Monday’s college roundup: UMaine guard Anne Simon earns conference women’s basketball honor

University of Maine guard Anne Simon was named the America East women’s basketball player of the week for the second straight week on Monday.

Simon lead the Black Bears to a 59-48 win over Rhode Island in their only game last week. She scored 21 of her 25 points in the second half, including 15 straight points for Maine in one stretch.

Simon, the 2022 America East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, has scored at least 20 points in her last three games and has reached double digits in eight straight games.

The Black Bears return to action at 5:30 p.m. Friday when they face Richmond in the Vibrant Thanks Giving Classic in Des Moines, Iowa.

TOP 25: Maryland’s 13-year run in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll has come to an end after a week that saw more chaos in the Top 25.

The Terrapins had been ranked for 251 consecutive weeks – the second longest active streak behind No. 6 UConn – before falling out on Monday. Maryland had been in every poll since the start of the 2010-11 season, but lost to the Huskies by 32 on Thursday before edging Syracuse on Sunday. It was the sixth-longest run ever in the AP Top 25.

South Carolina remained the No. 1 team, becoming the unanimous choice this week. The Gamecocks earned all 36 first-place votes and now have the second-longest streak in the poll at 209 straight weeks, behind only UConn’s streak of 567 weeks.

UCLA moved up one spot to No. 2, the highest ranking in program history.

LSU: With LSU star forward Angel Reese missing in action and little explanation forthcoming from Coach Kim Mulkey, the seventh-ranked Tigers are attracting unwanted scrutiny at the outset of their national title defense.

Recent drama involving not just Reese’s absence, but critical comments by some players’ parents on social media, began not long after a surprising season-opening loss for what on paper looks like the quintessential super team in this new era of relaxed rules governing transfers and player endorsement earnings.

There was no indication that Reese would be back with the team for a home game against Texas Southern.

LSU women’s basketball program spokesman Grant Kauvar said he couldn’t predict how soon Reese might return, adding that people would just have to “come to the game and see.” That echoed Mulkey’s comments before last Friday’s game at Southeastern Louisiana, which Reese missed.

(15) OHIO STATE 79, EAST CAROLINA 55: Jacy Sheldon scored 20 points, Taylor Thierry had 14 points and eight rebounds, and the Buckeyes (3-1) beat the Pirates (2-2) in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

TOP 25: Kansas’ comeback win in a marquee matchup kept the Jayhawks firmly entrenched atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll while Miami climbed to its highest ranking in nearly five years.

The Jayhawks stayed at No. 1 and Miami climbed to No. 10 to replace a tumbling Florida Atlantic in the only major change at the top of the rankings.

Kansas (3-0) rallied from 14 down to beat Kentucky in last week’s Champions Classic, led by a huge game from transfer big man Hunter Dickinson in its lone game of the week. That helped the Jayhawks pick up two additional first-place votes from last week, topping 53 of 62 ballots.

(7) TENNESSEE 73, SYRACUSE 56: Dalton Knecht scored 17 points and Josiah-Jordan James and Jonas Aidoo each recorded a double-double to lead  Tennessee (4-0) over Syracuse (3-1) in the opening round of the Maui Invitational at Honolulu.

JP Estrella of South Portland had two points and three rebounds in nine minutes for the Vols.

MEN’S HOCKEY

TOP 25: The University of Maine fell one spot in the USCHO.com to No. 10 after being swept by No. 5 Boston University last weekend.

Maine (6-3-1, 3-2-1 in Hockey East) lost to the Terriers on 3-2 on Friday and 5-4 on Saturday.

North Dakota (9-2-1) is No. 1, followed by Boston College (9-2-1), Quinnipiac (9-3-1) and Denver (8-3-1).

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