Styles ties career-high, bloodied by elbow; Adams sets career-high; Nickel misses game

By R.L. Bynum

It was another night of career-highs for former Carolina players.

On Wednesday, it was Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles and Rutgers’ Destiny Adams with big games — although both were in losses — one night after Justin McKoy scored a career-high 15 points in his Hawaii debut.

Styles got off to a hot start and tied his career-high of 15 points by halftime. But he went scoreless and took an elbow to the face in the second half of the Hoyas’ 71–57 loss at Rutgers.

Styles, who had to settle for tying the career high he set in the opener against Le Moyne, bled heavily around his left eye after taking an elbow to the face from Rutgers’ Cliffo Omoruyi with 7½ minutes left. The game stopped so that an athletic trainer could attend to him on the bench, but Styles returned 2½ minutes later.

Styles’ three 3-pointers bettered his career-high of two in the Le Moyne game. He made four of seven shots from the floor, including three of five from 3-point range.

A Styles 3-pointer cut Georgetown’s deficit to 33–32 with 1:13 left in the first half. But Rutgers led 38–32 at halftime, then jumped out to a 54–36 advantage early in the second half.

Georgetown (1–2), which has lost two in a row since the opening-game win over Le Moyne, hosts Mount St. Mary’s at noon Saturday.


Adams’ 27 points in Rutgers’ 82–63 loss at Seton Hall easily topped her previous season-high of 17 set in the Scarlet Knights’ 86–43 home win over Wagner last Thursday.

Adams tied her career-high with 15 shots and scored a career-high 11 field goals in addition to pulling down eight assists, which tied for the team-high.

Adams’ point total and field-goal total bettered her previous best of 23 points and 10 field goals for Carolina last season on Nov. 16 against South Carolina State.

Adams, who got a steal and a layup in the game’s first minute, battled foul trouble with four fouls and committed a career-high seven turnovers after turning it over six times in Sunday’s 76–56 loss to Auburn.

Rutgers (2–2) is at home at noon Saturday against Saint Francis.


Tyler Nickel, who averaged 21 minutes and seven points in Virginia Tech’s first two games, missed the Hokies’ 60–44 Wednesday home victory over Campbell because of an illness. The Hokies (2–1) are back at home at 5 p.m. Sunday against Wofford (ESPN3).



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In Thursday games, Dawson Garcia’s Minnesota team (2–0) is at home at 9 p.m. against Missouri (Big Ten Network), Justin McKoy’s Hawaii team (1–0) faces Niagara at 1 a.m. ET at home, Will Shaver’s UAB team (1–2) hosts Alcorn State at 8 p.m. (ESPN+) and Kerwin Walton’s Texas Tech (2–0) team hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 8 p.m. (ESPN+).


Roster situation Starter
Season statistics — 38 games, 38 starts, 10.2 points, 41.6 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 69.4 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists
Team record: 35–3; Rank: No. 3
Friday: 90–77 win Midwest Regional Sweet 16 in Chicago vs. No. 18 Alabama — Started; 33:37, 17 points, 6–14 FG, 3–8 3FG, 2–5 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 fouls, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 1 block, +15
Sunday: 95–62 win Midwest Regional final in Chicago vs. No. 23 Tennessee — Started; 34:20, 8 points, 3–7 FG, 1–2 3FG, 1–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 10 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, +30
Next game — 8:49 p.m. Saturday vs. No. 2 Arizona at Final Four in Indianapolis, TBS


Roster situation Starter
Season statistics — 30 games, 30 starts, 8.7 points, 38.3 FG%, 37.1 3P%, 84.6 FT%, 2.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Team record: 18–13
Season ended with SEC tournament loss


RyLee Grays, Tulsa forward
6–4 | Junior | UNC 2023–24 (1 season)

Roster situation One of four forwards competing for time
Season statistics — 30 games, 2.3 points, 43.6 FG%, 4–10 3FG, 69.7 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 8 blocks, 12 steals
Team record: 19–12
Season ended with loss in American Conference tournament


Roster situation Starter, sharing time in a point-guard-by-committee mix
Season statistics — 36 games, 19 starts, 9.4 points, 40.9 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 90.0 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Team record: 30–7; Rank: No. 13
Friday: 80–75 loss in East Regional Sweet 16 in Washington vs. No. 1 Duke — Didn’t start; 16 minutes, 5 points, 2–8 FG, 1–7 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, 2 assists
Season ended with loss to Duke


Roster situation Reserve
Team record: 21–13
Season statistics — 9 games, 1 start, 2.3 points, 33.3 FG%, 3–7 3FG, 6–9 FT, 1.1 rebounds
Season ended with first-round NCAA tournament loss to TCU


Teonni Key, Kentucky forward
6–4 | RS senior | UNC 2022–24 (2 seasons)

Roster situation Starting forward
Season statistics — 28 games, 28 starts, 11.4 points, 51.2 FG%, 2–15 3FG, 69.8 FT%, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks
Team record: 25–11; Rank: No. 17
Saturday: 76–54 loss in Fort Worth Regional 1 Sweet 16 vs. No. 3 Texas — Started; 31:31, 10 points, 2–8 FG, 0–1 3FG, 6–6 FT, 9 rebounds, 4 fouls, 2 assists, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal, 1 block, -17
Season ended with loss to Texas


Ven-Allen Lubin, N.C. State forward
6–9, 250 pounds | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)

Roster situation Starting center
Season statistics — 34 games, 34 starts, 13.6 points, ACC-leading 66.8 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 73.3 FT%, 7.1 rebounds
Team record: 20–14
Season ended with NCAA First Four loss to Texas


Tyler Nickel, Vanderbilt wing
6–7, 220 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)

Roster situation Starting forward
Season statistics — 36 games, 36 starts, 13.5 points, 44.4 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 84.7 FT%, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Team record: 27–9: Rank: No. 22
Season ended with loss to No. 4 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament


Paulina Paris, SMU guard
5–9 | Senior | UNC 2022–24 (2 seasons)

Season statistics — 20 games, 12 starts, 9.6 points, 39.9 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 69.7 FT%, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Team record: 9–21, 2–16 ACC
Season ended with left foot injury in February


Will Shaver, Samford center
6–10, 265 pounds | RS junior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)

Roster situation Reserve minutes
Season statistics — 30 games, 2.6 points, 47.6 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 59.3 FT%, 2.6 rebounds, 17 blocks, 7 steals
Team record: 18–14
Season ended with loss in Southern Conference tournament


Roster situation Starter
Season statistics — 31 games, 32 starts, team-leading 19.6 points, 50.0 FG%, 42.2 3P%, 82.6 FT%, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Team record: 15–17
Next game — 10:30 Wednesday at College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas vs. Baylor, FS1 (first game since March 11)


Roster situation Backup center
Season statistics — 36 games, 9 starts, 8.9 points, 56.3 FG%, 29.4 3P%, 74.1 FT%, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
Team record: 27–9; Rank: No. 22
Season ended with loss to No. 4 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament

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