Updated BIG EAST Notes

 

After sprinting toward Christmas with 14 games over the weekend, BIG EAST teams are off until Dec. 28. The league enters the holiday break with a 10-4 mark on the weekend and an overall record of 117-50 in nonconference play for a .701 winning percentage.

 

Recapping Friday, Cincinnati, DePaul, Rutgers, Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame and Louisville all enter the break with wins. The Irish (9-1) secured win No. 600 for head coach Muffet McGraw in an 83-74 victory over No. 22/22 Texas A&M in Las Vegas, Nev.

 

Senior Skylar Diggins and junior Natalie Achonwa led the way for the Irish. Diggins scored 24 points and had five steals, while Achonwa added 22 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game of the World Vision Classic. Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw earned her 600th win at the helm of the Fighting Irish (and 688th of her career), rising to 600-216 (.735) in 26 seasons under the Golden Dome and 688-257 (.728) in 31 years as a collegiate head coach.

 

In the Cincinnati victory, junior Dayeesha Hollins scored 19 points, including her 1,000th career. Hollins also hit two free throws in the final 19 seconds to secure the win. The Bearcats are 7-3 on the season.

 

In the DePaul win, sophomore Brittany Hrynko led the team with a season-high 21 points while adding four assists and four steals. Senior Anna Martin finished with 20 points, six assists and three steals. DePaul improved to 10-3 on the year and is riding a four-game win streak.

 

Rutgers (8-3) rolled past Stony Brook 72-44. The Scarlet Knights have won their last five games and last eight home games.

 

Syracuse (11-1) won its fourth in a row as it beat Washington State 64-51. The Orange also extended their nonconference home winning streak to 52 games. Senior Kayla Alexander led the SU offense with 18 points, while fellow senior Elashier Hall notched 13 points.

 

Villanova (9-1) topped Temple 55-44 for its eighth win in a row. The 9-1 record is the best start since the 2003-04 team began the year 10-1. The Wildcats entered the game ranked second in the nation in fewest turnovers per game at 11.9 and had just four turnovers in the Temple victory.

 

Louisville (11-2) beat Wagner 106-32 and held a 47-12 lead at halftime. Freshman guard Megan Deines scored 19 points as eight of Louisville's nine players scored in double figures. The Cardinals shot 60.9 percent from the floor (39-of-64), with Deines going 8–of-10.

 

Georgetown (7-4) suffered a loss of Friday night with a 64-58 defeat to South Dakota State at home. Georgetown senior Sugar Rodgers scored 31 points shooting 10-of-23 from the field. She scored a season-high 35 earlier this year against Delaware. Rodgers leads the league in scoring at 24.8 ppg. Ashley Eide scored 27 points for the Jackrabbits.

 

USF beat Nevada 71-46 in the first day of the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico on Friday. Senior Andrea Smith scored 19 points as the Bulls held a 52-34 edge on the glass. On day two of the tournament on Saturday, USF (9-2) lost to Creighton 91-74 despite a career-high 27 points from Andrell Smith. The senior shot 11-of-19 from the field and had 12 steals in 35 minutes.

 

Also on Saturday, Providence (3-8) beat instate rival Rhode Island 78-52 at home. Sophomore Alexis Harris had 14 points and was one of four Friars double figures. PC sophomore guard Tori Rule netted a game high 16 points.

 

Seton Hall (4-8) lost to Memphis 65-58 and St. John’s (5-5) lost to Quinnipiac 75-72.

 

Finally on Saturday, No. 2/2 Connecticut (10-0) won at Hartford 102-45. Freshman Breanna Stewart scored a season-high 27 points shooting 9-of-13 from the field. She also grabbed seven rebounds and played just 25 minutes.

 

A pregame ceremony honored the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, with youth players from Newtown joining the teams on court. Before the game members of the Newtown Girls Youth Basketball Association lined up with both teams on the court holding green signs that said "WE ARE SANDY HOOK. WE CHOOSE LOVE" and clutching teddy bears. There was moment of remembrance that included the ringing of a chime 26 times in memory of the 20 students and six adults who were killed in the shooting. Coaches and their staffs, and courtside personnel wore green ribbons, the school color at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Additionally, two large paintings of green ribbons with the white letters "SH" were on the court.

 

It was the first time the teams played on Hartford's home court since Dec. 23, 1990. UConn has won all 13 meetings.

 

BIG EAST play resumes next weekend.

Fri.	28	NJIT at St. John's	7:00 p.m.
		Yale at Georgetown	7:00 p.m.
		Oral Roberts at DePaul	8:00 p.m.
		Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Honolulu, Hawaii)
		Cincinnati vs. Alabama	10:30 p.m.
Sat.	29	Purdue at Notre Dame	2:00 p.m.
		Florida A&M at USF	2:00 p.m.
		Pittsburgh at Buffalo	2:00 p.m.
		Fordham Holiday Classic (Bronx, N.Y.)
		Providence vs. Colorado State	3:00 p.m.
		Connecticut at Stanford (ESPNU)	4:00 p.m.
		Blue Sky Classic (Hanover, N.H.)
		Villanova vs. Delaware	5:00 p.m.
		Loyola-Chicago at Marquette	8:00 p.m.
		Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Honolulu, Hawaii)
		Cincinnati at Hawaii	11:00 p.m.
Material from interviews, school websites, the Associated Press wire service as well as league and team sources was used in this report. All times are Eastern