Women's College Basketball

Former University of North Carolina women's basketball head coach Sylvia Hatchell was charged Friday in the death of an 89-year-old pedestrian.

According to the Associated Press, the 67-year-old Hatchell was cited for misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement violation. Police said she struck Betty Colby with her car in a parking lot in Durham, North Carolina, on Monday.

Colby hit her head on the pavement. She died Wednesday.

Hatchell was the head coach at UNC for 33 seasons from the 1986-87 campaign through 2018-19. She resigned last year after a program review found she made "racially insensitive" remarks and pressured players to play while injured.

During her tenure, Hatchell went 751-325. When factoring in her 11 seasons at Division II Francis Marion, Hatchell won 1,023 games, which is sixth on the all-time women's college basketball list.

Hatchell led the Tar Heels to 23 NCAA tournament appearances, including three trips to the Final Four and a national championship in 1994. She also won two national titles at Francis Marion.

Prior to her resignation, Hatchell and the Tar Heels posted losing seasons in three of her final four years at the helm after reaching the NCAA tournament in 13 of the previous 14 seasons.

Hatchell is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

The No. 6 Baylor Lady Bears upset the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies 74-58 Thursday night at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, marking UConn's first loss of the season.

Baylor went on a 15-0 run to build a 70-54 lead late in the fourth quarter. It was the largest lead held all evening by either team. The Huskies went scoreless for over five minutes before Megan Walker made a free throw with just over one minute left to go.

The loss snaps UConn's 98-game winning streak at home, which was one short of tying the program's own Division I record.

The Huskies also found themselves trailing at halftime in a home game for the first time since Dec. 3. 2017:

The 12-1 Huskies' last loss before Thursday occurred when Notre Dame beat them 81-76 in the Final Four last season.

The 12-1 Lady Bears' lone loss this season came when No. 4 South Carolina prevailed 74-59 on Nov. 30. 

Baylor went on to defeat fellow No. 1 seed Notre Dame 82-81 to capture the 2019 NCAA women's championship—the program's second title of the decade. 

Kim Mulkey's Lady Bears won the 2012 title before Geno Auriemma's Huskies won four consecutive championships from 2013 to '16. 

The all-time series between Baylor and UConn is now tied 4-4.

In four of the previous seven matchups entering Thursday's latest clash, according to Jerry Hill of the program's official website, the winner went on to win that season's national championship. The Bears defeated UConn 67-58 at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, last season. UConn was also undefeated entering that game.

UConn became the third top-ranked team to lose this season. Previous No. 1s to lose before UConn were Oregon and Stanford.

Graduate senior guard Te'a Cooper led all scorers with 27 points, while sophomore forward NaLyssa Smith recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Cooper, Smith and senior forward Lauren Cox combined for 63 of Baylor's 74 points. 

The Huskies were led by sophomore guard Christyn Williams' 21 points. Williams, Walker (18) and senior guard Crystal Dangerfield (16) scored 55 of UConn's 58 points.

UConn will look to bounce back when Houston visits on Saturday afternoon, while Baylor will play against Oklahoma State at home Sunday afternoon. 

Lizzo may as well rename her hit song "Juice" after Juicy Landrum's performance Wednesday afternoon.

Landrum set an NCAA women's basketball record by sinking 14 three-pointers during the No. 7 Baylor Lady Bears' 111-43 blowout victory over Arkansas State:

The senior guard finished the day with a game-high 42 points with all of her 14 field goals coming from deep. She also posted eight rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block. However, Landrum was quick to recognize her teammates afterward:

"It was a great feeling," Landrum said postgame, according to Chad Conine of the Waco Tribune-Herald. "Family. Sisters. Just to have them cheering me on and help me make that record is a great feeling."

Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey added: "When you're feeling it as a shooter, you're feeling it. I went in at halftime and I told them, 'If you get a chance, let Juicy break the record today.' Well, I was talking about the Baylor record. ... It just kept building. ... It's just a joy to watch teammates be happy for each other."

Landrum set the Baylor single-game record when she hit her 10th three in the third quarter:

Conine noted, too, that Landrum is now tied for seventh all-time in career three-pointers in Lady Bears history with 139. The Waco, Texas, native's previous season high for three-point attempts in a single game came when she went 2-of-5 against Indiana on Nov. 29.

Landrum can take a moment to relish in this accomplishment, as the reigning national champions aren't in action again until Morehead State visits them on Dec. 30. 

Kennesaw State junior guard Kamiyah Street has been charged with felony murder in the July 16 shooting death of 21-year-old man Nashiem Hubbard-Etienne, according to Shaddi Abusaid of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Per that report, she was arrested on eight separate charges, including "three counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, Fulton County jail records show."

Atlanta police spokesman James White said Hubbard-Etienne was "the victim of a targeted shooting" after his body was found in the parking deck of the Heritage Station apartments on McDaniel Street in Atlanta. 

According to Mark Niesse and Chelsea Prince of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, four other men—22-year-old Cortez Banks, 21-year-old Johnerton Gilstrap, 20-year-old Tobias Wells and 20-year-old Dontacus Brantley—have also been charged in the case.

Banks, Gilstrap and Wells were already in jail when they were charged, while Brantley remains at large. 

"My son was not who they were after, but like most situations, the innocent one always catches the bullet," Hubbard-Etienne's mother, Maiyannie Hubbard-Armster, told WSB-TV on Saturday (h/t Niesse and Prince). 

As for Street, she was suspended by Kennesaw State in the wake of the charges. 

"We were made aware Thursday evening that Kamiyah Street of the KSU women's basketball team was arrested and is being held, pending charges," the school said in a statement, per WSB-TV. "The individual has been suspended indefinitely from all women's basketball team and athletic activities. Neither the university nor the athletic department have any additional information at this time."

Street was the starting point guard for KSU. 

Sabrina Ionescu is an amateur athlete in title only. 

The senior point guard led the No. 1 Oregon Ducks to a 93-86 victory over Team USA in their exhibition Saturday night at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. Ionescu led all scorers with 30 points, 20 of which came in the third quarter.  

It marked the first time a collegiate team had beaten Team USA in 20 years. 

The matchup's significance wasn't lost on Ionescu, who told OregonLive.com's James Crepea ahead of the game: "I'm 100 percent going to be starstruck especially when Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi come out on the floor. I'm going to be excited that I can share the same floor with them."

If Ionescu was intimidated, it didn't show:

Ionescu has already drawn heady comparisons. "She reminds me a lot of Sue Bird," WNBA 2014 No. 1 overall pick Chiney Ogwumike told Bleacher Report's Mirin Fader earlier this year. "Excellent feel for the game, plays her own tempo, and as a passer she has the That's So Raven ability to see the future."

Ionescu has been part of USA Basketball in the past. But before she tries to become a true staple both in the WNBA and internationally, she has intentions of leading the Ducks to the program's first national title.

The top team in the country officially tips off its 2019-20 campaign Monday against Northeastern.

Coming off their trip to the 2019 Final Four, the Oregon Ducks open the 2019-20 season as the top-ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

It's the first time in program history the Ducks climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll.

"I think it validates our vision that we had going in here," head coach Kelly Graves said of the honor, per the AP's Doug Feinberg. "It validates the hard work from my staff that's been with me the whole journey. On this stage we had a better opportunity to be in position we now are."

Here's the full ranking, per NCAA.com:

2019-20 AP Top 25 Poll

1. Oregon

2. Baylor

3. Stanford

4. Maryland

5. UConn

6. Texas A&M

7. Oregon State

8. South Carolina

9. Louisville

10. Mississippi State

11. UCLA

12. Florida State

13. Kentucky

14. NC State

15. Texas

16. Notre Dame

17. Michigan State

T18. DePaul

T18. Miami

20. Arizona State

21. Syracuse

22. Arkansas

23. Minnesota

24. Indiana

25. Michigan

Oregon returns four of its five starters from last season's squad, including Sabrina Ionescu, winner of the 2019 John R. Wooden Award and Wade Trophy. Ionescu averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 assists and 7.4 rebounds and is already the NCAA's all-time leader in triple-doubles.

With Ionescu approaching her senior year, anything less than a national championship will be a disappointment for the Ducks.

After winning four straight titles between 2013 and 2016, Connecticut has lost in the national semifinals in three straight seasons. The Huskies sit fifth in the preseason poll, with the Hartford Courant's Alexa Philippou noting they hadn't been lower than fourth since 2006-07.

The Huskies generally face little competition in the AAC, so they loaded their nonconference schedule with a number of marquee matches. They host Oregon on Feb. 3, while No. 2 Baylor, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 18 DePaul are on the slate as well.

Tennessee has been a mainstay in the preseason poll for decades, but the Lady Vols were among the teams on the outside and only receiving votes. Feinberg noted it's the first time since 1976 the AP didn't rank Tennessee in the Top 25.

Holly Warlick had the almost impossible job of succeeding Pat Summitt. The Lady Vols made three Elite Eight appearances in Warlick's first four seasons, but the need for a change was clear after they exited in the first round of the 2019 tournament.

Kellie Harper, who guided Missouri State to the Sweet 16 last year, is tasked with taking Tennessee back to the top of women's basketball.

Former NC State basketball player and current women's basketball analyst Deb Antonelli raised more than $80,000 for the Special Olympics over the weekend by shooting free throws.

According to the Associated Press, Antonelli's "24 Hours of Nothing But Net" campaign saw her aim to make 100 free throws per hour for 24 hours straight. In the end, Antonelli went 2,400-of-2,553 from the aptly named charity stripe, which was good for a conversion rate of 94 percent:

Antonelli's 21-year-old son, Frankie, is a Special Olympics athlete and is part of Clemson University's LifeProgram, which played a role in Antonelli's desire to contribute to South Carolina Special Olympics.

"I got a little emotional thinking about how hard I trained and how long I spent in the gym and all the money we raised for Special Olympics," Antonelli said. "Watching Frankie and seeing how excited and happy everyone was. I know I was motivated for a higher purpose."

The event went from noon Saturday until noon Sunday, and it was live-streamed online for the duration of the 24 hours.

Once the goal of 2,400 free throws was hit, Antonelli and her son climbed a ladder to cut down the net in celebration, much like players and coaches do after winning a championship in college basketball.

While Antonelli accomplished a great deal with her event, she wants to see it grow and noted she hopes it is "just the start."     

The national champion Baylor Lady Bears basketball team became the first women's championship squad to visit the White House during Donald Trump's tenure, and the sitting president greeted the players and coaches with reheated fast food.

Head coach Kim Mulkey appeared to visibly grimace at some of the choices and said she wasn't keen on joining the administration:

That didn't stop her from presenting Trump with a jersey and hat, and he joked it could mess up his famous hair:

Andrew Joseph of USA Today noted that the food included Chick-fil-A, Wendy's, Burger King and McDonald's on "silver platters for heated trays, so instead of cold fast food, the Lady Bears got reheated fast food."

The cold fast food was reserved for the Clemson Tigers football team after it defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game:

Welcome to your new reality, collegiate champions.

The Baylor women's basketball team announced that it will visit President Donald Trump at the White House fresh off their 2019 NCAA Division I national championship (h/t Tom Schad of USA Today). 

Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey, who led the Lady Bears to national titles in 2005 and 2012, previously told Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press that it is "an honor to go to the White House."

"I've been every time for every president. It's not a political issue for me. It's an honor to go to the White House. I want everyone to say they went to the White House. Not many people can say that. I hope Virginia men go and I can meet Tony Bennett. We were honored when President Bush was in the office. We were honored when Barack Obama was in the office. We'd be honored if Donald Trump invited us. With politics aside, We should go to say we went to the White House."

Numerous sports teams have either declined or not received White House invitations under Trump. Of note, the Golden State Warriors were uninvited after two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry said he would not attend following the team's 2017 NBA Finals win, and the South Carolina women's basketball team declined an invite after their 2017 NCAA championship victory.

Baylor is the first basketball team and the first women's championship team to visit the White House as a solo honoree, per Schad.

The Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm, who won the 2017 and 2018 WNBA championships, respectively, did not receive invitations. 

Schad also said it is "unclear" whether Notre Dame—last year's NCAA women's basketball champion and this year's runner-up—got an invite.

Per Schad, "Female athletes have previously visited the White House under Trump, but only in settings where they were honored alongside male athletes—a ceremony for U.S. Olympians and Paralympians in 2018 and a group event for NCAA champions in 2017."

Trump has welcomed other champion sports teams to the White House, including the Clemson football team, the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Capitals.

However, various athletes have not joined their teams. Most recently, goalie Braden Holtby and forward Brett Connolly did not visit with their Caps teammates, per Kevin Allen of USA Today.

Holtby told reporters that he had "to stay true to my values," and Connolly declined because ex-teammate Devante Smith-Pelly did not want to go.

Other athletes have not attended before the Trump administration, per Thomas Neumann of ESPN. Of note, Steelers linebacker James Harrison missed the 2006 and 2009 ceremonies, and Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk declined to visit President Barack Obama, citing a disagreement over his support of Planned Parenthood.

Per Neumann, President Ronald Reagan started the tradition of routinely inviting championship teams to the White House in the 1980s, though the practice was intermittently carried out by various presidents before his administration began in 1981.

With the Baylor Lady Bears having claimed the NCAA women's basketball championship Sunday evening, head coach Kim Mulkey faces one more dilemma concerning this season.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, champions across American sports have been conflicted over whether to visit the White House. However, Mulkey is standing firm on the side of welcoming an invitation.

"I've been every time for every president," Mulkey said Wednesday night, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "It's not a political issue for me. It's an honor to go to the White House. I want everyone to say they went to the White House. Not many people can say that."

Mulkey has previously taken her 2005 and 2012 championship squads to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when George W. Bush and Barack Obama were in office, respectively.

However, Mulkey may not even have a decision to make, as women's championship teams have received delayed White House invitations or none at all since Trump moved in.

The South Carolina Gamecocks won the women's basketball championship in 2017, and head coach Dawn Staley voiced her disappointment in being ignored by the White House at the time.

"Here's my take, and I'm not going to discuss the White House anymore," Staley told reporters in October 2017, six months after her team won the title. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm over the White House invitation. The only invitation I would like is an invitation to get into the NCAA tournament in March."

Staley also pointed out to the Associated Press (h/t The State) that the White House's decision to invite other teams who had won their championships after her Gamecocks "speaks volumes."

She added: "We won before those other teams won their championships. I don't know what else has to happen."

The Gamecocks were invited in November 2017—sort of. Trump offered for the Gamecocks to participate in a larger event with other men's and women's college championship teams, but Staley said the team would not be able to attend.

The same played out a year later when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish won the NCAA championship and did not receive a White House invite.

Shortly after her team cut down the nets, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw told the Associated Press (h/t KSAT) that she would "discuss it with the team and make a decision if the offer is extended."

That offer never came.

If Mulkey and her Bears receive an invitation, they will become the first women's team to visit the White House under Trump in the way champions have since Ronald Reagan made the tradition routine in the 1980s. Neither the Minnesota Lynx, who won the WNBA title in 2017, nor the Seattle Storm (2018) were invited.