We review the best of the pre-holiday hoops action, highlighting noteworthy performances and more from Monday, Dec. 11 to Sunday, Dec. 17.
Takeaways from top-25 battles
The past week presented three games where both teams were ranked in the top 25. Let’s revisit the results.
No. 19 Marquette 76, No. 20 Creighton 70
Marquette (10-0) again escaped unscathed, edging Creighton (7-2) for the 76-70 home win on Wednesday. Similar to their squeaker against Illinois State, the Golden Eagles saved their best for the game’s latter stages, closing on a 12-6 run to triumph over their Big East foe. Liza Karlen once again was crucial, with her clutch scores contributing to her team-high 25 points. She also grabbed 12 boards to total her second-straight double-double.
The Bluejays, with an offense organized around high-volume 3-point shooting, couldn’t get it going from behind the arc, shooting 26.7 percent as a team. Senior forward Emma Ronsiek had the most success, hitting three triples as she scored a game-high 29 points.
No. 17 UConn 86, No. 18 Louisville 62
Senior wing Aubrey Griffin brought the energy and urgency the ailing Huskies needed, scoring a season-high 25 points while also securing five rebounds and four steals to propel UConn (7-3) to the 86-62 victory….
