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USATSI

The holiday season and final exams have been keeping some teams off the court, but there hasn't been a shortage of action across the women's college basketball world.

LSU has been taking care of business, even with starting point guard Hailey Van Lith still out because of plantar fasciitis. Case in point: The Tigers had one of the most dominant performances in program history on Dec. 12, when they pulled off a 133-44 victory against McNeese State. 

Another team with an impressive performance was, unsurprisingly, the South Carolina Gamecocks. This time it was a 99-29 win against Presbyterian.

As teams begin conference play, only 14 unbeaten teams remain. One of them is No. 23 Washington, which has been holding opponents to under 46 points per game. They will be taking on No. 19 Louisville on Wednesday in the week's only ranked matchup. 

Here are some of the top moments from the past week, as well as some of the main storylines to watch over the coming days.

Bucket of the week: Flau'jae Johnson, LSU

LSU sophomore guard Flau'jae Johnson went coast to coast and ran through multiple Northwestern State defenders for this impressive basket. Johnson finished the night with 13 points, five assists and five steals as her team enjoyed a dominant 81-36 win on Sunday. 

Assist of the week: Alissa Pili, Utah 

Alissa Pili has been the Utes' leading scorer this season as she's averaging 24.2 points per game. However, the senior forward is also an underrated passer. Here's a nifty bounce pass Pili delivered to Kennady McQueen during Utah's 96-60 win over Southern Utah.

Stop of the week: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

Hannah Hidalgo flirted with a quadruple-double during Notre Dame's 76-39 win over Purdue, recording 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals. No other player in the ACC has registered more than one game of six-plus steals this season, but the star freshman has six already. Here Hidalgo jumps the passing lane for a steal and a bucket on the other end, helping Notre Dame jump out to a 7-0 lead over Purdue. 

Game of the week: Marquette vs. Creighton

Marquette found a 76-70 win over Creighton in a game that saw 13 lead changes and was tied 12 times, including at 66-66 with with 3:31 remaining. The Golden Eagles shot 72.7% in the fourth quarter and finished the game on a 10-4 run.

Creighton forward Emma Ronsiek led her team with a season-high 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while teammate Molly Mogensen added 21 points. However, those efforts still were not enough to give Marquette its first loss of the season.

Liza Karlen led the winning offense with 25 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. The senior forward was named the Big East Player of the Week for her efforts.

"What a tremendous basketball game. I thought both teams were playing at an extremely high level," Marquette coach Megan Duffy said. I'm just really proud of our mental and physical toughness through 40 minutes. I thought we got better as the game went on, and just a ton of people contributing in this one today. 

Biggest storylines from the week 

LSU sets records in dominant win

The Tigers were unstoppable against McNeese State, winning 133-44 in a game where they went on a 47-0 run at one point. That was the most points scored in LSU history and also a program-best margin of victory.

"It doesn't matter who you're playing -- that is kind of crazy," LSU coach Kim Mulkey said.

The Tigers have had some players come in and out of the lineup for different reasons, but they have shown to be resilient and deep, as Aneesah Morrow explained to CBS Sports earlier this week. Freshman Aalyah Del Rosario led them against McNeese State with her first career double-double, putting up an impressive  27 points and 10 rebounds. 

Hailey Van Lith still out

LSU point guard Hailey Van Lith has not played in December yet as she's dealing with plantar fasciitis. Mulkey said she would be capable of playing right now if needed, but Van Lith is resting as much as possible before the team needs her in bigger games. 

Emily Bessoir suffers another ACL injury

UCLA announced senior forward Emily Bessoir will miss the remainder of the season after she injured the same ACL that sidelined her for the 2021-22 season.

"It's definitely not what any of us would have chosen, but our job now is to come alongside her and support her," UCLA coach Cori Close said. "She will still be an integral part of our leadership team. She will be making a difference like she always does, just in a different form."

UConn's injury problems continue

UConn sophomore forward Ayanna Patterson will not play this season after undergoing knee surgery. Last month, the Huskies had another season-ending injury to star guard Azzi Fudd, who tore the ACL and medial meniscus in her right knee.

Interesting stats

Gamecocks tie program record: South Carolina registered 17 blocks in its 99-29 win against Presbyterian on Saturday. This tied the program record for most blocks in a game -- which was first set against Appalachian State on Nov. 17, 2019. Kamilla Cardoso had seven of those blocks.

Caitlin Clark continues to climb all-time scoring list: The Iowa star passed former Iowa State guard Ashley Joens after registering 38 points during the Hawkeyes' 104-75 win over Cleveland State. Clark currently sits at No. 9 in the all-time women's college basketball scoring list with 3,079 career points. Here is our Caitlin Clark record tracker.

Only 14 unbeaten teams remain:

  • NC State 11-0
  • Texas 11-0 
  • Washington 11-0
  • TCU 11-0
  • Texas Tech 11-0
  • South Carolina 10-0
  • UCLA 10-0
  • West Virginia 9-0
  • Marquette 11-0
  • USC 8-0
  • California Baptist 9-0
  • UCF 8-0
  • Baylor 9-0
  • Oregon State 8-0

Matchups to watch:

(all times Eastern) 

No. 23 Washington vs. No. 19 Louisville | Wednesday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. | ESPN

This will be the only matchup between ranked opponents this week, and it could be a fun one. The Huskies are still undefeated with an 11-0 record, which matches the best start in program history. Their best win so far has been against then-No. 21 Washington State on Dec. 10. They followed that one with a dominant 64-32 win over Saint Mary's -- the fewest points the Gaels have scored in program history. Washington currently has the top scoring defense in the nation, holding opponents to just 45.6 points per game. Meanwhile, Louisville has had good wins against Gonzaga and Ole Miss. However, the Cardinals are coming off a 62-86 loss to No. 17 UConn, which was their second loss of the season. The Cardinals will have their work cut out for them, but a win against Washington would be an excellent way to bounce back.