Tag: laila phelia

Longhorns trio named to Wooden Award preseason watch list

The talented trio is expected to be vital to the Longhorns’ success and is now getting national recognition

With the women’s college basketball season almost underway, the Texas Longhorns are making headlines. On Thursday, Rori Harmon, Madison Booker, and Laila Phelia were named to the Wooden Award preseason watch list. The talented trio is expected to be vital to the Longhorns’ success and is now getting national recognition.

After three years at Michigan, Phelia will enter her first year with Texas with high expectations. During her time with the Wolverines, Phelia scored 1,243 points and was a First Team All-Big Ten selection last season. She should provide the Longhorns with another weapon offensively after scoring in double figures 29 times last season.

Joining Phelia is Booker, who is coming off a stellar freshman campaign. During her first season in Austin, Booker earned WBCA First Team All-America honors and was named the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year. With more help offensively, her numbers should continue to improve.

https://xtwitter.com/TexasWBB/status/1854620229269180503

Rounding out the list is Harmon, who has been a consistent model of excellence in Austin. In 12 games last season, she recorded 93 assists and 14 turnovers. Before an injury cut her season short, Harmon was leading the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Texas native has scored 925 points and dished out 501 assists during her time as a Longhorn.

While Texas will need everyone to contribute, Harmon, Booker, and Phelia will set the tone, and the rest of the country is taking notice of their potential.

Rutgers women’s basketball looks to get back on track against Michigan

Rutgers women’s basketball is hoping to get back on track this weekend against Michigan.

After their first loss of the month against Maryland, Rutgers women’s basketball will have a shot at redemption against Michigan on Saturday. This matchup represents a great chance for Rutgers to end their road woes.

Rutgers are 7-18 (1-11 Big Ten) on the season. Michigan enters this game at 15-9 (6-6 Big Ten).

As Rutgers looks to record their second conference win of the season, they will have their hands full with Laila Phelia and Cameron Williams. Through 24 games, Phelia has set the tone offensively, averaging 16.1 points. Williams has been a force on the boards, averaging a team-leading five rebounds a game.

For Michigan, stopping Destiny Adams will be critical. She has been one of Rutgers’ best players offensively, averaging 15 points per game. Against Maryland on February 6, she reached the 20-point mark for the second time in her last three games.

 

Although Rutgers will not be favored in this game, they are taking on a Michigan team that has struggled lately. The Wolverines are 2-3 in their last five games. In that span, they are 0-3 when they score less than 70 points.

[lawrence-related id=35107,35088]

For Rutgers to pull off an upset, they must play a complete game. Against Maryland, they struggled to mount a comeback after getting off to a slow start. They will also need to take better care of the ball and stay out of foul trouble.

Rutgers women’s basketball unable to complete comeback against Michigan

Rutgers women’s basketball battled back but still lost to Michigan.

On Sunday afternoon, Rutgers women’s basketball nearly pulled of their best comeback of the season. After a slow start against Michigan, the Scarlet Knights cut the Wolverines lead to under 10 points in the fourth quarter but lost 56-50.

Rutgers, who have now lost 10 consecutive games, were unable to stop Laila Phelia. The Ohio native scored 25 points and added six rebounds to her resume. It was the second time in her last five games that Phelia reached the 20-point mark.

While Phelia shined, Michigan’s success was a team effort. The Wolverines scored 15 points off turnovers and recorded 14 fast break points. They also scored 30 points in the paint while holding Rutgers to 18.

Rutgers is now 6-15 on the year and is winless in the Big Ten.

 

Although Sunday was another disappointing loss for Rutgers, there were a few bright spots. That includes Jillian Huerter, who scored 12 points. It was the third time this season the Clifton Park native scored more than 10 points. [autotag]Destiny Adams[/autotag] also contributed with 11 points of her own.

[lawrence-related id=34384,34372,34343]

With 21 games in the books, Rutgers is now 0-8 in Big Ten play. While the season is far from over, they will need to be better in conference play as they look to climb out of the bottom of the Big Ten standings. They will have a shot at redemption on Saturday when they take on Wisconsin.

Rutgers women’s basketball looks to end nine-game skid

Rutgers women’s basketball is looking to end their losing streak.

After allowing almost 100 points in their latest loss, Rutgers women’s basketball will be looking for redemption on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights have lost nine straight games and are still searching for their first conference win of the season. However, their life won’t get any easier against a Michigan team looking to right the ship.

While the Wolverines are off to a 12-6 start, January has been a struggle. They are 2-3 in their last five games and allowed at least 76 points in three of those games. Laila Phelia has set the tone offensively, averaging 15.4 points a game this season.

Although Rutgers will have their hands full, the Wolverines will be tasked with stopping Destiny Adams, who has scored 59 points in her last two games. On a team that has struggled offensively, Adams has been a bright spot.

 

As Rutgers looks to get back in the win column they must limit Michigan in the paint. Against Illinois on Wednesday, Rutgers allowed 40 points in the paint and could not get a big stop when needed. That is a formula Michigan will be looking to take advantage of.

[lawrence-related id=34343,34337]

Additionally, a win for Rutgers on Sunday is critical due to their 0-7 start in Big Ten play. A conference win will at least inch Rutgers closer to climbing out of the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

Lady Lions lose heartbreaker to Michigan in Big Ten Tournament

Penn State women’s basketball saw its season come to a close in a close loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament.

The realization that the season is over is always a tough pill to swallow. That pill becomes even larger when the loss comes at the buzzer.

Penn State closed their regular season on a slide, losing seven games in a row. But none of the regular season games matter when it comes to tournament play. It’s just about winning one game at a time and advancing.

The Lady Lions managed to do that in their first game of the tournament. They beat Minnesota and set up a showdown with the Michigan Wolverines in the second round.

It was a tight game from start to finish, but ultimately Penn State lost the game 63-61.

Senior guard [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] had a contested look to extend the game, but the shot hit the front rim as the buzzer sounded. This was the end to a flurry of points with two minutes left as the Lady Lions erased a nine point deficit.

Ultimately the comeback fell just a bit short.

It was a tough way for Marisa’s career to end. She was a two time All-Big Ten selection by the media and was looking to get her team into the tournament for the first time since 2014.

She finished the game with a game high 16 points and seven assists. Her fellow guard [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] also scored 16 points along with five assists and seven rebounds. Senior forward [autotag]Alexa Williamson[/autotag] finished her career with 12 points in the game.

Four Michigan Wolverines finished in double figures. Senior forward [autotag]Emily Kiser[/autotag] and sophomore guard [autotag]Laila Phelia[/autotag] scored a team high 13 points.

After falling short in the Big Ten Tournament, the NCAA Tournament dreams for the Lady Lions are officially over. It’s to be seen if they’ll be invited to the WNIT or WBI Tournaments to continue their season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=633]

[mm-video type=video id=01gthzsx15hvht3e54dp playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gthzsx15hvht3e54dp/01gthzsx15hvht3e54dp-450d0633d70a9c482c6a73f9a8ac465b.jpg]