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 137th appearance for Portland meaning she now sits equal 4th 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
LACEY LOWDOWN 