By R.L. Bynum
Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton had big games Saturday to help their streaking teams earn road victories, while Dontrez Styles had his best game of the season in a loss for slumping N.C. State and Ali Zelaya had her career-best game to finish a monster weekend.
Both , Love and Dawson G”_3_($: x .arcia hit memorable recent buzzer-beaters.
Love, playing 39 minutes, collected 27 points, five 3-pointers, seven assists and six rebounds in an 81–73 victory at Arizona State.
Late in the game, Love was ejected after the Sun Devils’ B.J. Freeman head-butted him. Freeman was only ejected after a replay review by the referees. You can watch the play here.
Love, who leads the Wildcats in scoring at 16.2 points per game, has had some memorable performances of late, including hitting a buzzer-beating shot from beyond half-court on Tuesday in their 86–75 overtime home upset of No. 3 Iowa.
Saturday’s win was Arizona’s fourth in a row (15–6, 9–1 Big 12), which tied No. 6 Houston (17–4, 9–1) for the Big 12 lead.
The Wildcats are tied because Walton’s Texas Tech team (17–4, 8–2) gave the Cougars their first loss with an 82–91 overtime win in Houston. Walton, who has started every game for the Red Raiders but is only averaging 4.9 points, scored 14 points and four 3-pointers in Texas Tech’s sixth consecutive victory.
Styles couldn’t stop the losing streak for the Wolfpack (9–12, 2–8 ACC), now at six, but he scored 24 points and six 3-pointers, both season-highs and for his best career ACC game, in N.C. State’s 68–58 home loss Saturday to Clemson.
Styles is 10 of 14 from 3-point range in the last two games after scoring 18 points and four 3-pointers in Monday’s 74–64 loss at No. 2 Duke.
Zelaya has scored 49 points in two games over the last three days.
She produced her seventh career double-double with 27 points (a career-high), 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a 76–57 home win Sunday for UNCW (12–10, 6–3 ACC) over Stony Brook, the Seahawks’ third consecutive victory.
The previous career-best for Zelaya (whose best game for UNC was 12 points on Feb. 22 last season in a home win over N.C. State ) was her 22 points on Friday in the Seahawks’ 70–67 home overtime victory over Hofstra. She had never scored at least 20 points before this weekend.
James Okonkwo isn’t putting up big numbers in his senior season at Akron (7.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game), but the Zips (16–5, 9–0 MAC) are alone atop the MAC with a nine-game win streak.
Okonkwo produced a double-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in Akron’s 85–71 Friday victory at Kent State.
In the Big Ten, Dawson Garcia’s Minnesota team (11–11) and Penn State (13–9), with D’Marco Dunn and Puff Johnson, are both 3–8.
Garcia had another big game in Saturday’s 71–68 home loss to Washington with 28 points, two 3-pointers, four rebounds and four assists. It was his 15th game with at least 20 points this season. His season-high is 31 points on Jan. 25 against Oregon.
Garcia, who leads the Gophers in scoring (20.1 points per game) and rebounding (7.1), hit a game-winning 3-pointer from the Minnesota logo at the buzzer on Jan. 16 against Michigan in an 84–81 overtime victory.
Not only is Penn State struggling, Johnson has missed the last four games because of a hand injury. He’s started all 17 games he’s played, averaging 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals. His season-high is 20 points on Nov. 12 against Saint Francis (Pa.)
Dunn has come off the bench in all 21 games, averaging 6.2 points while shooting 94.4% from the free-throw line. His season-best game was 18 points and five rebounds on Jan. 15 at Michigan State.
Tyler Nickel’s No. 24 Vanderbilt team (16–5, 4–4) suffered a 97–67 Saturday loss at Oklahoma, when he had two points on 1 of 8 shooting. Nickel has started all 21 games, averaging 10.2 points while shooting 37.8% from 3-point range. His best game was 24 points and six 3-pointers on Nov. 22 against Seton Hall.
Destiny Adams continues to put up big numbers in her senior season for Rutgers (9–13, 1–10 Big Ten) in another tough season for the Scarlet Knights. Adams, averaging 17.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, had 19 points and six rebounds in Thursday’s 69–65 home loss to Illinois.
Deja Kelly has hit a bad scoring stretch at Oregon (16–6, 7–5 Big Ten), combining for 23 points (but 15 assists) in the last four games, including two points in Sunday’s 80–48 loss at Michigan. Kelly is shooting a career-low 57.4% at the free-throw line after shooting 75.5% during her four seasons at Carolina.
On Jan 10, Kelly hit the game-winning jumper with 4.1 seconds left in the Ducks’ 63–61 victory at Penn State.
Redshirt junior Teonni Key has started all 21 games for No. 12 Kentucky (19–2, 8–1 SEC), which got a huge 95–86 road win Sunday over No. 13 Oklahoma. Key, averaging 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, fouled out after playing 22 minutes with two points and six rebounds.
Kennedy Todd-Williams, a fifth-year player in her second season at Ole Miss (15–6, 6–3 SEC), is averaging 11.9 points per game while shooting 82.3% at the free-throw line. She had eight points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks Sunday in the Rebels’ 76–51 road upset of No. 23 Vanderbilt.
Paulina Paris, a junior in her first season at Arizona (14–9, 5–5 Big 12), has started 19 of 23 games, averaging nine points, 3.2 rebounds. 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals. Paris, who had five steals on Jan. 25 against West Virginia, scored three points in 17 minutes on 1 of 6 shooting in Friday’s 67–58 loss at Utah.
Anya Poole got her fifth start of her fifth and final college season for Clemson (11–11, 4–7 ACC) in the Tigers’ 94–65 Sunday loss at Boston College, but got into foul trouble and was scoreless. She’s averaging 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 57.6% from the floor.
RyLee Grays is getting limited playing time in her first season at Virginia (12–11, 4–7 ACC). She has come off the bench 20 of 21 games and scored 41 points on the season. She played five scoreless minutes in Sunday’s 70–67 win at Syracuse.
Redshirt sophomore Will Shaver continues to play sparingly for UAB (14–8, 7–2 American). He hasn’t played since getting in for one minute of a Jan. 4 home game against Tulsa and has two points in 41 total minutes.
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan guard
6–1, 180 pounds | Junior | UNC 2023–25 (2 seasons)
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
Trayanna Crisp, Mississippi State guard
5–8 | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
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
Ian Jackson, St. John’s guard
6–5, 195 pounds | Sophomore | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
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
Puff Johnson, Ohio State
6–8, 190 pounds | Graduate | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
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
Cade Tyson, Minnesota wing
6–7, 180 pounds | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
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)
Jalen Washington, Vanderbilt center
6–9, 240 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–25 (3 seasons)
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
Photo via @ArizonaWBB
