College basketball season is finally here. And after the first day of games, fans have plenty to talk about. From Angel Reese to Hailey Van Lith, here are five things that caught my eye on opening day:

Career-highs

Several players kicked off the 2021-22 season with career-highs, including Reese, who dropped 31 points against Bellarmine in her first game with LSU. She also grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double.

The Maryland transfer fit right into the Tigers’ offense, and she didn’t need to dominate the ball to put up her huge numbers – a great sign for LSU – as she went 11-for-14 from the floor in the 125-50 win. Reese also was solid on the defensive end, where she had two blocks and a team-high four steals.

Meanwhile, for Virginia Tech, all eyes were on another Maryland transfer in Ashley Owusu, but Cayla King stole the show.

The senior guard set a program record with nine 3-pointers for a career-high 33 points. She went 9-for-16 from beyond the arc (56.3%), leading her team to a 101-45 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

King has been a strong shooter throughout her career with the Hokies, and she made 39.9% of her attempts last season. And while she probably won’t make nine 3s again this year, having her as an outside threat is a great tool alongside Elizabeth Kitley, who dominated in the paint with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks.

New additions

Aside from Reese, four more players who are new to their respective squads caught my eye Monday, starting with Abby Meyer at Maryland.

The guard led Princeton last season with 17.9 points per game, guiding the Ivy League Champions past Kentucky in an NCAA tournament first-round upset. She was a leader for the Tigers, and the same seems to be true at Maryland. When Diamond Miller exited the contest with a knee injury, Meyer stepped up and scored 19 points to lead the Terrapins to an 88-51 win over George Mason.

Oregon is coming off a rocky year in 2021-22, and the rough road continued with a season-ending injury to Sedona Prince to start the 2022-23 campaign.

Enter freshmen Grace VanSlooten and Chance Gray. The two started in Oregon’s 100-57 win over Northwestern, and each had a huge impact. VanSlooten led the Ducks with 20 points, going 10-for-16 from the field, and Gray finished with 14. Ducks fans have a lot to be excited for, this season and beyond.

Finally, Iowa State is a team with incredible guards – Ashley Joens, Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan – but now they have a weapon on the inside to compliment the backcourt.

Stephanie Soares spent the last four years dominating the NAIA level at The Master’s University, where she was the two-time Player of the Year. Her transition to the NCAA Division I level started on a high note as she finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals and 3 assists in an 87-54 win over Cleveland State.

Creighton vs. South Dakota State

The best game of Day 1 was easily No. 21 Creighton vs. No. 23 South Dakota State. The Blue Jays came away with a 78-69 win, but both squads impressed.

For Creighton, Lauren Jensen built on her 2021-22 Tournament Darling status with a career-high 30-point performance, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and adding five assists. The Blue Jays also continued the 3-point shooting prowess they became known for last season, making 46.7% of their attempts as a team.

South Dakota State, last season’s NIT winner, held its own for most of the contest, behind 22 points from Myah Selland. The junior forward is expected to have a big season after leading the team with 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season.

The Jackrabbits also got a lift from freshman Brooklyn Meyers, who came off the bench to score 12 points in just 16 minutes of play. She proved herself to be a reliable option in the post.

South Carolina continues to shine

Aliyah Boston recorded yet another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Gamecocks won their opening contest against East Tennessee State by 70 points, 101-31.

South Carolina also showed off its depth, with six players in double-figures. Among those were sophomores Sania Feagin (15 points) and Raven Johnson (11 points). Johnson slid into the starting point guard role, taking over for Destanni Henderson, who is now in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. Freshman Ashlyn Watkins also hit double-digits with 11 points of her own.

The Gamecocks proved themselves a well-rounded squad with plenty of weapons. Once again, they are the team to beat this season.

Top guards dominate

Three of the best guards in the country started their seasons off right. Van Lith of Louisville, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Joens of Iowa State all led their squads to victories.

For Louisville, Van Lith built on a stellar sophomore season where her squad made a run to the Final Four, posting 28 points as her team defeated Cincinnati 87-68.

“I would say it’s impressive, but I think that’s just Hailey,” fifth-year senior guard Mykasa Robinson said. “That’s what Hailey does. So, she’s going to keep doing that day in and day out.”

Clark, who led the country in scoring last year as a sophomore, had 20 points and 9 rebounds as Iowa topped Southern 87-34. And Joens, a senior for the Cyclones, impressed in several categories – something she’s been known for throughout her career – finishing the day with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins dives into the individuals who put together standout performances for the USWNT in the team's recent pair of friendlies, from a big update in the goalkeeping race to the squad's multi-layered midfield project.

Watkins also breaks down the missed opportunities amid the USWNT's 3-0 win over China PR and 4-0 victory against Jamaica, as the year of head coach Emma Hayes's great roster experiment crosses the six-month mark.

Diving straight into the players who impressed, Watkins first calls out US captain Lindsey Heaps, applauding her performances while also noting that she "[wishes] maybe [Heaps] was used more situationally than kind of all the time."

"Heaps has so much to give this team, but it is probably against teams like this where they're sitting back a little bit more," explains Watkins. "I don't love her against a press. I don't love her against a super athletic, physical midfield, but in these games, she really shines."

Shifting to the ongoing search to crown retired goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's replacement, Watkins dubs Manchester United net-minder Phallon Tullis-Joyce — who started both USWNT friendlies — the overall frontrunner.

"Tullis-Joyce honestly reminds me a lot of Alyssa Naeher in her first couple years with the USWNT," says Watkins. "She's calm, she's organized, she's a good shot-stopper. She's a great communicator."

Young talent make strong cases for USWNT roster inclusion

Watkins also sings the praises of several young talents whose performances over the last week will make them hard to drop, including "obvious" choices like forward Alyssa Thompson and attacker Catarina Macario, as well as strike Ally Sentnor and teen midfielder Lily Yohannes.

Callling Yohannes "the freaking truth," Watkins notes that "you're seeing glimpses of what could become truly world-class play against the top teams in the world in a couple of years."

Making a slightly quieter, but no less impactful, case, argues Watkins, is winger Michelle Cooper.

Cooper's consistent refining and improvement have Watkins comparing her progress to star Trinity Rodman's USWNT evolution, saying that top passing is "how [Rodman] worked her way into the team before starting to take more shots. I think Cooper can follow that same game plan."

Missed opportunities leave some players scrambling

Pivoting to the missed opportunities arising from the two friendlies, Watkins calls the center-back pairings "lackluster," celebrating the return of star Naomi Girma and her rock-solid play as well as veteran Emily Sonnett's versatility while critiquing Hayes's decision to not test much depth at the position.

"It just feels like a wasted opportunity with so many other center back injuries," Watkins explains, referencing season-ending injuries to players like Tierna Davidson.

Along with what Watkins calls "rough" set pieces, she notes that less rotation and late subs were a missed opportunity to adequately test fresh faces or build chemistry with other players.

Noting that performances like forward Lynn Biyendolo's Jamaica match, in which she scored a brace off the bench, are "the gold standard," Watkins also questions Hayes's own criticism about the level of play dropping off when athletes aren't given enough minutes to find their feet and make an impact.

Citing talent like defender Emily Sams and midfielders Lo'eau LaBonta and Olivia Moultrie, Watkins posits that the sub patterns "just didn't quite have the focus that I'm sure Hayes was looking for."

"I worry that the players that kind of got dumped into games late never really had a chance, which is this happens at times when they're starting to ramp up," she says.

Overall, Hayes seems to be more obviously honing in on her starting core.

"We're starting to see players get multiple starts.... Those are the players to take seriously as the future of this program," notes Watkins.

"Hayes is being very purposeful with what she wants to see from her starters and what she wants to see from her bench. And there is an increasing gap between those two groups," says Watkins. "So the competition rises next international break."

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

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The WNBA recognized May’s top performers on Wednesday, handing out the first round of monthly awards to early-season standouts across the league.

Lynx star Napheesa Collier picked up Western Conference Player of the Month, with the forward averaging 26.8 points per game while leading Minnesota to a 6-0 May start.

Earning the same honor in the Eastern Conference was Dream standout guard Allisha Gray, who started the season with a 21.4 points-per-game average to help boost Atlanta to third in the league standings.

New York Liberty manager Sandy Brondello won Coach of the Month — a natural fit after leading the 2024 WNBA champs to their best opening record since 1997.

The most surprising nod, however, went to Rookie of the Month Kiki Iriafen, with the Mystics forward averaging a 13.9-point, 10.1-rebound double-double while shooting 47.4% from the field in her first month as a pro.

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The USC product opened the season with a bang, becoming just the second rookie in WNBA history to record four double-doubles in her first five games, joining Utah Starzz forward Natalie Williams, who did so in 1999 — three years before Iriafen was born.

The day-one Mystics starter is also the first Rookie of the Month in Washington franchise history, telling reporters, "From the day I got drafted to the Mystics, I just put my head down, like, I'm going to work… I'm just giving my best effort every single time that I'm playing, and it's nice to see the fruits of your labor come to fruition."

How to watch the winners of May's WNBA awards in action

While Collier's Lynx and Gray's Dream are off until the weekend, Brondello's Liberty will visit Iriafen and the Mystics at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, live on Prime.

Texas softball took Game 1 of the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS) championship series by topping in-state rivals Texas Tech 2-1 on Wednesday night, putting the Longhorns just one win away from clinching a program-first national championship.

"It's tight, especially when you're facing a good pitcher," said Texas catcher Reese Atwood, who delivered the game-winning hit. "Any momentum, any energy, we'll take it."

After a controversial obstruction call gifted Texas Tech a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth, a rare misstep from Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady gave Texas the daylight they needed to pull ahead.

With two Longhorns in scoring position and Atwood — the nation's RBI leader — stepping to the plate, Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco decided to take advantage of the vacant first base by instructing Canady to intentionally walk Atwood.

Noticing that Canady's intentional balls were dangerously close to the strike zone, Atwood capitalized, launching a game-winning two-run single on a 3-0 count — her first hit of the WCWS.

"Maybe it was the wrong decision. Maybe we should've went at her," said Glasco following the loss.

With up to two games left to play, the 2025 WCWS has already been a huge hit, averaging 1.1 million viewers on ESPN before the championship series even began — the network's highest pre-finals viewership on record.

While this year's NCAA tournament chases even more viewership history, Texas Tech will be hunting a Game 2 win to keep their championship dreams alive.

How to watch Game 2 of the 2025 WCWS championship series

The Red Raiders and Longhorns will square off again at 8 PM ET in Thursday's Game 2 of the best-of-three series, airing live on ESPN.

England dropped its 2025 Euro roster on Thursday morning, with manager Sarina Wiegman's title-defending squad facing major shakeups after three longtime staples recently withdrew from consideration.

Forward Fran Kirby and goalkeeper Mary Earps officially announced their international retirements mere days before the drop, with Wiegman previously informing 31-year-old Kirby of her omission from this summer's lineup.

Defender Millie Bright followed suit, stepping back from the team in a Wednesday social media post that stated she's "not able to give 100% mentally or physically."

While these shifts don't necessarily spell defeat, England now faces an uphill climb in their hunt for a second straight European title.

The Lionesses will start their campaign in Group D, a tricky division featuring perennial powerhouses France and the Netherlands plus regional rival Wales.

To further complicate things, England is also coming off a rocky Nations League run, failing to qualify for this year's Finals after finishing second behind Group A3 winner — and 2023 World Cup champs — Spain.

Though their 2025 Euro roster is missing some homegrown talent, the England lineup does feature a handful of NWSL stars stepping into the spotlight.

Washington defender Esme Morgan will make her Euro debut after helping lead the Lionesses to the 2023 World Cup final, while Gotham defender Jess Carter and Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse return to the competition to defend their 2022 success.

All in all, with a refreshed roster and increased parity across the women's game, the Lionesses' path to 2025 Euro victory is now more uncertain than ever.

England's 2025 Euro roster

• Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)

• Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Jess Carter (Gotham FC), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United)

• Midfielders: Ella Toone (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Chelsea), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Jess Park (Manchester City)

• Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, on loan from Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Michelle Agyemang (Brighton, on loan from Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea)