LACEY LOWDOWN

In our latest NCAA Division I roundup we report on some high scoring efforts from Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Helen Matthews, Maia Jones and note milestone performances from Emme Shearer and Lilly Parke.

Shearer celebrated her birthday in style as Portland won 83-65 at Washington State. Shearer scored a game high 24 points and taking her career tally to 1,450 points. This meant she passed the 1,439 points scored by Stella Beck (St Mary’s College 2014-18), also in the West Coast Conference, and moved her up to fifth on the all-time list of Kiwi scorers in NCAA Division I basketball.

Still ahead of Shearer are Charlisse Leger-Walker (1,743 points), Erin Rooney (1,647), Akiene-Tera Reed (1,624) and Megan Compain (1,497). In addition Shearer has now played 143 games in her career, tied for the most in Portland’s women’s programme history.

Also in the West Coast Conference there were consecutive 23-point outings from Maia Jones. The first included 11 points scored in the crucial fourth period as St Mary’s College, California (7-3) beat San Diego 72-63. It wasn’t such a good outcome on Saturday for St Mary’s with the Gaels trumped 74-67 in overtime by Santa Clara – Jones adding a trio of rebounds, assists and steals in that one..

Helen Matthews scored 20 points and added 7 boards and 3 assists as Wofford used a second half surge to beat Mercer 61-51. “I think I have been more deliberate in getting to the rim and getting to the free-throw line. I think when I do that it makes it harder for the other team and it worked for me tonight”, said the Cantabrian guard.

Matthews followed that with 15 points, 5 boards and 3 assists as Wofford improved to 5-0 – its best start to conference play in programme history – after an 84-49 demolition of Samford.

On the occasion of her 50^th appearance – all starts – Lilly Parke was in sparkling form as Fairleigh Dickinson (6-0) beat Stonehill 72-54. Parke added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals to a team high 17 points.

In a clash between two of the top sides in the Big West Conference that both featured Kiwis it was Hawaii (7-2), with Ritorya Tamilo and Rebecca Moors, that defeated Olivia Williams’ UC Irvine (7-2) 46-42 in a low scoring contest. Tamilo was one of the standouts for Hawaii recording her first double-double; 11 points and 11 rebounds to accompany a game high 3 blocks.

Another fine all- court performance from Leah Mafua helped Central Arkansas (6-1) hold off Lipscomb for a narrow 71-69 win. Mafua finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block.

Mackenzie Chatfield, promoted to the starting five, produced her first career double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) as Western Kentucky (5-2) made it five straight wins with their 82-49 success against Sam Houston.

Freshman Hannah Richardson scored a season high 10 points – one of only two St Bonaventure players in double figures – as the Bonnies (1-7) were beaten 83-56 by Saint Joseph’s.

Dani Bayes made 2 from 4 three on her way to 9 points as Boise State (4-4) lost 79-70 to Colorado State.

Lilly Taulelei scored a season high 6 points as Iowa State (6-3) bagged a comfortable 90-56 win against Central Florida.

Having scored a career best 32 points the previous week Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones matched that figure, on 10 from 14 from the field and 12 from 13 from the free-throw line as UC San Diego (7-2) defeated of California State Northridge. Tait-Jones is averaging 19.7ppg and has tallied 89 points in his last three games.

Ben Gold made 3 from 5 threes in his 11-point outing as #10 Marquette won 76-59 at Seton Hall and then had a double of 8 points and 9 rebounds in an 87-74 defeat of Villanova to improve the Marquette record to 8-1 in the Big East Conference.

January 22

This week’s NCAA Division I roundup is littered with milestones and standout performances and we begin with the prolific Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones who continues to rack up big numbers whilst steadily climbing up the ranks of all-time career numbers by a Kiwi.

UC San Diego Tritons (5-2) slipped to an 85-81 loss at UC Riverside but it didn’t prevent Tait-Jones continuing his prolific scoring form. He made a career high 32 points, the second highest individual score by a Triton in the programme’s Division I era.

Now with 812 career points Tait-Jones becomes just the 11^th Kiwi to score over 800 points in Men’s NCAA Division I basketball. To get in the top 10 he needs to pass the 896 points scored by current BNZ Breakers forward Sam Mennenga in his three years at Davidson College (2020-23).

Playing his 90^th game for Marquette, Ben Gold made a career high tying 4 three-pointers on his way to 14 points as the Golden Eagles (6-1) won 85-83 in an overtime thriller at DePaul. Gold is the 21^st kiwi to make 90 Men’s NCAA Division I appearances.

Tafara Gapare scored 9 points as Maryland (4-4) were pipped 76-74 in overtime by Northwestern.

Tom Beattie also tallied 9 points as Hawaii (4-3) dropped a home encounter against Cal State Northridge 83-60.

Another 9-point outing was registered by Nick Book as South Carolina Upstate (1-4) fell 97-68 to Gardner Webb. Book was a force on the boards with a season high 8 rebounds.

Former Christ’s College standout Hunter Adam saw his 50^th appearance for Davidson College (2-3) end in disappointment as Davidson were pipped at the death by Rhode Island 92-90. Adam had 2 points and 4 rebounds in the contest.

Women’s NCAA Division I

It was a terrifically efficient performance from Leah Mafua that led Central Arkansas to a 67-53 victory against North Florida. Mafua, on 4 from 6 from deep and 6 out of 6 from the foul line, scored a career high 24 points, hoovered up 12 rebounds, dished 4 assists and snared 3 steals.

Mafua made it a fine double as she totalled 18 points and 7 assists as Central Arkansas (5-1) won a home contest against Stetson 85-64. That’s eight consecutive double figure outings for the Wellingtonian who has passed 200 points this season.

Helen Matthews paced Wofford College (3-0) to a 66-53 home win against Western Carolina. Matthews was one point short of a career high in scoring 24 points on 7 of 11 from the field and 9 out of 10 from the foul line. The Cantabrian also added 7 rebounds, a pair of assists and two blocks.

Fairleigh Dickinson are 5-0 in the Northeast Conference after downing Central Connecticut 75-58 with Lilly Parke scoring 14 points (4/9FG, 5/5FT) in the win.

For the second time this month Portland (6-3) were pipped at the post by Gonzaga (6-2) going down 66-65. That meant it was all smiles for Tayla Dalton (2 points and 8 rebounds) while Emme Shearer (13 points and 5 rebounds) will rue another missed opportunity. 

Making her 127^th Division I game Dalton moved past Amiee Book (CSU Fullerton 2018-21, Fresno State 2021-23) into 10^th spot on the New Zealand all-time list for Women’s Division I appearance .

A couple of days later Shearer and Portland bounced back from the loss in emphatic fashion winning 86-61 at Oregon State. The former Harbour guard had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the win.

Also in West Coast conference play Maia Jones pulled down a career high 9 rebounds to accompany 8 points as St Mary’s (6-2) dominated the second half against Pepperdine to win 56-41.

Also with 8 points was UC Irvine wing Olivia Williams – UCI (6-1) with a tight 68-66 win against Cal Poly.

Dani Bayes scored 11 points and plucked 5 rebounds as Boise State (4-3) won 93-64 against San Jose State.

Ritorya Tamilo also scored 11 points as Hawaii (5-2) won 75-47 at Cal State Northridge.

Hannah Richardson was just a single point shy of her season best in scoring 8 points for St Bonaventure in its heavy loss at Richmond (98-60).

We lead this week with Leah Mafua who dished 7 assists, grabbed 4 steals and stacked up a season best 17 points as Central Arkansas (3-1) remained unbeaten at home with an 86-75 win against Lipscomb.

The former Hutt Valley star then made her sixth double figure score on the bounce with 10 points in a 66-57 road win at Queens University of Charlotte.

Helen Matthews was prominent as Wofford College opened its Southern Conference campaign with a 68-51 home win against Furman. The former Kaiapoi College standout posted 16 points with four made triples, a career high. She added 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Scoring a dozen points Olivia Williams brought up 400 career points as UC Irvine (3-1) proved too good for Cal State Northridge winning 68-39.

Five teams are tied for top spot in the West Coast Conference (WCC) with 5-2 records and three of them feature Kiwis.

Defending champions Portland defeated San Francisco 74-60 with Emme Shearer scoring 10 points while Tayla Dalton knocked down both of her three-point attempts for 6 points as Gonzaga won 69-61 at Washington State.

Earlier in the week Maia Jones garnered a career high 5 steals to accompany a team high 11 points although St Mary’s College were outscored 35-21 in the second half to go down 66-57 to Washington State.

Away from the WCC Mackenzie Chatfield passed 100 points for the season with 9 points on an efficient 2 from 2 from beyond the arc and 3 from 4 from the foul line as Western Kentucky (1-2) won 51-44 at Jacksonville State.

Three other players also tallied 9 points:

Dani Bayes did so – and grabbed 5 rebounds – as Boise State (2-2) held off a fast finishing Utah State to win 82-77.

Lilly Parke also had a couple of steals as Fairleigh Dickinson moved to 3-0 in the Northeast Conference with a 77-63 road win at Mercyhurst.

Emilee Tahata filled the stats line as Rider University (1-4) gained its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win by downing Niagara 79-59. The former Junior Tall Fern registered 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block as well as 9 points.

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones poured in a team high 25 points (6/9FG, 13/14FT) as UC San Diego made it four Big West Conference wins on the bounce with a dominant 95-68 win against Cal Poly. ATJ now has 745 career points and moves past Dan Fotu (726) into 12th spot on NZ’s all-time list of points scorers in Men’s NCAA Division I hoops.

Tait-Jones followed that with a team high 17 points as UC San Diego (4-1) suffered its first Big West loss going down 60-52 to UC Irvine. It was his 50^th game – and 50^th start for the Tritons.

Also in the Big West Tom Beattie scored 16 points (5/7FG, 4/4FT) and added 4 assists as Hawaii (3-2) recorded a second road win on the bounce after defeating Cal State Fullerton 95-86.

Tafara Gapare and Maryland produced a statement win in downing #22 UCLA 79-61 to improve to 2-3 in the Big Ten Conference. Particularly impactful at the defensive end Gapare finished with 8 points (3/4FG), 2 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal.

Ahmed Essahaty had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists – all season highs – as Southeastern Louisiana (2-3) beat New Orleans 91-71.

January 8

Tayla Dalton has become the 19^th Kiwi to score 1,000 points in Women’s NCAA Division I basketball and the fourth Harbour player after Akiene-Tera Reed, Emme Shearer and Micaela Cocks.

Dalton played 119 games for St Mary’s College, California where in a four-year career (2019-24) she enjoyed 83 starts and amassed 965 points, 276 rebounds, 203 assists and 144 steals.

Her career scoring performance came against Loyola Marymount when she put up 27 points.

Taking advantage of the additional Covid year Dalton is spending her fifth and final collegiate year at West Coast Conference (WCC) rivals Gonzaga University. Her Bulldogs debut was delayed until late December due to a stress fracture injury but since her debut against WCC leaders San Francisco, Gonzaga have won three of its last four games.

Critically for Gonzaga they defeated last season’s champions Portland 76-71, a game in which Dalton went head to head with former Harbour teammate and good friend Emme Shearer.

The personal dual finished all square as both players were prominent in scoring 14 points apiece.

The most recent Bulldogs victory was a comprehensive 82-56 win against Santa Clara – Dalton’s 5 points enough to take her to the heady heights of the 1,000 career mark.

Full list of New Zealand Women’s NCAA Division I 1,000 points scorers:

• 1,743 *Charlisse Leger-Walker (Washington State 2020-24, UCLA 2024-present)        
• 1,647 Erin Rooney (Monmouth University Hawks, 2009-11/Fordham University Rams, 2012-14)        
• 1,624 #Akiene-Tera Reed (Virginia Commonwealth 2017-21, USC 2021-22)        
• 1,497 Megan Compain (St Joseph’s University Hawks, 1993-97)        
• 1,439 Stella Beck (St Mary’s College Gaels 2014-18)        
• 1,337 *#Emme Shearer (University of Portland, 2020-present)        
• 1,291 #Kendell Heremaia (Fordham University 2017-22)        
• 1,262 Rhaiah Spooner-Knight (Monmouth 17-18, Utah Valley 13-16)        
• 1,249 #Amiee Book (CSU Fullerton 2018-21, Fresno State 2021-23)        
• 1,209 #Tegan Graham (Colgate Uni 2016-20, BYU 2020-22)        
• 1,195 Micaela Cocks (University of Oregon Ducks, 2006-10)        
• 1,167 Ashleigh Karaitiana (University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, 2012-16)        
• 1,144 Margaret Johns (Utah State University, 1979-83)        
• 1,096 Jillian Harmon (Stanford University Cardinals, 2005-09)        
• 1,089 Tessa Boagni (California State University, Northridge Matadors 2014-18)        
• 1,081 Josie Stockill (Colgate University Raiders, 2012-16)        
• 1,032 #Krystal Leger-Walker (Washington State 2020-22, Northern Colorado 2015-18)        
• 1,006 Chevannah Paalvast (Monmouth University Hawks, 2010-14)        
• 1,000 *#Tayla Dalton (St Mary’s 2019-24, Gonzaga (2024 – present)

# Players with 5-year collegiate careers.

In other Division I news Helen Matthews, in scoring 11 points, passed 700 career points as Wofford College won an utterly one sided non-conference contest against Erskine 107-35.

Leah Mafua came up big for Central Arkansas (1-1) as the Sugar Bears opened Atlantic Sun Conference play with a 74-63 win against Jacksonville. The former Hutt Valley High School standout stuffed the stats line with 15 points (3/4 3PG), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. She followed that with 11 points in the 68-60 loss to Bellarmine.

Dani Bayes, playing on New Years Day, kicked off 2025 in style as Boise State (1-2) enjoyed their first Mountain West victory with a 66-55 home win against Air Force. Bayes finished with 13 points on 3 from 4 from deep and a perfect 4 out of 4 from the free-throw line.

Maia Jones scored a dozen points and pinched a couple of steals as St Mary’s (4-1) saw their unbeaten start to West Coast Conference play come to an end after suffering an 87-73 loss at San Francisco.

Lilly Parke also scored 12 points as Fairleigh Dickinson got Northeast Conference play off to a winning start with a comfortable 75-59 home win against Wagner.

Olivia Williams made her 50^th start for UC Irvine (2-1), although unfortunately the game ended in defeat for the Big West Conference defending champions, beaten 59-54 at UC Riverside. Williams knocked down multiple threes for the third straight game in scoring 11 points.

Ella Brow scored 10 points (4/9FG) as Southern Methodist (1-2) pushed #10 Cal Berkeley all the way before going down 81-66.

Izzy Pugh scored 9 points as Wisconsin Milwaukee (1-5) secured its first Horizon League win of the season with a 75-50 home victory against Wright State.

Division I Men

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones continued his stellar form with 24 points (at a highly efficient 8/10 from the field and 8/8 from the free-throw line) as UC San Diego (3-0) toppled Cal State Fullerton. That’s now eight 20-plus scores in 15 games this season for the former St Pat’s wing.

Tom Beattie was just one points shy of his career high in scoring 15 points as Hawaii (1-2) secured its first Big West Conference win with a 68-55 success against Cal Poly.

Those 15 points took Beattie’s season tally to 100 and beyond 200 career points.

Zach Riley also brought up 200 career points as Fordham (0-2) slipped to an 86-66 loss to St Bonaventure – the former Rangitoto College standout with 5 points and a couple of steals.

Nic Book pulled down a career high equalling  9 rebounds to go with 2 points as South Carolina Upstate (0-1) were beaten 95-76 by Winthrop in its Big South Conference opener.

Number 8 ranked Marquette moved to 4-0 in the Big East with a 79-71 win against Creighton. Playing in front of a sell-out crowd of 17,700 Ben Gold posted 8 points, 6 rebounds and a couple of blocks in 28 minutes of action.

Isaiah Chappell knocked down two triples from two attempts in scoring 6 points as UC Davis (2-2) fell 73-61 to UC State Northridge.

Will Shortt led the Niagara rebounding count in its 68-62 loss to Mount Saint Mary’s.

The former Junior Tall Black, out of Auckland Grammar School, tallied 4 points, a couple of blocks and a career high 9 rebounds.

*Bracketed numbers are Conference play records

In NCAA Division I action Maia Jones had her second 20-point game of the season as St Mary’s won an overtime thriller at Pacific 80-78. Jones finished with a team high 23 points (7/11FG, 7/9FT) while also adding a trio of rebounds and steals.

The sophomore guard out of Nelson then had 8 points and 4 assists as St Mary’s (4-0) moved to the top of the West Coast Conference table with an 85-75 home win against San Diego.

Also in West Coast Conference play and also in overtime Tayla Dalton, in just her second game back after injury, had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as Gonzaga (2-2) slipped up at home losing 71-67 70 Oregon State in overtime.

Emme Shearer scored 21 points but Portland saw its unbeaten run end at 14 games as they were beaten at home 76-72 in overtime by Oregon State. It was Shearer’s 137^th appearance for Portland meaning she now sits equal 4^th alongside Kaylee Smiler (BYU, 2018-24) on the all-time list of games played by a Kiwi in Women’s NCAA Division I hoops.

Leah Mafua added 5 rebounds to 11 points as Central Arkansas, in its final hit out before Atlantic Sun Conference play, were defeated 87-70 by state rivals Arkansas. Mafua passed 300 career points during the game.

Helen Matthews scored 9 points and snared a couple of steals as Wofford, against the #2 ranked team in the nation South Carolina, were beaten 93-47.

Lilly Parke had 7 points and 4 rebounds as Fairleigh Dickinson (0-0) eased past Central Maine 66-48 at the FDU Christmas Classic.

Zoe Richardson scored a season best 6 points although Sienna fell 76-73 to Cornell in non-conference play.

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones rounded out a successful 2024 with 16 points as UC San Diego (2-0) thrashed Occidental 109-51 in a non-conference outing. Tait-Jones scored in double figures in all but three of the 34 games he played for the Tritons in the calendar year.

Highlighted by a 3 from 3 effort from beyond the arc Christ’s College alum Hunter Adam scored a career high 11 points as Davidson dropped its Atlantic 10 opener at George Mason 69-57.

Former Auckland Grammar standout Will Shortt posted a season high 8 points and 5 rebounds as Niagara (1-1) secured an 88-69 win over Le Moyne.

*Bracketed numbers are Conference play records