Nov. 24, 2007

UPSET CITY: WFU Downs No. 10 Aggies 53-46

The Wake Forest women's basketball team was in heaven at the Paradise Jam as it posted a 53-46 upset over No. 10/11 Texas A&M on Friday afternoon. The win marks WFU's highest ranked victory outside of the Demon Deacon home court in the program's 36-year history.

The Demon Deacon (4-1) defense stifled the Texas A&M (3-1) shooting game, holding the Aggies to 31 percent from the floor for the A&M's lowest mark this season.

Both teams racked up the foul count early - by the ten minute mark the Deacons had 10 fouls while the Aggies had eight. The Deacons were seven of nine from the line in the half, with Tiffany Roulhac leading the count at three for four.

Virginia Takes Down No. 21/22 Texas, 86-83

Aisha Mohammed had a double-double, Monica Wright scored a game-high 23 points and Paulisha Kellum hit crucial free throws down the stretch to lead the Virginia women's basketball team to an 86-83 victory over 21st-ranked Texas Friday at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mohammed was a dominant force in the paint, connecting on 9 out of 13 field goals and hauling down 10 rebounds. Wright, meanwhile, had her second-consecutive 20+ point performance to lead four Cavaliers in double-figure scoring.

Kellum finished with 18 points and was 8-for-10 from the charity stripe, including five in the last two minutes, to help seal the UVa victory. Lyndra Littles netted 16 points and Sharneé Zoll dished out nine assists to round out the total team effort from the Cavaliers.

No. 9 Duke Tops Temple In Paradise Jam, 64-53

Carrem Gay was the latest Duke player to step up and show future opponents how hard it will be to deal with the Blue Devils' depth.

Gay led three players in double figures and No. 9 Duke beat Temple 64-53 on Friday night at the Paradise Jam. Duke got 13 points from Chante Black and 11 from Jasmine Thomas, who led the Blue Devils the night before in a 53-41 win over No. 22 Purdue.

Gay tallied her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils (5-0), who are looking toward a possible matchup with second-ranked Connecticut on Sunday.

Wolfpack Cruise Into Junkanoo Jam Championship Game

NC State's Khadijah Whittington had another monster game with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in a 77-51 dismantling of Washington State in the first day of the Junkanoo Jam on the Grand Bahama Island.

The Wolfpack (5-1) will play Eastern Michigan tomorrow in the championship game of the Lucaya Division at 3:20 pm.

Shayla Fields added 12 points and five assists, while Sharnise Beal came off the bench to toss in 11 points. Lucy Ellison led all players with 13 rebounds as she led the Pack to a 49-31 rebound advantage.

No. 20 FSU Women's Basketball Comes Away With 81-78 Victory At Florida

Similar to how the series between Florida State and Florida has swung in the Seminoles' favor the last few seasons, the ability for FSU to win at the O'Connell Center has grown in recent years. A Mara Freshour free throw with 5.3 seconds remaining put the Seminoles up three and a UF desperation heave fell short as No. 20 Florida State prevailed 81-78 on Friday (November 23).

The victory improved Florida State to 5-1 on the season. FSU has won four of the last five, after dropping the previous 16, against the Gators, who fell to 3-2. The win was just the second for the Seminoles in Gainesville since the 1990-91 season.

Lady Tigers Win, 62-59, Over Rice In Friday Coors Classic Action

April Parker hit three free throws in the final 15 seconds, including two with just 3.6 remaining, to secure a 62-59 Lady Tiger victory over Rice on Friday evening at the Coors Events Center in the 21st annual Coors Classic. Clemson will vie for the tournament title against the winner of host Colorado and Siena on Saturday at 7:30 pm (Mountain Time).

The Lady Tigers (3-3) saw a 13-point second half advantage dwindle to just three with 39.5 seconds left, but Parker knocked down the foul shots and ended the game with a career-high 16 points. The sophomore transfer was just one rebound shy of a double-double and also contributed an assist, a block and a steal in the contest.

Miami Shuts Down Fordham in 57-40 Win

The University of Miami women's basketball team(2-2) put on a defensive clinic in their 57-40 win over the visiting Fordham University Rams (0-4), in the opening round of the UM Thanksgiving Tournament at the BankUnited Center.

Every game so far this season the Hurricanes have led their opponent in rebounds, as they did Friday night 45-42. However, Miami hadn't really put together a complete game until facing Fordham. The Rams committed 22 turnovers and didn't have a single player reach double-digit points.

Junior Lamese James came off the bench and recorded the second double-double of her career with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Also having a great game was freshman Vitalija Vasciunaite who had 12 points, sharing the team-lead with senior Maurita Reid. All of Vasciunaite points came via the long ball with two three-pointers in each half.

No. 3 Maryland Deals UC-Santa Barbara 75-71 Defeat

Marissa Coleman scored 30 points and Kristi Toliver threw two free throws for No. 3 Maryland to clinch a 75-71 victory over UC Santa Barbara Friday night.

Toliver also scored 19 points for the Terps (7-0) and Laura Harper added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Coleman sank 18 of 20 free-throw attempts.

Maryland played without two-time All-America forward Crystal Langhorne, who has a sprained ankle. Head coach Brenda Frese, who is expecting twins in March, did not make the trip on advice of her doctor.

USC edges Tech, 65-64

USC used an 11-2 run over the final 3:58 to hand Virginia Tech it's first loss the season, 65-64, in the Freeport bracket of the Junkanoo Jam being played at St. Georges High School gym. Tech will play Prairie View in the consolation game Saturday at 5:40 p.m.

Tech (3-1) was in control for most of the contest and led 62-54 with just under four minutes to play before the Trojans made their comeback. Simone Jelks hit two free throws followed by a Nadia Parker layup off a steal to draw the Trojans to within four. Andrea Barbour (Fr., Charlottesville, Va.) missed a layup which was followed by a Jelks trey to narrow the gap to 62-61.