Around the NCAAW Weekly: UConn’s dominance has not been forgotten

Around the NCAAW Weekly highlights the notable events of the week. Check out the milestones, surprises and outstanding performances:

Milestones

No. 3 UConn Huskies

As of their No. 4 ranking in the AP Poll on Monday, Jan. 13, the Huskies reached 500-straight weeks in the Top 25.

No. 2 Baylor Lady Bears

The Lady Bears won their 45th-straight regular-season conference game on Jan. 18, a new Big 12 record.

Tyasha Harris of the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks

In a win over the Missouri Tigers on Jan. 16, Harris’ 11 points and five assists made her one of only two players in Gamecock history to score 1,000 points and reach 600 career assists. The other player is Cristina Ciocan, who played from 2000 to 2004.

Sabrina Ionescu of the No. 4 Oregon Ducks

On Jan. 16, Ionescu leaped past Allison Lang to become the all-time leading scorer in Oregon women’s basketball history. In the win over Stanford, she scored a career-high 37 points to leave her with 2,265 total points.

Ionescu is not done with milestones either:

No. 24 South Dakota Coyotes

The Coyotes handed their rival, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, a 35-point loss on Jan. 19. The Jackrabbits are not accustomed to losing by that much in Summit League play — not by a long shot. Their prior biggest loss had been by 16 points to Oakland back in 2009.

Highlights: Coyotes maul Jackrabbits

Surprises

Chicago State Cougars over Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners

With a 60-58 win over a good Roadrunners (11-6, 3-1 WAC) team on Jan. 18, the Cougars broke their 22-game losing streak that dates back to last year.

USC Trojans over No. 10 UCLA Bruins

The Bruins are no longer undefeated. They lost to a weak USC team that had been 0-5 in the Pac-12 before the double-overtime game on Jan. 17. Aliyah Jeune notched the first double-double of her career with 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans. Her teammate, Alissa Pili, chipped in 19 points and 17 rebounds.

Southern Illinois Salukis over Missouri State Lady Bears

Missouri State was on a 13-game road winning streak in the MVC before dropping this one on Jan. 17. The Lady Bears have now been removed from the rankings because of this loss to a 10-6 team (2-3 MVC). Meanwhile, Southern Illinois picked up its first win over a ranked team since 1991.

LSU Tigers over No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats

LSU has been on a bit of a roll, winning three of its last four games, two of which were against ranked opponents (Texas A&M and Kentucky). The one loss was to the No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs. But on Jan. 19, the Tigers were able to come away with the upset over the Wildcats despite Rhyne Howard’s 26 points and 12 rebounds. Faustine Aifuwa notched a double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) in the Tigers’ win.

Destiny Pitts of the Minnesota Golden Gophers

Pitts has entered the Transfer Portal after being suspended by Minnesota head coach Lindsay Whalen. Pitts was Minnesota’s leading scorer and her departure adds to a long line of misfortune Whalen’s program has faced since last season’s great non-conference run.

Other top performances

Ashley Joens: 31 points and 15 rebounds for the Iowa State Cyclones in a loss to the TCU Horned Frogs on Jan. 15.

Alex Fowler: 35 points and seven rebounds for the Portland Pilots in a win over the Santa Clara Broncos on Jan. 18.

Satou Sabally: 31 points and seven rebounds for Oregon in a win over Cal on Jan. 19.

Raina Perez: 34 points for the Cal State Fullerton Titans in a loss to the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Jan. 18.

Taylor Robertson: 31 points for the Oklahoma Sooners in a win over the No. 25 West Virginia Mountaineers on Jan. 15.

Games of the week

No. 22 Northwestern Wildcats over No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers, 71-69 (OT) on Jan. 16

A steal by Wildcat junior Jordan Hamilton with seven seconds left in overtime ended this one after a 9-7 advantage by Northwestern in that quarter. The Hoosiers hurt their cause at the end of regulation by fouling Veronica Burton on a fastbreak, leading to a converted three-point play by the Wildcat sophomore. If it had just been the basket and no free throw, Indiana would have remained up by one point with 28 seconds left. Northwestern had four players score in double figures, led by Abi Scheid with 16 points. Burton added 15 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Mackenzie Holmes led all scorers with 22 points, while Hoosiers teammate Grace Berger had 16 points, eight boards and four steals in the losing effort.

No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes over Minnesota Golden Gophers, 76-75 on Jan. 16

In their first game without Destiny Pitts, the Gophers put up a fight against a Hawkeyes team that had been on a roll. Minnesota led after three quarters, but Iowa stormed back with a 19-9 fourth quarter to win by one. A 3-pointer by Alexis Sevillian with eight seconds left proved to be the game-winning shot. Monika Czinano scored 21 points to lead Iowa, while Kathleen Doyle recorded 17 points and eight assists.

Freshman Sara Scalia posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double for Minnesota in the losing bid.

Michigan State Spartans over Ohio State Buckeyes, 68-65 on Jan. 16

With 13.4 seconds remaining and her team down two points, Nia Clouden put in a tricky, short jumper and drew a foul in the process. She made the ensuing free throw, and two more free throws following a Buckeyes foul, to seal the deal. Clouden finished with 20 points and Taryn McCutcheon had seven assists for the winners.

Highlights: Spartans squeak by Buckeyes

Best upcoming matchups

No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers (15-3, 5-1 SEC) at No. 3 Connecticut Huskies (16-1, 7-0 AAC)

When: Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m.

Where: XL Center in Hartford, CT

How to watch/listen: ESPN/Huskies All-Access or Tennessee Athletics

No. 4 Oregon Ducks (15-2, 5-1 Pac-12) at No. 7 Oregon State Beavers (16-2, 4-2 Pac-12)

When: Sunday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m.

Where: Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, OR

How to watch/listen: ESPN2/Oregon State All-Access or TUNEIN