January 8
Tayla Dalton has become the 19th 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 50th 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
LACEY LOWDOWN 