Wednesday, November 16
East Carolina 65, High Point 54 – Box Score
South Florida 67, Alabama 59 – Box Score
Wichita State 89, Oral Roberts 67 – Box Score
Memphis 76, Miami (OH) 51 – Box Score
Toledo 74, Cincinnati 71 – Box Score
St. Johns 66, Temple 54 – Box Score
Recaps
East Carolina 65, High Point 54 – Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Powered by a three-point barrage from Jayla Hearp and a second-half takeover by Danae McNeal, the East Carolina women's basketball team took down the High Point Panthers 65-54 in overtime in front of a record-breaking crowd.
The Pirates got out of the gate strong in the game, running out to an 18-6 lead, highlighted by a long-range bomb from Micah Dennis as time expired in the first quarter. The lead was stretched further by the strong defensive outing from ECU, holding High Point to zero of their first 19 attempts from three and only 5-32 on the day.
The game was destined to be close, however, as the Panthers put on a run of their own, 12-2 over the second 10-minute quarter.
After halftime, the game stayed tight. High Point led by three late in the third quarter - their largest lead in the game - on the heels of a 25-point outburst in the period. The quarter could have been worse if not for the electric shooting of Jayla Hearp. In a two-minute stretch towards the end of the period, Hearp made three-straight three pointers for the Pirates, on her way to making her first four of the game from deep.
The Pirates bounced back, however, making a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter, powered by excellent defending and a scoring outburst form Danae McNeal. McNeal scored 19 points on the day, including seven in the fourth, to go with a trio of steals. McNeal also came up clutch with a pair of blocks on the day including one in overtime. Back and forth the game went before Alexsia Rose scored a crucial basket with 44 seconds left to give the Pirates the lead before High Point leveled the game with 28 ticks remaining. ECU's game-winning attempt didn't fall and the teams had to settle for playing five more minutes in overtime.
It was all East Carolina in that extra period, outscoring High Point 12-1, kicked off by a shot-clock buzzer-beating Hearp three with just over three minutes remaining. Hearp finished the game with a stellar 5-6 mark from deep. The team did not look back from there as McNeal scored off of a turnover before Hearp scored in the paint to extend the lead to seven with just a minute to play.
It was down to making free throws from there as Rose hit 3-4 of her attempts and Synia Johnson hit a pair, part of her perfect 4-4 outing from the stripe to go with four assists and a steal.. Five Pirates registered five or more rebounds on the day, led by Rose with a career-best nine boards.
With 6,657 fans in attendance, largely local students for ECU's annual Education Day, the crowd was the largest in East Carolina history for a women's game in Minges Coliseum.
South Florida 67, Alabama 59 – Box Score
TAMPA — The University of South Florida women's basketball team closed out its season-opening four-game home stand in impressive fashion with a 67-59 win over Alabama on Wednesday night in the Yuengling Center.
Florida State transfer and former McDonald's All-American Sammie Puisis scored 24 of her game and career-high 26 points in the second half and American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Elena Tsineke scored 22 points.
The Bulls also got big contributions from AAC Preseason First Team All-Conference selection Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, who scored eight points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and had a career-best five blocked shots, and Carla Brito who grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.
South Florida trailed 29-23 at the half but then outscored the Crimson Tide 21-9 in the third stanza which included a 12-0 run – with eight of the points coming from Puisis – to give the Bulls a 42-36 lead.
In the fourth quarter the Green and Gold stretched its lead to double figures when Puisis hit two free throws with 2:37 left in the game to make the score, 60-49, and then extended it to its largest margin of the night, 13 points, when Fankam Mendjiadeu hit an eight-foot jumper from the side to make the score 62-49 with just over 90 seconds left.
South Florida's defense also came to play on Wednesday night, holding the Crimson Tide to their lowest point total of the season, while also holding Brittany Davis, who came into the game tied for 12th in the nation in scoring averaging 25.0 points per game, to just five points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field and 0-for-5 from behind the arc.
Wichita State 89, Oral Roberts 67 – Box Score
TULSA, Okla. – Behind a career-high 23 points from DJ McCarty, Wichita State blitzed Oral Roberts, 89-67, Wednesday night in the Mabee Center.
Oral Roberts had now answer for Wichita State (2-1) all night long, as the Shockers did whatever they wanted on the offensive end.
McCarty poured in 17 of her 23 in the first half on 11-of-17 shooting to go with three assists and three steals. Trajata Colbert reached double figures for the third straight game to begin the season with 19 points. She was 8-for-10 from the floor. Curtessia Dean added 16 points and Jane Asinde logged 12 points and 10 rebounds in her season debut.
The Shockers dominated the paint, scoring 66 of their 87 points inside and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 49-27. Wichita State also scored 29 points off 19 ORU turnovers on a night when they would attempt only seven three-pointers.
Wichita State shot a blistering 56 percent from the field in the opening quarter to build a 27-21 lead. McCarty scored eight of the team's first 14 points before Dean got hot for seven quick points.
At the 6:27 mark of the second quarter Wichita State grabbed a double-digit lead behind a Colbert layup, but Oral Roberts five straight to creep back within five. Following an Oral Roberts three-pointer at the 2:37 mark, Wichita State would close the half on a 7-1 run to take a 50-36 lead into the locker room.
The Shockers finished the half shooting 52.4 percent and dominated the glass, outrebounding the Golden Eagles, 25-8, including 12 offensive rebounds.
McCarty poured in 17 first half points, just three shy of her career high, on 8-of-12 shooting to go with three steals. Dean (9) and Colbert (8) rounded out the leading scorers in the first 20 minutes.
Wichita State maintained a double-digit lead for the entire third quarter and led 72-57 after 30 minutes.
Just over two minutes into the final period, Wichita State grabbed a 20-point margin and would effectively put the game away. The lead would grow to as many as 22 over the final 6:25.
Memphis 76, Miami (OH) 51 – Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team took down Miami (OH) on Wednesday night, 76-51 inside Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Madison Griggs led the Tigers with 18 points, while Jamirah Shutes added 17 in the win. Destyne Jackson also reached double-figures with 11 points.
Memphis (2-1) jumped out to an early lead, outscoring Miami 17-11 in the first quarter. The Tigers held Miam to just 16 percent from behind the arc. That trend would continue the entire game as Miami (1-2) shot 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) from deep for the game, while Memphis went 6-for-15 (40.0 percent).
With a 12 point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Tigers would widen their advantage with a dominate display in the final frame. Memphis outscored Miami 27-14 in the final quarter of play, shooting 64 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes.
Toledo 74, Cincinnati 71 – Box Score
CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team fell to Toledo in overtime, 74-71, inside Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday.
With the loss, Cincinnati is now 2-2 on the season.
Mya Jackson finished with a game-high 24 points and four rebounds, while Jillian Hayes turned in 21 points on 8-13 from the field and eight rebounds.
The pair becomes the first Bearcats to score 20-plus points in the same game since IImari'I Thomas and Caitlyn Wilson did so in a 71-58 win at Tulsa on Feb. 27, 2021.
Trailing 29-23 at the half, Cincinnati countered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 33-31 with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter. Hayes scored 12 of her 21 points in the period and the Bearcats took the 45-44 lead into the final quarter on a finish in traffic from Jackson before the buzzer.
The Rockets responded with a basket out the break to take the lead before the Bearcats used an 11-3 run where they held their opponent without a field goal over a 6:29-minute span to command a seven-point advantage with 3:41 remaining.
Toledo responded with a 7-0 burst that was finished off with two free throws with 13 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Cincinnati sprinted out to a four-point lead midway through the overtime period, but Toledo would outscore the Bearcats 13-6 after that point to secure the eventual final.
Cincinnati outrebounded Toledo 41-31 and finished with 36 points in the paint.
St. Johns 66, Temple 54 – Box Score
NEW YORK CITY – The Temple women's basketball team (1-2, 0-0 The American) dropped to BIG EAST opponent St. John's (3-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) 66-54. This was the Owls' second of three straight BIG EAST opponents.
The teams traded buckets for the first portion of the opening quarter. Forward Ines Piper drained her first three as an Owl to put Temple up 7-4. St. John's grabbed a 13-9 lead, before the Cherry & White tied the game back up at the conclusion of the first with back-to-back fast break scores. There were three ties and two lead changes in the first.
The second quarter saw offensive sparks fly for the Owls. The Red Storm was leading 15-14, three threes in four possessions by Tarriyonna Gary extended the lead out to 26-20. Tiarra East scored two in a row as St. John's began to find the basket again. The two sides played even as the quarter wrapped up. Gary had the best quarter out of any player of the game with 11 points, going 3-4 from deep.
Nelson scored the first bucket of the half, giving way to a 6-0 St. John's run to give the Red Storm the lead. The Owls' kept things close with free throws. TU converted six straight free throw attempts to keep things within three points despite a cold spell from the field. Nelson sunk a three to retake the lead, 44-43. St. John's hit three free throws within the last minute to give SJU the lead in at the end of the third quarter. Nelson scored seven to lead all players in the third.
Temple came roaring out of the gate in the fourth quarter, with scores from Nelson and East to give the Owls a 48-46 lead. SJU returned fire with five straight points to retake control, 51-48. Temple came back with four points from East to trim the deficit to 53-52. St. John's went on a 7-0 run in the last to take the win, 62-54.