All Scores

Women’s college basketball stat leaders to watch across the nation

NaLyssa Smith. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

When I was growing up, my dad would always tease me for thinking with my heart rather than my head when it came to sports. I was the kind of kid who would pick my favorite team to win it all in a bracket challenge even if they were a 12-seed. My dad, meanwhile, made his living as a scientist, and in science, numbers are truth.

“Stats don’t lie,” he would always say. Now, I still think they do at times, but I’ve found a middle ground when it comes to head and heart. And if nothing else, unpacking team and player stats can be an enlightening exercise.

So, for this week’s women’s college basketball notebook, let’s check out some of the most notable stat leaders across the country.

Points per game

Jasmine Dickey, Delaware, 25.6

Since Elena Delle Donne graduated in 2013, the Blue Hens haven’t gotten much attention. Jasmine Dickey gives Delaware basketball fans a new reason to tune in. Through 10 games, she’s leading the country with a whopping 25.6 points per game.

That’s pretty crazy when you consider that, before the season started, her career-high in a game was 21. She beat that in the first game of the season, scoring 25 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line against Chestnut Hill. Then on Nov. 26, she set a new career-high that’s going to be hard to top, draining 48 points against Eastern Michigan. It’s been a stellar season for Dickey, who had her high school jersey retired at Catonsville High School on Saturday.

Rebounds per game

NaLyssa Smith, Baylor, 13.2

You may not have heard of Dickey, but I’m guessing NaLyssa Smith rings a bell. If anything, hers is a name you should get used to. Smith is projected to be the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft in April. Until then, she’s a dominant force for Baylor.

The 2021 All-American had a career-high 19 rebounds against Houston on Nov. 27 and hasn’t had a game with fewer than 10 since Baylor’s season-opener against Texas State, when she pulled down seven. Through 11 games, Smith has recorded an NCAA-leading 10 double-doubles and has had four contests with five or more offensive rebounds.

Assist-to-turnover ratio

Tommi Olson, Wyoming, 4.33

Here’s another name that probably isn’t on many non-Wyoming fans’ radars, so let’s put Olson’s 4.33 assist-to-turnover ratio in perspective. No. 2 on the list is UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who is renowned for her passing and decision-making. So, statistically speaking, Olson is 0.22 better than Bueckers.

The Wyoming senior is very much a pass-first point guard — she only averages 2.5 points per game — but she’s started all eight games for the 4-4 Cowgirls this season. In half of those games, Olson hasn’t committed a single turnover. And here’s a fun fact that has nothing to do with stats but is something my heart, not my head, told me to include: Olson’s mom, Elsa Olson, was a four-year player on the Wyoming basketball team from 1981-84.

Free throws made

Veronica Burton, Northwestern, 72

There’s not a coach in the country who doesn’t stress the importance of free-throw shooting. Free throws are literally free points — it’s in the name — so Burton’s 72 makes are impressive.

Even more impressive, though, is when you couple that number with her shooting percentage. The Northwestern senior is making 91.1 percent of her free throws, and so far this season, she’s given the Wildcats six extra points per game at the free-throw line. In a Dec. 2 win over Clemson, she had a season-high 15 attempts and made 14 of them. Northwestern won that game by 11 points.

Triple-doubles

Caitlin Clark, Iowa, 2

The fact that any player has more than one triple-double at this point in the season is a feat worthy of recognition. Clark’s first of the season — and second of her career — came in an 87-67 win over Southern on Nov. 17, when the Iowa sophomore had 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. She picked up the second against Big Ten opponent Michigan State on Dec. 5, finishing with 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in an 88-61 victory. The performance was especially important for the Hawkeyes, who were coming off of a 79-64 loss to Duke on Dec. 2, their first of the season. Clark’s stat-stuffing night helped them get back on track to open conference play.

Bonus stat

Michigan beats Baylor

This doesn’t exactly qualify as a stat, but it does include a number, so we are going to let it slide because there is no way I could write this notebook and not talk about Michigan. The No. 13 Wolverines upset No. 5 Baylor 74-68 in overtime on Sunday, avenging their Sweet 16 defeat to the Bears in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

Here is where the stats come in: Michigan had never defeated a top-five opponent in the history of the program. The Wolverines were 0-33 all-time, a stat that now reads 1-33. They did it with Naz Hillmon on the bench with five fouls for the overtime period, after the senior forward had 15 points and 10 rebounds during regulation. Senior guard Leigha Brown led Michigan with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists.

JWS’ Top 25 in Week 7

  1. South Carolina (11-0)
  2. Stanford (8-2)
  3. NC State (12-2)
  4. Arizona (10-0)
  5. Indiana (10-2)
  6. Louisville (11-1)
  7. Michigan (12-1)
  8. Iowa (7-2)
  9. Tennessee (9-1)
  10. UConn (6-3)
  11. Baylor (9-3)
  12. Maryland (9-3)
  13. Texas (8-1)
  14. Iowa State (12-1)
  15. South Florida (8-3)
  16. Ohio State (8-2)
  17. Duke (8-1)
  18. Georgia Tech (10-2)
  19. Georgia (11-1)
  20. BYU (9-1)
  21. Kentucky (8-3)
  22. Notre Dame (10-2)
  23. Oregon State (7-3)
  24. Florida Gulf Coast (9-1)
  25. LSU (9-1)

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Opens Up About Her Journey Back to Basketball

USC Basketball - Aaliyah Gayles

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate Aaliyah Gayles. Here are five things to know from our conversation with the redshirt freshman guard from Las Vegas.

#1 Aaliyah suffered from a near-death act of violence in 2022.

The incident taught her a lot about herself and the support around her. “[USC] Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] was one of the first people to fly out there and come see me. That means a lot to me off the court.” 

#2 Her favorite USC memory is when she surprised her teammates after getting out of the hospital.

She left her walker at the door to show she was on the road to returning to the court. “That was my favorite memory because it was family. It was my first time being able to walk to you guys and see you practice.”

#3 There's a reason she wears #3.

#3 was her grandpa’s favorite number and a golden number in her life. Plus, AG3 has a nice ring to it. 

#4 She has a list of basketball GOAT’s:

Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Cason Wallace.

#5 There have been many celebrity appearances at USC’s games over the years, especially this season.

Aaliyah’s favorites include Will Ferrell, Kehlani, and Saweetie. And she hopes Lil Durk will come to watch a game soon.

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Gotham, USWNT forward Midge Purce out with ACL tear

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Midge Purce announced on Wednesday that she has torn her ACL. 

The Gotham FC and USWNT forward went down with the injury on Sunday during Gotham’s 1-0 win after tweaking it earlier in the game. Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós did not have any immediate updates following the match, with further evaluation revealing the tear. 

“It’s a reality I’m still struggling with and has left me with not too much to say,” Purce wrote in a statement on social media. “I’m heartbroken to no longer be available for my season with Gotham FC or for Olympic selection with the USWNT – know I’m rooting for you both all year long. 

“Though you may not see it, I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field.”

Purce is just the latest women's soccer star to tear her ACL, and joins USWNT teammate Mia Fishel in having torn her ACL in the last couple of months. Other notable players include Catarina Macario and Christen Press, with Macario only just returning to the USWNT lineup after tearing hers in 2022. 

International stars such as Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson have also suffered ACL tears. 

Purce’s injury caused Amorós to call out the international schedule, which has been a growing point of concern as more players fall victim to injuries and the playing schedule becomes more packed. Kansas City’s Debinha suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s opening game, while both Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle have yet to play for Gotham due to injuries picked up during the W Gold Cup. 

“We lost Midge during the game which for me is a bittersweet flavor,” Amorós told reporters after Sunday’s game. “By the way, it’s another player that came from the Gold Cup. Last week, it was Debinha. We are paying the consequences of a tournament that shouldn’t have happened.”

“We’re talking about protecting the players, [who shouldn’t] go to play an international competition after one week of preseason,” Amorós continued. “We’ve seen the consequences now. We’ve got Rose, Lynn, last week it was Debinha in Kansas [City] and now we have Midge. From my experience, the clubs are going to keep paying for that competition."

In her statement, Purce said that “so many friends, teammates and even players I’ve only ever competed against” reached out to offer support. 

“I am so blessed,” she wrote. “Your messages have meant so much to me throughout this process, you have consoled what, for a moment, felt inconsolable. Thank you for reminding me that our football world is not only full with incredibly talent but also, incredible kindness.”

Lauren Jackson included on Australia Olympics roster

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Lauren Jackson of Australia celebrates with team mates after playing her final Opals game during the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 3rd place match between Canada and Australia at Sydney Superdome, on October 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Lauren Jackson has come out of retirement once again to compete for a spot on Australia’s Olympic roster. 

Jackson was included on the 26-player roster named by coach Sandy Brondello on Tuesday that will take part in training camps, tours and games in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. The roster will eventually be whittled down to just 12 players selected from the 26 named on Tuesday.

Jackson helped Australia qualify for the Olympics with a win over Germany in February. After that, she announced her retirement, revealing that she struggled to spend so much time away from her two young children. 

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that Jackson and the basketball federation had come to an agreement in which they would help cover costs for her children to travel with the team for training camps and the Olympics. 

She’s largely expected to make the Opals’ Olympic roster. 

"It's always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes," Opals coach Sandy Brondello said. "They all know what it means to play for Australia and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics. Our squad is full of exceptional talent and they will make the decision to pick a final 12 very difficult."

At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Jackson helped Australia win a bronze medal with 30 points against Canada. She had previously retired in 2016 due to knee injuries, but slowly made a return in a domestic Australian league the last few years.

Jackson has won four Olympic medals, including three consecutive silver medals starting with Sydney in 2000 when she was a teenager. 

First two rounds of NCAA tournament boast record attendance, viewership

(David K Purdy/Getty Images)

The first two rounds of the women’s NCAA tournament broke attendance and viewership records set just last year – and it wasn’t even close. 

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that attendance for the first two rounds of the tournament was more than 292,000 – up from last year’s record, when almost 232,000 fans attended the first two rounds.

Among the host sites, Iowa had the biggest crowds with nearly 29,000 fans packing Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the first and second rounds. 

"We expected the historic success and quality of play and high level of competition from the regular season would carry through into March Madness. Our championship is again delivering," NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement. "Record crowds, ratings, incredible performances and evolving storylines will continue to make the next two weeks a must-see for fans across the world."

And for those that couldn’t attend the sold-out Iowa games, they watched on television. Monday’s matchup between Iowa and West Virginia drew 4.9 million viewers, setting a record for a women’s D-I tournament game prior to the Final Four. 

It is also the third most watched tournament game in the last 20 years, behind last year’s national championship between LSU and Iowa (9.92 million) and Iowa’s Final Four win over South Carolina (5.6 million).

Iowa’s game against Holy Cross in the first round drew 3.23 million viewers. 

But it wasn’t just Iowa drawing big viewership. ESPN’s five games on Monday averaged 2.25 million viewers. UConn and Syracuse drew 2.05 million viewers while LSU and Middle Tennessee on ABC drew 2.01 million viewers on Sunday. 

The full, 16-game slate for the second round averaged 1.4 million viewers – a 121% increase from last year and the highest average ever for the second round.

The full tournament so far is averaging 812,000 viewers per game, a 108% increase from last year.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.