a frustration foul"
"drawing first blood"
"defense turns to offense"
"sometimes you have growing pains"
"missed the close bunny"
"turning it into offensive points"
"that's where their bread and butter is"
"maintain composure"
"game recognition"
"gets the members bounce"
espn3.com
490 - Georgia Southern at Georgia State
Georgia State led by just three points with about 10 1/2 minutes to go, but 3-pointers from Devin Mitchell and Isaiah Williams, and a D'Marcus Simonds' dunk during a quick, 8-0 spurt put the Panthers up 66-55. Southern also helped by missing 10 consecutive shots at one point and Simonds added six more of his 24 points down the stretch in a 83-66 victory.
Excellent night from behind the arc for Georgia State, which hit 13-of-27 in winning its fifth consecutive game.
Southern led 38-37 at halftime, then shot 11-of-40 in the second half.
Simonds added 10 rebounds and six assists, Williams scored a season-high 16 off the bench and Jeff Thomas hit all five of his three-point attempts to lead a great night for the offense. The Panthers scored their most points since also scoring 83 in a loss at Dayton on December 16.
489 - Georgia Southern women at Georgia State
Finally, a Sun Belt win for the Georgia State women, which won 71-56 to improve to 1-6 in league play.
Kierra Henry led the way with 18 points in Georgia State's fourth consecutive win against its rivals. Georgia Southern, which stayed winless at 0-7 against league foes, shot 35% from the field and was out-rebounded 56-24. In fact, the Eagles had a tough time out-rebounding Panthers' post player Francesca Milani, who grabbed a career-high 18.
Basketball phrases
"every team is bringing their A game"
"she has one gear and when it's on it's on"
"those are the things that don't show up on paper"
"a frustration foul"
"drawing first blood"
"defense turns to offense"
"sometimes you have growing pains"
"missed the close bunny"
"turning it into offensive points"
"that's where their bread and butter is"
"maintain composure"
"game recognition"
"gets the members bounce"
Game 488 - Canisius at Manhattan
January 19 at Draddy Gymnasium in Bronx, NY
ESPNU
"he did a good job drawing the flesh"
"I like the way the conference competes"
"implementing that culture"
ESPNU
"he did a good job drawing the flesh"
"I like the way the conference competes"
"implementing that culture"
Game 487 - Fresno State at San Diego State
January 17 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA
ESPNU
In a 77-73 Fresno State victory, Drew Fellios and Sean Harrington had a fine night of saying the word "basketball":
Total: 40. 1st half/2nd half: 25/15
Fellios: 15
Harrington: 25
and of saying silly things:
"Fresno State wants good body ball movement" (3)
"value the basketball"
"that it factor that you can't really teach"
"Fresno State's a blue collar, hard-nosed team"
"an energy guy"
"Aztecs country"
"the one word he used to describe Grimes was 'motor'"
"his game has gone euro tonight"
"bracketology"
"you can't simulate pressure"
"muscle memory"
ESPNU
In a 77-73 Fresno State victory, Drew Fellios and Sean Harrington had a fine night of saying the word "basketball":
Total: 40. 1st half/2nd half: 25/15
Fellios: 15
Harrington: 25
and of saying silly things:
"Fresno State wants good body ball movement" (3)
"value the basketball"
"that it factor that you can't really teach"
"Fresno State's a blue collar, hard-nosed team"
"an energy guy"
"Aztecs country"
"the one word he used to describe Grimes was 'motor'"
"his game has gone euro tonight"
"bracketology"
"you can't simulate pressure"
"muscle memory"
Game 486 - Texas Tech at Texas
January 17 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX
Longhorn Network
Texas Tech lost at Texas for the 22nd consecutive time on Wednesday, allowing Kerwin Roach to score 20 points off the bench in a 67-58 defeat.
The last Red Raider victory at the Frank Erwin Center came in February, 1996 when both teams were a member of the Southwest Conference. A month later, that Texas Tech team was 30-1 (!) and on a 23-game winning streak heading into an eventual loss in the Sweet 16 to No. 2 seed Georgetown (!), who lost to top seed Massachusetts (!) in the Elite 8. THAT'S how long ago was the last Tech win in Austin.
The streak continued because Texas played really well in the second half offensively - 11-for-19 from the field - and Mo Bamba led a strong defensive effort overall. The visitors shot just 38% from the field and Bamba not only blocked five shots (he averaged 4.5 coming in, second nationally to Marshall's Ajdin Penava), but changed the way Tech ran its offense. A handful of times Texas Tech guards drove into the paint, saw Bamba, and then just left the paint to try something else.
The great defensive big men like the freshman Bamba do two things: (1) block shots; (2) make you alter/restart possessions.
And Bamba also contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds for Texas, which evened its Big 12 record at 3-3. The Longhorns' three league losses have come by a combined 16 points.
Each bench made an impact as Tech got huge contributions from Jarrett Culver (16 points, nine rebounds) and Brandone Francis (13 points, 3-of-6 on 3-pointers), though those two equaled the point total of the five starters.
Longhorn Network
Texas Tech lost at Texas for the 22nd consecutive time on Wednesday, allowing Kerwin Roach to score 20 points off the bench in a 67-58 defeat.
The last Red Raider victory at the Frank Erwin Center came in February, 1996 when both teams were a member of the Southwest Conference. A month later, that Texas Tech team was 30-1 (!) and on a 23-game winning streak heading into an eventual loss in the Sweet 16 to No. 2 seed Georgetown (!), who lost to top seed Massachusetts (!) in the Elite 8. THAT'S how long ago was the last Tech win in Austin.
The streak continued because Texas played really well in the second half offensively - 11-for-19 from the field - and Mo Bamba led a strong defensive effort overall. The visitors shot just 38% from the field and Bamba not only blocked five shots (he averaged 4.5 coming in, second nationally to Marshall's Ajdin Penava), but changed the way Tech ran its offense. A handful of times Texas Tech guards drove into the paint, saw Bamba, and then just left the paint to try something else.
The great defensive big men like the freshman Bamba do two things: (1) block shots; (2) make you alter/restart possessions.
And Bamba also contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds for Texas, which evened its Big 12 record at 3-3. The Longhorns' three league losses have come by a combined 16 points.
Each bench made an impact as Tech got huge contributions from Jarrett Culver (16 points, nine rebounds) and Brandone Francis (13 points, 3-of-6 on 3-pointers), though those two equaled the point total of the five starters.
Game 485 - Oklahoma at Kansas State
January 16 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS
ESPNU
We finally got to see Trae Young play and the Oklahoma freshman had his worst game as a collegiate. Harassed all game by multiple defenders, Young turned the ball over 12 (!) times in an 87-69 loss for the Associated Press No. 4 Sooners.
Young still scored 20 points, though it came on 21 shots (and he was 2-of-10 from three-point range), and handed out six assists. The guard remains the country's leader in scoring (29.5) & assists (9.8).
Young, who tonight reached the 500-point mark in a ridiculous 17 career games, was featured coming into the night, especially considering he was three days removed from a 43-11-7 performance against TCU, but the host Wildcats turned into the main story.
KSU shot 73% (19-of-26) from the field in the second half (and had 12 assists on those 19 made baskets), including 10-of-11 at one point, to pull away. Fantastic games for Barry Brown (24 points, 10-of-17 from the field) and Dean Wade (16 of 21 points in the second half to go along with seven assists), who each overshadowed Young.
ESPNU
We finally got to see Trae Young play and the Oklahoma freshman had his worst game as a collegiate. Harassed all game by multiple defenders, Young turned the ball over 12 (!) times in an 87-69 loss for the Associated Press No. 4 Sooners.
Young still scored 20 points, though it came on 21 shots (and he was 2-of-10 from three-point range), and handed out six assists. The guard remains the country's leader in scoring (29.5) & assists (9.8).
Young, who tonight reached the 500-point mark in a ridiculous 17 career games, was featured coming into the night, especially considering he was three days removed from a 43-11-7 performance against TCU, but the host Wildcats turned into the main story.
KSU shot 73% (19-of-26) from the field in the second half (and had 12 assists on those 19 made baskets), including 10-of-11 at one point, to pull away. Fantastic games for Barry Brown (24 points, 10-of-17 from the field) and Dean Wade (16 of 21 points in the second half to go along with seven assists), who each overshadowed Young.
Game 484 - Western Michigan at Kent State
January 16 at Memorial Athletic & Convocation Center in Kent, OH
espn3.com
Tough loss for Western Michigan, which erased an 18-point deficit over the final 16 minutes only to see Kent State hit a short jumper with less than a second to play to win 73-71.
The Golden Flashes led 55-37 with 16:14 to go on a Kevin Zabo 3-pointer, but found themselves needing a basket to avoid overtime. Zabo and Danny Pippen each missed shots on the final possession, but Mitch Petersen didn't miss on the third try, hitting a seven-footer for the winning basket.
Zabo was coming off a career-high 24 points in a win over Ohio on January 12 and he nearly matched that Tuesday, leading all scorers with 23 on 5-of-7 from distance. It's the senior guard's first two career 20-point games. Pippen was red-hot early on, picking up all of his career-high 16 points within the first 13 minutes of the game.
Western Michigan completed the come back with 10 seconds left when Jaylin Walker was whistled for goaltending on Reggie Jones' lay-up attempt to make it 71-71.
espn3.com
Tough loss for Western Michigan, which erased an 18-point deficit over the final 16 minutes only to see Kent State hit a short jumper with less than a second to play to win 73-71.
The Golden Flashes led 55-37 with 16:14 to go on a Kevin Zabo 3-pointer, but found themselves needing a basket to avoid overtime. Zabo and Danny Pippen each missed shots on the final possession, but Mitch Petersen didn't miss on the third try, hitting a seven-footer for the winning basket.
Zabo was coming off a career-high 24 points in a win over Ohio on January 12 and he nearly matched that Tuesday, leading all scorers with 23 on 5-of-7 from distance. It's the senior guard's first two career 20-point games. Pippen was red-hot early on, picking up all of his career-high 16 points within the first 13 minutes of the game.
Western Michigan completed the come back with 10 seconds left when Jaylin Walker was whistled for goaltending on Reggie Jones' lay-up attempt to make it 71-71.
Game 483 - DePaul at Marquette
January 15 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
Fox Sports 1
Marquette turned a 12-11 lead with about 7 1/2 minutes gone by in the first half into a 41-21 halftime lead and cruised, 70-52.
Marquette, which improved to 13-6 and 4-3 in Big East play, held the visiting Blue Demons to 30% shooting from the field and their lowest point total since a 73-51 loss to Michigan State last November. DePaul killed itself inside because despite grabbing 17 (!) offensive rebounds, missed a number of close shots, and off several of those second-chance opportunities couldn't convert on long-range attempts, missing 10-of-12 from three-point range.
That's four consecutive wins in the series for the Golden Eagles, who were led by Sam Hauser (19 points, 5-of-10 on 3-pointers) and had 21 assists on 24 made field goals.
Basketball phrases, presented by Jeff Levering & Dickey Simpkins
"three headed monster"
"high octane Marquette team"
"Dave Leitao and his hungry bunch of Blue Demons"
"coach K"
"coach Wojo"
"he's a very good lane cutter"
"the college splash brothers" (2)
"retro post move"
"shot mechanics"
"I love his pizzazz"
"x-factor"
"gritty play"
"floor burns"
"it's a big boy conference"
Fox Sports 1
Marquette turned a 12-11 lead with about 7 1/2 minutes gone by in the first half into a 41-21 halftime lead and cruised, 70-52.
Marquette, which improved to 13-6 and 4-3 in Big East play, held the visiting Blue Demons to 30% shooting from the field and their lowest point total since a 73-51 loss to Michigan State last November. DePaul killed itself inside because despite grabbing 17 (!) offensive rebounds, missed a number of close shots, and off several of those second-chance opportunities couldn't convert on long-range attempts, missing 10-of-12 from three-point range.
That's four consecutive wins in the series for the Golden Eagles, who were led by Sam Hauser (19 points, 5-of-10 on 3-pointers) and had 21 assists on 24 made field goals.
Basketball phrases, presented by Jeff Levering & Dickey Simpkins
"three headed monster"
"high octane Marquette team"
"Dave Leitao and his hungry bunch of Blue Demons"
"coach K"
"coach Wojo"
"he's a very good lane cutter"
"the college splash brothers" (2)
"retro post move"
"shot mechanics"
"I love his pizzazz"
"x-factor"
"gritty play"
"floor burns"
"it's a big boy conference"
Game 482 - Green Bay women at IUPUI
January 15 at IUPUI Gymnasium in Indianapolis, IN
Horizon League on espn3
Green Bay came into the night with the top scoring defense in the country and did not disappoint in this Horizon League showdown.
The Associated Press No. 23 Phoenix, who allow a nation-best 47.4 points and second-best 32% on field goal attempts, held IUPUI to 25% (10-of-40), including just 2-of-19 from three-point range in a 60-34 win.
Although not known as much for its offense, Green Bay (15-2, 5-1) really moves the ball well and its back door, cutting action is some of the best I've seen. The Phoenix got 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from Allie LeClaire and 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from Jessica Lindstrom in handing the Horizon newcomer its first league loss in six games.
Scoochie Smith All Stars
Let's all welcome IUPUI sophomore guard Holly Hoopingarner to the team.
Horizon League on espn3
Green Bay came into the night with the top scoring defense in the country and did not disappoint in this Horizon League showdown.
The Associated Press No. 23 Phoenix, who allow a nation-best 47.4 points and second-best 32% on field goal attempts, held IUPUI to 25% (10-of-40), including just 2-of-19 from three-point range in a 60-34 win.
Although not known as much for its offense, Green Bay (15-2, 5-1) really moves the ball well and its back door, cutting action is some of the best I've seen. The Phoenix got 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from Allie LeClaire and 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from Jessica Lindstrom in handing the Horizon newcomer its first league loss in six games.
Scoochie Smith All Stars
Let's all welcome IUPUI sophomore guard Holly Hoopingarner to the team.
Game 481 - Southern Miss at Middle Tennessee
January 13 at Murphy Athletic Center in Murfreesboro, TN
espn3.com
As we had to Christmas day, a new Scoochie Smith All Star had to be added despite the fact that we'd seen his team before. Middle Tennessee's Giddy Potts belonged on the all-name team long before he scored 14 points in the Blue Raiders' 69-49 win on Saturday.
The team
Brandon Waters had a game-high 19 points for MTSU, which remained unbeaten at 5-0 in Conference USA play.
espn3.com
As we had to Christmas day, a new Scoochie Smith All Star had to be added despite the fact that we'd seen his team before. Middle Tennessee's Giddy Potts belonged on the all-name team long before he scored 14 points in the Blue Raiders' 69-49 win on Saturday.
The team
Brandon Waters had a game-high 19 points for MTSU, which remained unbeaten at 5-0 in Conference USA play.
Game 480 - UT Rio Grande Valley at Cal State Bakersfield
January 11 at Icardo Center in Bakersfield, CA
WAC Digital Network
An 87-74 victory for Rio Grande Valley, and a night of basketball phrases from Vance Palm & Beau Redstone:
"beautiful euro step"
"this basketball savvy audience"
"a very festive party in the key"
"the gumption of Dixon"
"they think they smell blood in the water"
"a boatload of points"
"instant offense"
"ran into a buzzsaw tonight"
And their top 2
"both teams are jousting their way into a couple of different strategies"
"the 7-1, southpaw, Aussie gunslinger"
WAC Digital Network
An 87-74 victory for Rio Grande Valley, and a night of basketball phrases from Vance Palm & Beau Redstone:
"beautiful euro step"
"this basketball savvy audience"
"a very festive party in the key"
"the gumption of Dixon"
"they think they smell blood in the water"
"a boatload of points"
"instant offense"
"ran into a buzzsaw tonight"
And their top 2
"both teams are jousting their way into a couple of different strategies"
"the 7-1, southpaw, Aussie gunslinger"
Game 479 - Lafayette at Army
January 11 at Christl Arena in West Point, NY
Patriot League Network
Army trailed by 19 points during the early stages of the second half, but rallied for a remarkable, 81-71 victory.
The first half was all-Lafayette as the Leopards hit half of their 14 three-point attempts and raced out to a 43-26 lead, while Army missed 15 of its 18 three-point looks and shot 28% overall. The Black Knights began their comeback at the 18:23 on a pair of Matt Wilson free throws, and Tommy Funk's 3-pointer with just under nine minutes to play capped a 30-11 run and put Army in front 56-53. The teams traded leads a handful of times, but Army took the lead back for good at the 4:03 mark and finished the game on a 19-8 spurt.
The hosts played extremely well in the second half, hitting 9-of-15 from behind the arc, turning the ball over just three times and getting 11 assists on 15 made baskets.
"Basketball"
Play-by-play man Rich Demarco put together a fine performance Thursday, saying the word "basketball" 45 times. Well done, Rich.
First half - 27
Second - 18
Notable
"slaps the basketball" (3)
"jogs the basketball across"
"able to dislodge that basketball"
"he ended up palming the basketball"
Patriot League Network
Army trailed by 19 points during the early stages of the second half, but rallied for a remarkable, 81-71 victory.
The first half was all-Lafayette as the Leopards hit half of their 14 three-point attempts and raced out to a 43-26 lead, while Army missed 15 of its 18 three-point looks and shot 28% overall. The Black Knights began their comeback at the 18:23 on a pair of Matt Wilson free throws, and Tommy Funk's 3-pointer with just under nine minutes to play capped a 30-11 run and put Army in front 56-53. The teams traded leads a handful of times, but Army took the lead back for good at the 4:03 mark and finished the game on a 19-8 spurt.
The hosts played extremely well in the second half, hitting 9-of-15 from behind the arc, turning the ball over just three times and getting 11 assists on 15 made baskets.
"Basketball"
Play-by-play man Rich Demarco put together a fine performance Thursday, saying the word "basketball" 45 times. Well done, Rich.
First half - 27
Second - 18
Notable
"slaps the basketball" (3)
"jogs the basketball across"
"able to dislodge that basketball"
"he ended up palming the basketball"
Games 477-478: Wednesday doubleheader
478 - LSU at Arkansas
January 10 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR
SEC Network
Not sure we've seen a worse shooting half at this site than Arkansas' first 20 minutes. The Razorbacks were 6-of-33 (!) in the first half and went down 41-21 at the break on their way to a 75-54 loss.
LSU, on the other hand, was excellent in both halves (55%, 50%). Point guard Tremont Waters struggled with his shot (just 3-of-10 from the field), but handed out eight assists, while the inside belonged to the visitors as 6-11 Duop Reath (11 points, 5-of-10 shooting) and 6-10 Aaron Epps (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5-of-7 shooting) led a 44-26 advantage in the paint.
477 - Duke at Pittsburgh
January 10 at Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA
ESPN2
Complete dominance from Duke, which got 16 points and 15 rebounds (nine offensive!) from Marvin Bagley in an 87-52 win.
The Blue Devils, who lead the country in scoring, jumped out to leads of 10-0, 32-12 and 43-13 (at that point Pittsburgh was out-scoring Bagley just 13-12), had 21 assists to just six turnovers and had six score in double figures.
January 10 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR
SEC Network
Not sure we've seen a worse shooting half at this site than Arkansas' first 20 minutes. The Razorbacks were 6-of-33 (!) in the first half and went down 41-21 at the break on their way to a 75-54 loss.
LSU, on the other hand, was excellent in both halves (55%, 50%). Point guard Tremont Waters struggled with his shot (just 3-of-10 from the field), but handed out eight assists, while the inside belonged to the visitors as 6-11 Duop Reath (11 points, 5-of-10 shooting) and 6-10 Aaron Epps (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5-of-7 shooting) led a 44-26 advantage in the paint.
477 - Duke at Pittsburgh
January 10 at Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA
ESPN2
Complete dominance from Duke, which got 16 points and 15 rebounds (nine offensive!) from Marvin Bagley in an 87-52 win.
The Blue Devils, who lead the country in scoring, jumped out to leads of 10-0, 32-12 and 43-13 (at that point Pittsburgh was out-scoring Bagley just 13-12), had 21 assists to just six turnovers and had six score in double figures.
Game 475 - Navy at Colgate
January 8 at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, NY
Patriot League Network
We're in the middle of season 3 at this site and Monday was our first chance to listen to Erik Malinowski. What a pleasure it was.
The Malinowski top 10:
"Raider round ball" - said 16 times
"the ticky tack variety"
"triple town!" (yelled five times)
"high into the Hamilton sky for the rebound"
"Maynard the magnificent"
"Swop with a hop in his step!"
"gets some road lovin from the rim"
"and Malcolm in the middle going to the line!"
"the blow by"
"looking to salt this game away"
On the court, Sean O'Brien led a 70-62 Colgate win with an 18-point night, including being a part of an 11-for-11 free throw line trip as a team down the stretch. O'Brien came into the game with a 5.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, third nationally, so his three turnovers and six assists actually represent an off night for the senior guard.
It was a disappointing final 25 minutes for Navy. The visitors, which got a game-high 24 points from Shawn Anderson, led 28-18 with just under five minutes to go until halftime, but didn't score for more than eight minutes and allowed Colgate to end the first half on an 11-0 run. Navy's 28-27 lead with two minutes to go in the first half was its last.
Patriot League Network
We're in the middle of season 3 at this site and Monday was our first chance to listen to Erik Malinowski. What a pleasure it was.
The Malinowski top 10:
"Raider round ball" - said 16 times
"the ticky tack variety"
"triple town!" (yelled five times)
"high into the Hamilton sky for the rebound"
"Maynard the magnificent"
"Swop with a hop in his step!"
"gets some road lovin from the rim"
"and Malcolm in the middle going to the line!"
"the blow by"
"looking to salt this game away"
On the court, Sean O'Brien led a 70-62 Colgate win with an 18-point night, including being a part of an 11-for-11 free throw line trip as a team down the stretch. O'Brien came into the game with a 5.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, third nationally, so his three turnovers and six assists actually represent an off night for the senior guard.
It was a disappointing final 25 minutes for Navy. The visitors, which got a game-high 24 points from Shawn Anderson, led 28-18 with just under five minutes to go until halftime, but didn't score for more than eight minutes and allowed Colgate to end the first half on an 11-0 run. Navy's 28-27 lead with two minutes to go in the first half was its last.
Games 473-474: Sunday doubleheader
Game 474 - Stanford women at Arizona State
January 7 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ
ESPN
"Basketball"
Total times said: 39
Play-by-play man Paul Sunderland: 18
Color commentator Andy Landers: 21
Andy
Game 473 - Drake women at Southern Illinois
January 7 at SIU Arena in Carbondale, IL
The Valley on espn3
Drake kept up its regular season dominance of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Becca Hittner handed out seven of Drake's 23 assists and the Bulldogs won their 26th consecutive regular season conference game, 75-64. Both teams were 3-0 in league play to start the day.
Hittner also scored 15 points - right on her season average - to lead six players with at least nine points, while six players had at least two assists. Meanwhile, the Drake defense had 15(!) steals & forced 25 turnovers. It was just a five-point game at the 4:30 mark of the third quarter after Southern Illinois got a steal and lay-in from Kristen Nelson, but the hosts didn't convert another field goal until 24 seconds remained in the quarter and by that time Drake led 61-49.
Great game for Makenzie Silvey, who had five assists and five steals and along with Kylie Giebelhausen led Southern Illinois with 13 points. The Salukis still haven't won their first four conference games since 1991.
Scoochie Smith All Stars
Historic day for the all-name team as we add our first announcer:
The team
January 7 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ
ESPN
"Basketball"
Total times said: 39
Play-by-play man Paul Sunderland: 18
Color commentator Andy Landers: 21
Andy
Game 473 - Drake women at Southern Illinois
January 7 at SIU Arena in Carbondale, IL
The Valley on espn3
Drake kept up its regular season dominance of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Becca Hittner handed out seven of Drake's 23 assists and the Bulldogs won their 26th consecutive regular season conference game, 75-64. Both teams were 3-0 in league play to start the day.
Hittner also scored 15 points - right on her season average - to lead six players with at least nine points, while six players had at least two assists. Meanwhile, the Drake defense had 15(!) steals & forced 25 turnovers. It was just a five-point game at the 4:30 mark of the third quarter after Southern Illinois got a steal and lay-in from Kristen Nelson, but the hosts didn't convert another field goal until 24 seconds remained in the quarter and by that time Drake led 61-49.
Great game for Makenzie Silvey, who had five assists and five steals and along with Kylie Giebelhausen led Southern Illinois with 13 points. The Salukis still haven't won their first four conference games since 1991.
Scoochie Smith All Stars
Historic day for the all-name team as we add our first announcer:
The team
Game 472 - Arkansas State at Georgia State
January 6 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
D'Marcus Simonds continued his excellent sophomore season, scoring 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting in a 79-75 victory.
There were 10 ties and an incredible 22 lead changes in the game, and GSU (11-6, 2-2 Sun Belt) didn't grab its final advantage until Jeff Thomas' 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go made it 75-72.
Thomas began the year as a starter, but has been coming off the bench lately and he did a little of everything in this one, contributing 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. Meanwhile, Simonds came into the night top-30 nationally in scoring at 21.1 points and he should move up a bit higher after his third 30-point game of the season. The guard from Gainesville, Georgia played all but one minute on Saturday.
Nice day as well for another reserve - Isaiah Williams - who had 12 points and a pair of assists and drained two free throws with eight seconds left that clinched the win.
Arkansas State, which fell to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in league play, got a great game from Deven Simms (24 points on 8-of-17 shooting in 35 minutes).
"Basketball"
We count how many times announcers say the word "basketball" on this site; it's important research and we feel obligated to report the facts. Color commentator Rodney Turner, a former Panther, ended up saying the word 14 times, which is a solid performance for a 2+ hour game. But play-by-play man Sam Crenshaw went to another level, saying it 43 times, for an average of just over one per game minute.
One of the greatest moments in the history of tallying how many times people say "basketball" came early in the second half when a deflection out of bounds sent the ball underneath the stands behind the hoop and no one could find it. The search lasted nearly two minutes, and Crenshaw & Turner set site, and perhaps world records by saying the word 19 times!
The pair said it 57 times overall, for an average of 1.4 per game minute.
Well done, gentleman.
espn3.com
D'Marcus Simonds continued his excellent sophomore season, scoring 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting in a 79-75 victory.
There were 10 ties and an incredible 22 lead changes in the game, and GSU (11-6, 2-2 Sun Belt) didn't grab its final advantage until Jeff Thomas' 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go made it 75-72.
Thomas began the year as a starter, but has been coming off the bench lately and he did a little of everything in this one, contributing 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. Meanwhile, Simonds came into the night top-30 nationally in scoring at 21.1 points and he should move up a bit higher after his third 30-point game of the season. The guard from Gainesville, Georgia played all but one minute on Saturday.
Nice day as well for another reserve - Isaiah Williams - who had 12 points and a pair of assists and drained two free throws with eight seconds left that clinched the win.
Arkansas State, which fell to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in league play, got a great game from Deven Simms (24 points on 8-of-17 shooting in 35 minutes).
"Basketball"
We count how many times announcers say the word "basketball" on this site; it's important research and we feel obligated to report the facts. Color commentator Rodney Turner, a former Panther, ended up saying the word 14 times, which is a solid performance for a 2+ hour game. But play-by-play man Sam Crenshaw went to another level, saying it 43 times, for an average of just over one per game minute.
One of the greatest moments in the history of tallying how many times people say "basketball" came early in the second half when a deflection out of bounds sent the ball underneath the stands behind the hoop and no one could find it. The search lasted nearly two minutes, and Crenshaw & Turner set site, and perhaps world records by saying the word 19 times!
The pair said it 57 times overall, for an average of 1.4 per game minute.
Well done, gentleman.
Games 470-471: First Sun Belt doubleheader of season
471 - Little Rock at Georgia State
January 4 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
GSU sports information director Mike Holmes put it perfectly afterwards: "I don't care how we win them".
A win, especially one that helped you avoid falling to 0-3 in conference play, is most definitely all that matters.
D'Marcus Simonds shook off a tough shooting night by closing things out at the free-throw line and the Panthers' defense was pretty strong down the stretch in a 73-64 victory.
While Little Rock was held to just four field goals over the final 6 1/2 minutes, Simonds, a top-30 scorer nationally, was just 3-of-12 from the field, but 11-of-15 from the line, including 6-of-8 over the final minute and a half. GSU improved to 10-6 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt play.
"This is where D'Marcus has matured: he's three of twelve from the field, but got to the line 15 times," said GSU coach Ron Hunter. "That's what we kept saying 'drive the ball'".
The Panthers struggled from three in the second half - 4-of-15 - and the offensive continues to be kind of hit-and-miss through 16 games. But I thought senior post player Jordan Session had one of his finest games as a collegiate, just missing a double-double (11 points and nine rebounds) and surprisingly enough, it was his 3-pointer from the top of the key, his only make and attempt from behind the arc, that made it a 62-55 game with 2 1/2 minutes to play. The lead didn't fall below seven the rest of the way.
"We lost a little of our energy, that's the thing about that Christmas break," said Hunter, perhaps alluding to a disappointing, 0-2 start to league play this past weekend. "(Session and reserve post player Jordan Tyson) had energy. We needed it."
Devin Mitchell hit four threes and Jeff Thomas, two for a 16-point night as the pair combined for 28 points. When those two are knocking down perimeter shots, the Panthers usually have enough to win because the defense is almost always good enough. That was the case on Thursday, especially during a pair of huge stops over the final minute or so.
"Offensively we've had some issues. We're struggling a little offensively a little bit right now," Hunter said. "But what's carrying us is our defense."
It seems to happen every time I go to the Sports Arena, but Camron Reedus was Thursday's Annoying 3-Pointer Shooter Who Inexplicably Drains Shots All Game, hitting 5-of-7 to share with Simonds a game-high 19 points. Reedus, a junior guard, came into the night averaging 5.7 points and shooting 31% from three-point range.
"We left the shooter open, we were a little soft on the ball," Hunter said.
470 - Little Rock women at Georgia State
January 4 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Way too much Ronjanae DeGray and Monique Townson in the opener.
DeGray had her way in the paint, pouring in 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and Townson added 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and five assists as Little Rock moved to 3-0 in the Sun Belt with a 65-50 victory.
It was just a 28-24 lead at halftime for Little Rock, but the visitors hit half of their shots over the final 20 minutes (13-of-26), and a nearly 1-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio (6-17) for GSU didn't help.
The misery against Little Rock continued for Georgia State, which lost its seventh straight in the series and fell to 1-8 all-time.
January 4 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
GSU sports information director Mike Holmes put it perfectly afterwards: "I don't care how we win them".
A win, especially one that helped you avoid falling to 0-3 in conference play, is most definitely all that matters.
D'Marcus Simonds shook off a tough shooting night by closing things out at the free-throw line and the Panthers' defense was pretty strong down the stretch in a 73-64 victory.
While Little Rock was held to just four field goals over the final 6 1/2 minutes, Simonds, a top-30 scorer nationally, was just 3-of-12 from the field, but 11-of-15 from the line, including 6-of-8 over the final minute and a half. GSU improved to 10-6 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt play.
"This is where D'Marcus has matured: he's three of twelve from the field, but got to the line 15 times," said GSU coach Ron Hunter. "That's what we kept saying 'drive the ball'".
The Panthers struggled from three in the second half - 4-of-15 - and the offensive continues to be kind of hit-and-miss through 16 games. But I thought senior post player Jordan Session had one of his finest games as a collegiate, just missing a double-double (11 points and nine rebounds) and surprisingly enough, it was his 3-pointer from the top of the key, his only make and attempt from behind the arc, that made it a 62-55 game with 2 1/2 minutes to play. The lead didn't fall below seven the rest of the way.
"We lost a little of our energy, that's the thing about that Christmas break," said Hunter, perhaps alluding to a disappointing, 0-2 start to league play this past weekend. "(Session and reserve post player Jordan Tyson) had energy. We needed it."
Devin Mitchell hit four threes and Jeff Thomas, two for a 16-point night as the pair combined for 28 points. When those two are knocking down perimeter shots, the Panthers usually have enough to win because the defense is almost always good enough. That was the case on Thursday, especially during a pair of huge stops over the final minute or so.
"Offensively we've had some issues. We're struggling a little offensively a little bit right now," Hunter said. "But what's carrying us is our defense."
It seems to happen every time I go to the Sports Arena, but Camron Reedus was Thursday's Annoying 3-Pointer Shooter Who Inexplicably Drains Shots All Game, hitting 5-of-7 to share with Simonds a game-high 19 points. Reedus, a junior guard, came into the night averaging 5.7 points and shooting 31% from three-point range.
"We left the shooter open, we were a little soft on the ball," Hunter said.
470 - Little Rock women at Georgia State
January 4 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Way too much Ronjanae DeGray and Monique Townson in the opener.
DeGray had her way in the paint, pouring in 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and Townson added 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and five assists as Little Rock moved to 3-0 in the Sun Belt with a 65-50 victory.
It was just a 28-24 lead at halftime for Little Rock, but the visitors hit half of their shots over the final 20 minutes (13-of-26), and a nearly 1-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio (6-17) for GSU didn't help.
The misery against Little Rock continued for Georgia State, which lost its seventh straight in the series and fell to 1-8 all-time.
Game 469 - Omaha women at South Dakota State
January 3 at Frost Arena in Brookings, SD
MidCo Sports Network
Omaha actually led by a bucket at halftime - 40-38 - but the hosts rolled in the third quarter and ended up with a comfortable, 89-64 win.
Led by junior guard Madison Guebert, who keeps moving up the school's three-point shooting list, the Jackrabbits went 7-of-10 from behind the arc in the third, turning that two-point deficit into a 68-54 lead. Guebert made all four of her long range attempts and finished with a game-high 25 points for SDSU, which hit 13-of-25 on the night.
Great percentages all the way around for the Jackrabbits as they were 48% shooters overall and a nearly-perfect, 18-of-19 from the free-throw line.
Great night for another junior guard, Amber Vidal, who scored 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting to lead Omaha.
Vidal's team pulled the upset in last year's meeting, thanks in large part to 16 three-point field goals. The Mavericks made seven threes in building that halftime lead Wednesday, but were 0-of-4 in the second half.
MidCo Sports Network
Omaha actually led by a bucket at halftime - 40-38 - but the hosts rolled in the third quarter and ended up with a comfortable, 89-64 win.
Led by junior guard Madison Guebert, who keeps moving up the school's three-point shooting list, the Jackrabbits went 7-of-10 from behind the arc in the third, turning that two-point deficit into a 68-54 lead. Guebert made all four of her long range attempts and finished with a game-high 25 points for SDSU, which hit 13-of-25 on the night.
Great percentages all the way around for the Jackrabbits as they were 48% shooters overall and a nearly-perfect, 18-of-19 from the free-throw line.
Great night for another junior guard, Amber Vidal, who scored 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting to lead Omaha.
Vidal's team pulled the upset in last year's meeting, thanks in large part to 16 three-point field goals. The Mavericks made seven threes in building that halftime lead Wednesday, but were 0-of-4 in the second half.
Game 468 - Rutgers at Purdue
January 3 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN
Big 10 Network
This was definitely a strength against a strength situation as Rutgers came into the night as one of the better defensive teams in the country and Purdue as one of the nation's better three-point shooting teams.
It was lopsided in the Boilermakers' favor.
Purdue his 10 threes and shot 50% overall from the field in its 10th consecutive victory, 82-51.
The Scarlet Knights (now 0-3 in conference play) entered play sixth nationally in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, and actually did a pretty decent job inside the paint, especially considering Purdue boasts 7-2 Isaac Haas and 7-3 Matt Haarms (the pair combined for 18 points, 14 of which came from Haas, in 51 combined minutes). But the hosts' outside shooting was too much to overcome. Purdue, 12th nationally in three-point percentage, hit 7-of-12 from behind the arc in the opening half to go up 45-24 at the break and were never really threatened much throughout the night.
Reserve guard Ryan Cline led the way with a 4-for-6 night from distance.
Haas and Haarms, who added six rebounds each and four blocked shots (three from the redshirt-freshman Haarms) also negated a Rutgers team that was second in the country in offensive rebounds. The Scarlet Knights averaged 16 coming in, but grabbed just six Wednesday.
Rutgers got as close as 57-42 with 11 minutes to go, but allowed a 18-3 run over the next seven minutes.
Big 10 Network
This was definitely a strength against a strength situation as Rutgers came into the night as one of the better defensive teams in the country and Purdue as one of the nation's better three-point shooting teams.
It was lopsided in the Boilermakers' favor.
Purdue his 10 threes and shot 50% overall from the field in its 10th consecutive victory, 82-51.
The Scarlet Knights (now 0-3 in conference play) entered play sixth nationally in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, and actually did a pretty decent job inside the paint, especially considering Purdue boasts 7-2 Isaac Haas and 7-3 Matt Haarms (the pair combined for 18 points, 14 of which came from Haas, in 51 combined minutes). But the hosts' outside shooting was too much to overcome. Purdue, 12th nationally in three-point percentage, hit 7-of-12 from behind the arc in the opening half to go up 45-24 at the break and were never really threatened much throughout the night.
Reserve guard Ryan Cline led the way with a 4-for-6 night from distance.
Haas and Haarms, who added six rebounds each and four blocked shots (three from the redshirt-freshman Haarms) also negated a Rutgers team that was second in the country in offensive rebounds. The Scarlet Knights averaged 16 coming in, but grabbed just six Wednesday.
Rutgers got as close as 57-42 with 11 minutes to go, but allowed a 18-3 run over the next seven minutes.
Games 466-467: New Years doubleheader
467 - Youngstown State at Cleveland State
January 1, 2018 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH
Learfield Sports/Horizon League on espn3.com
A few great ones from this 80-77 Youngstown State victory:
Color commentator Pat Vuyancih: "the Hakeem dream shake fake."
Play-by-play man Al Pawlowski: "sounds like a new flavor at McDonalds."
PV: "it's designed to force Youngstown State to shoot, which is not their strength"
Vuyancih, with 7:17 left in the first half: "...these last five, six minutes"
466 - Georgia State at Troy
December 31 at Trojan Arena in Troy, AL
espn3.com
January 1, 2018 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH
Learfield Sports/Horizon League on espn3.com
A few great ones from this 80-77 Youngstown State victory:
Color commentator Pat Vuyancih: "the Hakeem dream shake fake."
Play-by-play man Al Pawlowski: "sounds like a new flavor at McDonalds."
PV: "it's designed to force Youngstown State to shoot, which is not their strength"
Vuyancih, with 7:17 left in the first half: "...these last five, six minutes"
466 - Georgia State at Troy
December 31 at Trojan Arena in Troy, AL
espn3.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)