Latest news with #UNCWilmington
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Latest Purdue women's basketball transfer already has a Hoosier State connection
WEST LAFAYETTE ― A North Carolina connection is about to become a family friendly in-state rift with the latest Purdue women's basketball transfer. Former UNC Wilmington guard Taylor Henderson confirmed she is transferring to Purdue on Thursday. She'll enter Purdue as an incoming junior after two seasons with UNC Wilmington. She redshirted in 2022-23 due to injury. Advertisement Henderson's younger brother, Dontrae, plays defensive back for Indiana. Along with Dontrae, another younger brother Jacobie plays defensive back at Rutgers. The Charlotte native Henderson averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals during her sophomore year with UNC Wilmington. More: What to know: Purdue women's basketball transfer portal haul and new motivation in 2025-26 Purdue Boilermakers mascot Pete performs before a game against the High Point Panthers at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Mar 20, 2025. Purdue women's basketball looks to weaponize the speed and tempo of Henderson. Her 5-foot-11 frame allows her to matchup defensively against bigger guards in the Big Ten Conference and helped the Seahawks go from five wins in 2023-24 to 14 wins in 2024-25. Advertisement During her sophomore season, Henderson recorded four double-doubles and scored season highs of 18 points three times: against West Georgia Dec. 5, Longwood Dec. 29 and Monmouth on Jan. 18. More: Purdue women's basketball signs former Arkansas guard, JUCO national champion Henderson finished her final two seasons oh high school attending Winston Salem Christian, a boarding school. Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@ on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball transfer Taylor Henderson
Washington Post
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
After winning with a 3-point barrage in NCAA opener, Texas Tech goes inside to take apart Drake
WICHITA, Kan. — Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland knew that tossing up 46 shots from beyond the arc wasn't going to fly against Drake. Not like it did in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against UNC Wilmington.
Fox Sports
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
After winning with a 3-point barrage in NCAA opener, Texas Tech goes inside to take apart Drake
Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland knew that tossing up 46 shots from beyond the arc wasn't going to fly against Drake. Not like it did in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against UNC Wilmington. So, the Red Raiders turned to JT Toppin, their second-team All-American, and bruising forward Darrion Williams, and the two of them responded Saturday night by bludgeoning the Bulldogs in the post. Toppin had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Williams had a season-best 28 points, and together they sent Texas Tech into the Sweet 16 with a 77-64 victory. The third-seeded Red Raiders will play No. 10 seed Arkansas in the West Region semifinals Thursday night in San Francisco. 'I think the coaches put us in great spots,' said Williams, who left briefly in the second half when he appeared to aggravate his right leg injury. 'We watched a ton of film the last 48 hours, just putting us in the right spots to go.' It wasn't just the last 48 hours that Texas Tech could draw upon, though. It also played Drake in a scrimmage in Lubbock way back in November, long before McCasland and his close friend and Drake counterpart Ben McCollum knew they would be facing each other on the biggest stage in college basketball. And the Red Raiders picked up a thing or two from it. The biggest was this: Throw the ball to Williams and Toppin and let them go to work. 'We felt like you couldn't play off ball screens. You needed to give it to our guys in space, and let them play in space, and then just clear a side,' McCasland said. "These are two of the best ball-handlers — they're basically the best passers outside of Elijah Hawkins on our team. We just trusted them to handle the basketball. 'When we got the advantage and they saw it, we were able to take advantage of it, because of their footwork and spacing.' Toppin scored 19 of his points on 9-of-10 shooting in the first half. Williams had 14 by that point. And together, they outscored the Missouri Valley regular- and postseason champs by themselves; Texas Tech led 37-30 headed to the locker room. 'Those two," McCollum said simply, 'are a load down there.' Texas Tech took a decidedly different approach in its first-round win over UNC Wilmington, when it put up an NCAA Tournament-record 46 3-pointers. Williams had 13 points and Toppin had just 12 in that game. 'We felt like we needed to play inside-out (against Drake),' McCasland said. 'Everybody was talking about how many 3s we shot on Thursday, but I think we can win in a lot of different ways.' The teams that make deep runs in March usually can. 'We only turned the ball over five times, and man, we didn't make 3s,' said McCasland, whose team was in fact 2 of 13 from beyond the arc against Drake. 'That just shows the resilience of Darrion and JT, just being persistent, the way we put it on the block.' Every time Bulldogs tried to make a charge, Williams or Toppin provided the answer. When they drew within 43-38 on a basket by Bennett Stirtz with 16:15 to go, it was Toppin's turn to score. When the Bulldogs closed within 49-45 a few minutes later, it was Williams who stepped up. In fact, at one point in the second half, the two powerful forwards alternated scoring on four consecutive possessions to help Texas Tech take control. Ultimately, they helped the Red Raiders score more points than Drake had allowed in regulation all season. 'They played a fantastic game,' McCollum said. 'You kind of have to pick your poison with them just because of the way we're built. We executed our game plan. Unfortunately, their two bigs dribbled down the whole game and made it very difficult on us.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
After winning with a 3-point barrage in NCAA opener, Texas Tech goes inside to take apart Drake
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland knew that tossing up 46 shots from beyond the arc wasn't going to fly against Drake. Not like it did in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against UNC Wilmington. So, the Red Raiders turned to JT Toppin, their second-team All-American, and bruising forward Darrion Williams, and the two of them responded Saturday night by bludgeoning the Bulldogs in the post. Toppin had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Williams had a season-best 28 points, and together they sent Texas Tech into the Sweet 16 with a 77-64 victory. The third-seeded Red Raiders will play No. 10 seed Arkansas in the West Region semifinals Thursday night in San Francisco. 'I think the coaches put us in great spots,' said Williams, who left briefly in the second half when he appeared to aggravate his right leg injury. 'We watched a ton of film the last 48 hours, just putting us in the right spots to go.' It wasn't just the last 48 hours that Texas Tech could draw upon, though. It also played Drake in a scrimmage in Lubbock way back in November, long before McCasland and his close friend and Drake counterpart Ben McCollum knew they would be facing each other on the biggest stage in college basketball. And the Red Raiders picked up a thing or two from it. The biggest was this: Throw the ball to Williams and Toppin and let them go to work. 'We felt like you couldn't play off ball screens. You needed to give it to our guys in space, and let them play in space, and then just clear a side,' McCasland said. "These are two of the best ball-handlers — they're basically the best passers outside of Elijah Hawkins on our team. We just trusted them to handle the basketball. 'When we got the advantage and they saw it, we were able to take advantage of it, because of their footwork and spacing.' Toppin scored 19 of his points on 9-of-10 shooting in the first half. Williams had 14 by that point. And together, they outscored the Missouri Valley regular- and postseason champs by themselves; Texas Tech led 37-30 headed to the locker room. 'Those two," McCollum said simply, 'are a load down there.' Texas Tech took a decidedly different approach in its first-round win over UNC Wilmington, when it put up an NCAA Tournament-record 46 3-pointers. Williams had 13 points and Toppin had just 12 in that game. 'We felt like we needed to play inside-out (against Drake),' McCasland said. 'Everybody was talking about how many 3s we shot on Thursday, but I think we can win in a lot of different ways.' The teams that make deep runs in March usually can. 'We only turned the ball over five times, and man, we didn't make 3s,' said McCasland, whose team was in fact 2 of 13 from beyond the arc against Drake. 'That just shows the resilience of Darrion and JT, just being persistent, the way we put it on the block.' Every time Bulldogs tried to make a charge, Williams or Toppin provided the answer. When they drew within 43-38 on a basket by Bennett Stirtz with 16:15 to go, it was Toppin's turn to score. When the Bulldogs closed within 49-45 a few minutes later, it was Williams who stepped up. In fact, at one point in the second half, the two powerful forwards alternated scoring on four consecutive possessions to help Texas Tech take control. Ultimately, they helped the Red Raiders score more points than Drake had allowed in regulation all season. 'They played a fantastic game,' McCollum said. 'You kind of have to pick your poison with them just because of the way we're built. We executed our game plan. Unfortunately, their two bigs dribbled down the whole game and made it very difficult on us.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Associated Press
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
After winning with a 3-point barrage in NCAA opener, Texas Tech goes inside to take apart Drake
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland knew that tossing up 46 shots from beyond the arc wasn't going to fly against Drake. Not like it did in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against UNC Wilmington. So, the Red Raiders turned to JT Toppin, their second-team All-American, and bruising forward Darrion Williams, and the two of them responded Saturday night by bludgeoning the Bulldogs in the post. Toppin had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Williams had a season-best 28 points, and together they sent Texas Tech into the Sweet 16 with a 77-64 victory. The third-seeded Red Raiders will play No. 10 seed Arkansas in the West Region semifinals Thursday night in San Francisco. 'I think the coaches put us in great spots,' said Williams, who left briefly in the second half when he appeared to aggravate his right leg injury. 'We watched a ton of film the last 48 hours, just putting us in the right spots to go.' It wasn't just the last 48 hours that Texas Tech could draw upon, though. It also played Drake in a scrimmage in Lubbock way back in November, long before McCasland and his close friend and Drake counterpart Ben McCollum knew they would be facing each other on the biggest stage in college basketball. And the Red Raiders picked up a thing or two from it. The biggest was this: Throw the ball to Williams and Toppin and let them go to work. 'We felt like you couldn't play off ball screens. You needed to give it to our guys in space, and let them play in space, and then just clear a side,' McCasland said. 'These are two of the best ball-handlers — they're basically the best passers outside of Elijah Hawkins on our team. We just trusted them to handle the basketball. 'When we got the advantage and they saw it, we were able to take advantage of it, because of their footwork and spacing.' Toppin scored 19 of his points on 9-of-10 shooting in the first half. Williams had 14 by that point. And together, they outscored the Missouri Valley regular- and postseason champs by themselves; Texas Tech led 37-30 headed to the locker room. 'Those two,' McCollum said simply, 'are a load down there.' Texas Tech took a decidedly different approach in its first-round win over UNC Wilmington, when it put up an NCAA Tournament-record 46 3-pointers. Williams had 13 points and Toppin had just 12 in that game. 'We felt like we needed to play inside-out (against Drake),' McCasland said. 'Everybody was talking about how many 3s we shot on Thursday, but I think we can win in a lot of different ways.' The teams that make deep runs in March usually can. 'We only turned the ball over five times, and man, we didn't make 3s,' said McCasland, whose team was in fact 2 of 13 from beyond the arc against Drake. 'That just shows the resilience of Darrion and JT, just being persistent, the way we put it on the block.' Every time Bulldogs tried to make a charge, Williams or Toppin provided the answer. When they drew within 43-38 on a basket by Bennett Stirtz with 16:15 to go, it was Toppin's turn to score. When the Bulldogs closed within 49-45 a few minutes later, it was Williams who stepped up. In fact, at one point in the second half, the two powerful forwards alternated scoring on four consecutive possessions to help Texas Tech take control. Ultimately, they helped the Red Raiders score more points than Drake had allowed in regulation all season. 'They played a fantastic game,' McCollum said. 'You kind of have to pick your poison with them just because of the way we're built. We executed our game plan. Unfortunately, their two bigs dribbled down the whole game and made it very difficult on us.'
