Top 5 performances from NCAAW Week 2: OT, upsets and Iowa State's 'savvy, selfless' Ashley Joens

The women’s basketball rankings got wacky after two top-four teams and preeminent programs lost over the weekend. No. 1 South Carolina lost for the first time in more than a year and coach Dawn Staley called it an instance of players being “uncoachable, untamable, just not listening.”

No. 4 Baylor also took a tumble to No. 16 Arkansas, which beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in 17 years. No. 6 Mississippi State lost 67-63 to South Florida, which nearly took out Baylor ahead of the weekend slate. And No. 5 Louisville was outstanding in its ranked matchup this week, begging the question of just how high the team will go.

Here are the five top performances of the weekend that include two 30-plus-point player performances by WNBA prospects and an overtime winner.

N.C. State topples No. 1 South Carolina

It’s old news by now, but still worthy of inclusion for a top performance. N.C. State started rattling the rankings by taking down No. 1 South Carolina, 54-46, on Thursday night. It was the squad’s first loss in 30 games dating back to November 2019 when the Gamecocks lost to Indiana at Paradise Jam.

Head coach Dawn Staley didn’t hold back in her assessment of the game. The Gamecocks struggled from the onset shooting 27 percent from the field (20-of-74). They look disheveled and with the game in reach late turned to individual play — resulting in poor shot selection — rather than relying on team basketball. Going 4-for-11 from the free-throw line didn’t help, either. Via The Next:

South Carolina (4-1) did bounce back with an 85-63 win over ranked Iowa State. Can’t take anything away from the Wolfpack though for being the one to go into Columbia and take the W.

Louisville demolishes ranked DePaul

ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo couldn’t help but laugh at Louisville coach Jeff Walz going to Twitter to ask for opponents and seemingly struggling to find some.

“And now we know why,” she said on the broadcast with the Cardinals deep into a blowout of their ranked opponent. “Everyone else knows how good they are.”

No. 5 Louisville set a program record for points in the 116-75 trouncing of No. 20 DePaul, which lost by a bucket in its opener against No. 12 Texas A&M. It broke the Cardinals record of 115 points against Murray State set in 2017. The team had 101 points heading into the fourth quarter when it pulled its key players and led by as many as 51 points.

Hailey Van Lith, a freshman, and Kianna Smith each scored 21 points. Olivia Cochran put up 19 points and 10 rebounds as five players got into double digits. The Cardinals shot a combined 60.5 percent (49-of-81) to DePaul’s 28.4 (23-of-81).

DePaul replaced UConn in the Women’s Jimmy V Classic game because the Huskies temporarily paused their schedule while dealing with a COVID-19 positive in their group.

Aari McDonald makes WNBA draft case

Aari McDonald, Arizona’s senior guard, led the No. 7 ranked Wildcats to a 78-77 comeback win against USC on Sunday in what is shaping up to be another thrilling Pac-12 season.

McDonald scored 30 points in 39 minutes on the floor, shooting 12-of-20 overall. She added four rebounds, all on the defensive end, and two assists. It’s the 10th game of her career with at least 30 points and she extended her consecutive double-digit scoring streak to an NCAA-best 69 games.

Arizona fell behind by 11 in the third quarter and rattled off a 22-3 run, boosted by McDonald and Cate Reese (25 points), to close out the win. They combined for 11 straight points to tie the game at 53 in the third quarter and helped the Wildcats on a 18-3 run that gave them a 60-56 lead late.

The Wildcats will face rival Arizona State (4-1) on Thursday.

South Dakota State takes down ranked Gonzaga in OT

South Dakota State redshirt junior Lindsey Thuninck drilled the game-winning 3-pointer from the corner to take down No. 18 Gonzaga, 75-72, in overtime on Sunday.

The Jackrabbits (3-0) also have wins over ranked Iowa State (76-69) and Creighton (66-47).

Myah Selland forced overtime with an and-1 layup that tied it at 64. Her 3-pointer with 28 seconds left gave South Dakota State the lead, 72-70, before Jill Townsend laid one in for Gonzaga with nine seconds remaining. Townsend had 29 points and six rebounds.

Iowa State’s Ashley Joens vs. South Carolina

Iowa State’s Ashley Joens scored 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting against South Carolina, which came into the week ranked No. 1. Joens accounted for half of No. 23 Iowa State’s points in the 83-65 loss. She made three of her five 3-point attempts, was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line and added a team-high five rebounds and one steal.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley spoke highly of Joens, calling her savvy and selfless. The 6-foot junior guard/forward is averaging 31.5 points per game, best in the nation. She has three games of at least 30 points (she dropped 25 in the opener) whereas no other player in Division I has two 30-point games.

“If there’s a better player in the country, someone better call me and tell me,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said postgame.

Joens and Iowa State (2-2) are back in action vs. Iowa on Wednesday and North Dakota on Saturday.

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