Villanova, North Carolina and the 4 best NCAA women’s tournament games to watch Monday

The second-leading scorer in the country is in action Monday night.

The remaining Second Round games of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament will be played Monday night. And after No. 2 Baylor and No. 2 Iowa were sent packing Sunday, all eyes will be on the top seeds to see if any more upsets are on the way.

No. 2 UConn is in action against No. 7 UCF and No. 4 Tennessee takes on No. 12 Belmont, just to name a couple of the matchups with lopsided point spreads. There’s also No. 1 NC State in action against No. 9 Kansas State, looking to make it a clean sweep for the top seeds in advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

At this stage, every game carries a little intrigue with it. Below are the games I’m most looking forward to with point spread information from Tipico Sportsbook.

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Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee sets NCAA women’s Div. I record with an incredible 61 points against Oklahoma

61 points on 30 shots! The other team only scored 65.

Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee set an NCAA Div. I women’s basketball record with 61 points in a win over No. 14 Oklahoma on Sunday. 

The 6-6 junior’s performance broke the previous NCAA record of 60 points set by Long Beach State’s Cindy Brown in 1987 and tied by Minnesota’s Rachel Banham in 2016. Lee’s record also pulls double-duty for the Wildcats in the Big 12, as it breaks the previous conference record of 50 points that was set against them by Baylor’s Brittney Griner in 2013.

A unanimous preseason all-Big 12 team selection, Lee isn’t a stranger to big games. She was averaging a team-best 23.6 points and 10.8 rebounds entering the game. Her 61 points nearly outpaced the entire Oklahoma team in a 94-65 win that moved Kansas State to 15-4 on the season.

Cold Shooting, Turnovers result in 60-54 loss for the Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team got off to a hot start but cold shooting down the stretch lead to 60-54 loss.

Texas struggled to close out the game against the Kansas State Wildcats when it looked like the Longhorns might pull it off. The Wildcats were led by  Ayoka Lee who recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She added three blocks as well. Peyton Williams struggled shooting but was huge on the boards with 13 rebounds and three steals. The KSU 8-0 run to close out the game helped them knock off Texas 60-54.

The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team got off to a hot start in the first quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats. Of their 19 first quarter points, sophomore forward Charli Collier led the way with 11 in the opening frame. Fifth-year senior Lashann Higgs came off the bench with four points to keep the game tied as the first came to a close.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats tried to take control of the game. After a field goal by Sug Sutton with 8:07 left in the second quarter, the Longhorns went on a four-plus minute scoring drought. Kansas State would take advantage. It wouldn’t be until Joanne Allen-Taylor got out in transition for a layup with 3:35 left where Texas would score. Collier would only score once in the second on a second-chance after a rebound to cut the KSU lead to two, 31-29. Neither team would score over the final 2:17 of the second quarter.

First Half Leaders (Texas)

  • Charli Collier 13 points, three rebounds, one steal
  • Joyner Holmes six points, four rebounds

Texas shot just one for nine from behind the arc and 35.1% from the field.

The Longhorns came out firing in the third quarter with a quick 6-0 run to take a four point lead. Jada Underwood got it started with a quick steal and found Sutton to tie it up. Sutton and Celeste Taylor added four more before the Wildcats would answer. A 18-14 quarter gave Texas a two-point lead into the final quarter.

A sloppy fourth quarter for the Longhorns as they had trouble hitting the shot going down the stretch. Holmes gave Texas a two-point lead with 3:57 left in the game but that would be their last make of the game. The turnovers and cold shooting for the Longhorns in the closing minutes doomed their bid to win.

Final Stats

  • Collier- 17 points, six rebounds
  • Holmes- 14 points, eight rebounds
  • Higgs- 11 points, four rebounds, two steals