WBB2K22: Hoops Report 24

Dec. 30

Michigan State 72, Nebraska 69

Nia Clouden continued her fabulous season scoring 32 points as Michigan State (8-6) handed Nebraska (12-1) its first loss of the season.

Clouden led the home team by shooting 15-17 from the free-throw line to counter a rough 8-24 performance from the field, including 1-8 from the three-point line. Clouden's 15 made free-throws tie her career best and school record that she shares with her teammate Aerial Powers.

Michigan State limited Nebraska to .329 shooting including .212 from three. The Spartans also outrebounded Nebraska 45-38. Taiyier Parks paced Michigan State with 12 rebounds to go along with 10 points and three steals. Clouden pitched in with five rebounds and also dished out a team best six assists.

Nebraska's Sam Haiby scored a season best 19 points going a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line. The guard shot 6-12 from the field. The rest of her team shot 18-61.

Clouden is averaging 22.5 points per game after the first 14 games of the season. She has scored 104 points in the last three games, including a 50-point performance against Florida Gulf Coast.

No. 7 Tennessee 62, Alabama 44

The Lady Vols led just 38-37 at the start of the fourth quarter, but boy did they take off in the fourth.

Tennessee (12-1) outscored Alabama (9-3) 24-7 in the fourth quarter to avoid its second loss of the season. Center Tamari Key scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked five shots and dished out three assists. Key has had seven double-doubles this season. She entered the game averaging 10.2 points. Over the past three contests she is averaging 15.6 points on .730 shooting.

Guard Jordan Walker had 16 points for Tennessee with six assists and six rebounds.

Dec. 29

No. 22 South Florida 70, Jacksonville 57

Bethy Mununga stood tall leading South Florida (10-4) to its 10th win of the season.

The six-foot forward got her 43rd career double-figure game in rebounds and 24th career double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Mununga averaged 11.1 points and 12.7 rebounds last season. Her numbers have dipped a bit as she is averaging 9.6 points and 11.6 rebounds in 14 games this season. Her 21 points are a season high. Earlier this season she had back-to-back games with 23 and 20 rebounds respectively on Nov. 26 and Dec. 2.

Elena Tsineke shot 8-14 for South Florida, including 3-5 from three. She scored 22 points. It was her second game with at least 20 points and her first time making three triples in a game this season. Jacksonville was led in scoring by Taylor Hawks' 19 points.

Toledo 69, Kent State 60

Earlier this season Kent State beat PAC-12 opponent UCLA on its way to get off to an 8-1 start.

Kent ran into its old conference foe Toledo (7-3) and took its second loss as the host Rockets overcame a rough shooting night by its star Quinesha Lockett. The 5-10 junior from Omaha who started the season by shooting at least 50 percent in four of her first eight games is now shooting just 8-35 in her last three games.

Against Kent she shot 2-11 but still scored 11 points as she shot 7-8 from the free-throw line. Her teammate Nan Garcia picked up the slack scoring 14 points as she hit half of her 12 shot attempts. Garcia's effort was her first double-digit performance since Dec. 8, when she scored 20 points in a 53-point win over Saint Francis.

Toledo reserve Hannah Noveroske made her presence felt off of the bench. The 6-5 junior from Michigan City, Michigan recorded a season highs with 10 points and five blocks. She also tied a season high with five rebounds.

Kent's Hannah Young led the Flashes with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She shot 7-10 from the field and made both of her three-point attempts. Young is shooting a career best .565 from three this season.