Women’s college basketball: results, highlights, top Sunday news

Sunday, November 29 was filled with nonstop action from several of the top 25 women’s teams. Here are some remarkable results from today’s games, highlighted by a tight victory for South Carolina and Wake Forest’s top 25 finishers over the 24th state of Missouri:

• South Carolina’s No. 1 manages a tight victory in the final minutes against No. 21 Gonzaga by 79-72, making it 3-0.
• No. 5 Louisville defeats Eastern Kentucky, 101-58. Last year’s ACC player of the year, Dana Evans, and newcomer Hailey Van Lith scored 20 points to beat the Cardinals.
• No. 6 Mississippi State begins its new era with new coach Nikki McCray-Penson by defeating Jackson State 88-58. Rickea Jackson finished with 19 points.
• No. 7, Arizona, starts strong in their first game against Northern Arizona, winning 76-63. Point guard Aari McDonald ended with 18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
• The 8th state of North Carolina defeated Central North Carolina in an explosion, 108-70. Wolfpack fired 68 percent of the ground, which was the second highest percentage of shooting in the program’s history.
• No. 11 Kentucky defeats Belmont, 70-50. The second year of Redshirt Dre’una Edwards set a new career record with 27 points and 15 rebounds.
• After falling to the state of Missouri on Saturday, No. 12 Maryland made a big statement by defeating No. 14 Arkansas by 115-96. Katie Benzan finished with 28 points, the best of her career.
• No. 20 Ohio State defeats Duquesne, 82-47. Jacy Sheldon led the scoring with 20 points.
• No. 22 Notre Dame beat Miami (OH), 88-68. This marks Niele Ivey’s first victory as the new head coach after Muffet McGraw’s retirement.
• No. 23 Syracuse defeats Stony Brook, 50-39. Tiana Mangakahia is back after being out last year due to the battle against breast cancer. In return, Mangakahia led the attack with 16 points and seven rebounds.
• No. 24 Missouri State was the only qualifying team to fall on Sunday, 68-59 for Wake Forest. Ivana Raca led the Demon Deacons with 23 points out of 7 out of 16 shots.
• Click or tap here to see all scores for Sunday, November 29th.

* EXTENDED – No. 9 UCLA vs Pepperdine

No. 9 UCLA will not perform against Pepperdine tonight after a positive COVID-19 test was detected within the Waves program. A rescheduled date for this game has not yet been set.

The next Bruins clash will be against No. 7 Arizona on December 4. The time is TBD.

No. 21 Gonzaga fought hard in his first game against the country’s No. 1 team – South Carolina – but the Gamecocks pulled away in the last minutes to win 79-72.

Even though this was Gonzaga’s first game since March, there didn’t seem to be much rust. The Zags were unstoppable from the 3-point line, shooting 9 out of 19 beyond the arc. However, this team was plagued by 15 turnovers that Gamecocks capitalized on counterattack opportunities.

Four Gamecocks holders finished with double-digit scores, with Destanni Henderson leading with 23 points. Zia Cooke also scored 16 points.

South Carolina remains undefeated with 3-0, but things can’t be easier from here. The Gamecocks will face No. 8 NC State at home in their next fight on December 3 at 7 pm ET on ESPN2.

Wake Forest disturbs Missouri’s No. 24, 68-59. This marks the ACC women’s basketball team’s first victory in the 2020-21 season. Striker Ivana Raca led the championship with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Alexandria Scruggs added 15 points to help the Deacs advance to a 2-1 record.

As for the Bears, Abby Hipp and Brice Calip combined 31 points, but failed to do so against Wake Forest. The state of Missouri now holds a 2-1 record. The Bears’ next game against Tulsa will be on December 5 at 1:00 pm ET.

Louisville starts the season 2-0 after defeating Eastern Kentucky 101-58. The Cardinals had four of its holders scoring double digits. ACC players of the year, Dana Evans and Hailey Van Lith, led the charge with 20 points each. Van Lith – who has been impressive as a first-year starter – also ended with a double-double, getting 11 rebounds.

Olivia Cochran and Elizabeth Balogun also contributed with 27 points. Louisville’s No. 5 will face UT Martin on Sunday, December 6 at 2 pm ET.

After being out for the past year, Syracuse playmaker Tiana Mangakahia is back on the court after battling stage 2 breast cancer in June 2019. Mangakahia starts strong on her return leading Orange with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.

Two of the top 5 teams enter the court this afternoon, while Louisville’s No. 5 kicks off at 1:00 pm ET. The Cardinals will face Eastern Kentucky, followed by No. 1 South Carolina facing No. 21 Gonzaga in the first ranked match of the day at 3 pm ET. No. 12 Maryland is also in contention for ranking, as they will fight No. 14 Arkansas at 5:30 pm ET. Follow all the action here.

Sunday is a busy day at the start of the 2020-21 women’s college basketball season. Here are the top 25 women’s teams scheduled to play today. Click or tap on each game to access live scores.

Louisville’s No. 5 is the first qualifying team to play on Sunday, with the Cardinals scheduled to start at 1pm. Later, number 1 in South Carolina faces number 21 Gonzaga.