Before Thanksgiving, it was evident that many women’s college basketball teams were grateful that they finally came back after not being dressed since March.
12 ranked women’s basketball teams resumed unfinished business on November 25. Fans saw a preview of the newcomers standing out, transfers gearing up with new teammates and players returning with a chip on their shoulder.
Did you miss part of the action? Here are some highlights from the first day of the 2020-21 women’s basketball season:
Gamecocks said they are ranked first for a reason
South Carolina won the season opener by 81 points, beating Charleston Cougars 119-38. Naismith, Coach of the Year, Dawn Staley showed that she has incredible talent and depth being able to submit five times, five times at a time. The statistics sheet reflected this by having seven players scoring with two digits.
Receiving more minutes this season as a starter, junior striker Victaria Saxton led the attack with a double-double, scoring 19 points and 12 rebounds. With Ty Harris now playing for the WNBA, Zia Cooke has big shoes to fill the position of point guard. Cooke accepted this challenge with 18 points after removing some rust early in the game.
South Carolina will face South Dakota on Saturday, November 28 at 3:30 pm ET.
Stanford starts the 2020-21 season with strength
We talked about the cardinal nonstop in the preseason. The potential of the Pac-12 favorites is limitless – bringing back nine dominant players, led by junior playmaker Lexie Hull – who won 19 points. This team showed just that against Cal Poly winning his first game, 108-40.
It was great to see Haley Jones return to the starting lineup after suffering a knee injury at the end of the season. Jones doubled up with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The country’s third recruit, Cameron Brink, also had an impressive debut coming off the bench and scoring 17 points. It will be fun to watch the talent of this team, as trainer Tara VanDerveer has endless combinations to work with.
Stanford’s next game against Pacific has been canceled. The cardinal’s next game is scheduled for December 4 against the state of Washington. The time is TBD.
MORE: at least one thing you should know about all of the teams in the top 25 women’s college basketball AP
Duke’s “Kara Era” looks brilliant
Duke’s new head coach Kara Lawson dreamed of the day when she would be able to lead her own team. That day finally came on Wednesday, starting off strong with a 94-64 victory over Longwood. Jaida Patrick had a career record of 21 points, along with 7 rebounds and five assists. Even though fouls were a problem in the second half, Patrick was one of five players who recorded double-digit scores.
The future looks bright for Lawson and the Duke Blue Devils. Here is a pre-game speech she shared with her team before the first tip to start the Kara Era:
Duke will fight Western Carolina on Sunday, November 29 at 2:00 pm ET.
Destiny Slocum makes a good transition to Arkansas
The transfer to the state of Oregon, Destiny Slocum, made its debut with strong Arkansas. Slocum helped the Razorbacks to a 96-49 victory over Oral Robert, scoring 22 points. Chelsea Dungee’s senior guard was behind her, scoring 17 points.
It will be fun to watch these two compete together with Amber Ramirez – who will form a dangerous trio in Arkansas. Razorbacks will face Wake Forest on Friday, November 27 at 11:30 am Eastern Time.
Best teams and players who missed the action
- Finalist of the year, Rhyne Howard, did not play in Kentucky’s debut against Murray State after being suspended for two games for “failing to maintain program standards”. Striker Tatyana Wyatt has also been suspended for three games. Nor was it related to COVID-19.
- We will not see UConn in action early in the season. A member of the women’s basketball program – who was not released – tested positive for COVID-19. Four of the Huskies’ games have been canceled, which means that we will not see the expected debut clash between Paige Bueckers and Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith on December 4th.
* Other games canceled: No. 9 UCLA vs. CSU Fullerton and No. 20 Ohio State vs. Akron.