Women's college basketball: Scores, highlights, top news from Sunday
Highlights from the first Sunday of women's college basketball season
Sunday, Nov. 29 was filled with non-stop action from numerous top 25 women's teams. Here are some notable results from today's games, headlined by a close victory by top-ranked South Carolina and Wake Forest's top-25 upset over No. 24 Missouri State:
- No. 1 South Carolina pulls out a close win in the final minutes against No. 21 Gonzaga, 79-72, to move to 3-0.
- No. 5 Louisville defeats Eastern Kentucky, 101-58. Last year's ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans and freshman starter Hailey Van Lith both scored 20 points to pace the Cardinals.
- No. 6 Mississippi State starts their new era under new head coach Nikki McCray-Penson by defeating Jackson State, 88-58. Rickea Jackson finished with 19 points.
- No. 7 Arizona starts off strong in its first game against Northern Arizona, winning 76-63. All-American guard Aari McDonald finished with 18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
- No. 8 NC State beats North Carolina Central in a blowout, 108-70. The Wolfpack shot 68 percent from the floor, which was its second-highest shooting percentage in program history.
- No. 11 Kentucky beats Belmont, 70-50. Redshirt sophomore Dre'una Edwards set a new career-high with 27 points and 15 rebounds.
- After falling to Missouri State Saturday, No. 12 Maryland makes a huge statement by defeating No. 14 Arkansas, 115-96. Katie Benzan finished with a career-high 28 points.
- No. 20 Ohio State beats Duquesne, 82-47. Jacy Sheldon led in scoring with 20 points.
- No. 22 Notre Dame wins against Miami (OH), 88-68. This marks Niele Ivey's first win as the new head coach, following Muffet McGraw's retirement.
- No. 23 Syracuse wins against Stony Brook, 50-39. Tiana Mangakahia is back after sitting out last year due to her battle with breast cancer. In her return, Mangakahia led the charge with 16 points and seven rebounds.
- No. 24 Missouri State was the only ranked team to fall Sunday, 68-59 to Wake Forest. Ivana Raca led the Demon Deacons with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
- Click or tap here for all scores from Sunday, Nov. 29.
*POSTPONED - No. 9 UCLA vs Pepperdine
POSTPONED 🚨: No. 9 UCLA will not play against Pepperdine
No. 9 UCLA will not suit up tonight against Pepperdine after a positive COVID-19 test has been detected within the Waves' program. A rescheduled date for this game has not been set yet.
The Bruins' next matchup will be against No. 7 Arizona on Dec. 4. The time is TBD.
No. 1 South Carolina toughs out a close win against No. 21 Gonzaga
No. 21 Gonzaga put up a close fight in its first game against the No. 1 team in the country — South Carolina — but the Gamecocks pulled away in the last few 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-of-19 beyond the arch. However, this team was plagued by 15 turnovers that the Gamecocks capitalized on in fast break opportunities.
Four starters from the Gamecocks finished in double-digit scoring, with Destanni Henderson leading the way with 23 points. Zia Cooke also chipped in 16 points.
South Carolina remains undefeated at 3-0, but it doesn't get easier from here. The Gamecocks will face No. 8 NC State at home in their next matchup on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
UPSET 🚨: Wake Forest defeats No. 24 Missouri State
Wake Forest upsets No. 24 Missouri State, 68-59. This marks the first ranked win for an ACC women's basketball team in the 2020-21 season. Senior forward Ivana Raca led the way 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 couldn't get it done against Wake Forest. Missouri State now holds a 2-1 record. The Bears will next play Tulsa on Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. ET.
No. 5 Louisville wins in home opener
Louisville starts off the season 2-0 after defeating Eastern Kentucky, 101-58. The Cardinals had four of its starters score double-digit points. Reigning ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans and Hailey Van Lith both led the charge by scoring 20 points apiece. Van Lith — who has been impressive as a freshman starter — also finished with a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds.
Olivia Cochran and Elizabeth Balogun also chipped in by combining for 27 points. No. 5 Louisville will next take on UT Martin Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. ET.
Tiana Mangakahia returns to the court after battling breast cancer
After sitting out her entire senior year, Syracuse guard Tiana Mangakahia is back on the court after battling stage 2 breast cancer in June of 2019. Mangakahia starts off strong in her return by leading the Orange with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.
No. 1 South Carolina and No. 5 Louisville highlight this afternoon's action
Two top 5 teams take to the court this afternoon, as No. 5 Louisville gets things started at 1 p.m. ET. The Cardinals will face Eastern Kentucky, followed by No. 1 South Carolina facing No. 21 Gonzaga in the first ranked matchup of the day at 3 p.m. ET. No. 12 Maryland is also in a ranked matchup, as they'll battle No. 14 Arkansas at 5:30 p.m. ET. Keep up with all the action here.
Here are the Top 25 women's teams playing Sunday, Nov. 29
Sunday is a busy day early in the 2020-21 women's college basketball season. Here are the top 25 women's teams schedule to play today. Click or tap each game to head to the live scores.
No. 5 Louisville is the first ranked team to play on Sunday, with the Cardinals set to start at 1 p.m. Later, No. 1 South Carolina meets No. 21 Gonzaga.
- No. 5 Louisville vs Eastern Kentucky - 1 p.m. ET
- No. 7 Arizona vs Northern Arizona - 2 p.m. ET
- No. 8 NC State vs North Carolina Central - 2 p.m. ET
- No. 23 Syracuse vs Stony Brook - 2 p.m. ET
- No. 24 Missouri State vs Wake Forest - 2:30 p.m. ET
- No. 1 South Carolina vs No. 21 Gonzaga - 3 p.m. ET
- No. 6 Mississippi State vs Jackson State - 4 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Kentucky vs Belmont - 4 p.m. ET
- No. 20 Ohio State vs Duquesne - 4 p.m. ET
- No. 22 Notre Dame vs Miami (OH) - 4 p.m. ET
- No. 12 Maryland vs No. 14 Arkansas - 5:30 p.m. ET
- No. 9 UCLA vs Pepperdine - 7 p.m. ET