UConn's Azzi Fudd makes a statement in USC win

When the tassel was worth the hassle.

UConn makes a statement against USC

No. 1 UConn can’t stop winning, winding down the year’s non-conference play undefeated after dominating No. 16 USC on Saturday 79-51.

• Senior guard Azzi Fudd led the Huskies’ scoring effort with 17 points on the night, while UConn’s defense limited the Trojans to just 17 first-half points.

• “On a team like this, you have to play unselfish basketball,“ Fudd said postgame. “You have to be aggressive whether it be from three or taking it to the rim.” (Watch full highlights)

On a roll: As the Big East’s only ranked team, the reigning NCAA champions had to make the most of an aggressive non-conference schedule — and so far, so good.

• UConn stacked ranked wins against No. 22 Louisville, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, and No. 16 USC — with No. 11 Iowa, No. 19 Notre Dame, and No. 18 Tennessee still to come.

• “We’ve always been pretty good at trying to spread our brand around, not get stuck just playing regional type games,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said ahead of Saturday’s matchup. “You want to try to keep adding new ones.”

Up next: UConn squares off against unranked Marquette on Wednesday at 7 PM ET (Peacock), before hosting No. 11 Iowa on Saturday at 1:30 PM ET (FOX).

Caitlin Clark reports she’s “100%” at Team USA camp

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is back, hitting the court with fellow WNBA standouts at this weekend’s USA Basketball training camp in North Carolina.

• Sidelined since July 15th with a groin strain, Clark told media that she’s feeling 100% healthy as she tackles her first senior team camp.

• “I’ve been working out and playing pickup and stuff like that, but to be in an environment like this, it’s really fun,” she said. “Obviously, [I] need to knock off a little bit of rust and get my lungs back, but my body feels really good.”

• “I was a little nervous, not because anything [health-wise], but just because I haven’t been out here in a while, so certainly fun to lace them up and be in a competitive practice,” the 23-year-old added.

Big picture: Clark was one of several uncapped hopefuls called up to Team USA head coach Kara Lawson’s camp, as the team begins honing the 2026 FIBA World Cup player pool.

• “What was most impressive was just the way [Clark] stayed engaged,” USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird said of the guard’s injury recovery. “That really shows her maturity.”

WSL title race tightens as Man City shoots up the table

The WSL appears to have a serious title race on its hands, after Manchester City cemented their six-point lead on six-time reigning champs Chelsea with Sunday’s lopsided 6-1 win over Aston Villa.

• City striker Bunny Shaw scored four goals in the victory, bringing her career club tally to 103 — and becoming the first woman to reach the century mark in the team’s modern era.

• “Coming into this game, I knew that if I scored it would have been a really good milestone for me,” she told BBC Radio. (Watch full highlights)

Building momentum: While Chelsea and No. 3 Arsenal have ample ground to make up in the WSL table, both managed to keep pace with multi-goal weekend wins.

• After Everton snapped the Blues’ 34-game WSL unbeaten streak last week, goals by France international Sandy Baltimore and USWNT star Alyssa Thompson shot the team past Brighton 3-0 on Sunday.

• Arsenal also went back to their winning ways, taking down Everton 3-1 to hold off No. 4 Man United as captain Leah Williamson returned from injury.

Up next: The WSL returns from holiday break on January 10th, 2026.

Texas A&M ends Nebraska’s perfect run with Elite Eight upset

No. 1 overall seed Nebraska’s perfect season is over, after No. 3 seed Texas A&M upset the Huskers 3-2 in Sunday’s five-set Elite Eight thriller.

• Undaunted by Nebraska’s 33-0 record, the Aggies jumped out to a 2-0 lead, before the Huskers came storming back to force a tiebreak fifth set — which A&M won 15-13 in front of a stunned home crowd.

• “A lot of us are seniors, and we’ve been doing this for a really long time,” said Aggies senior Logan Lednicky. “And I think all the newbies came in ready to work, ready to grind.” (Watch full highlights)

The path forward: Always the bridesmaid, Nebraska hasn’t won an NCAA volleyball tournament championship since 2017, falling three times in the final and once in the semifinals in recent years.

Up next: Texas A&M kicks off the semifinals against No. 1 seed Pitt on Thursday at 6:30 PM ET, before No. 1 seed Kentucky takes on No. 3 seed Wisconsin at 9 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Angel Reese confirms she’ll re-join Chicago in 2026

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is running it back, with the 23-year-old confirming plans to return to Chicago next season from this weekend’s Team USA training camp.

• “I’m under contract, so yes, I plan on returning to the Sky,” Reese told reporters. “[I’m] continuing to talk to [coach] Tyler [Marsh], and building that relationship with [GM] Jeff [Pagliocca] and Tyler.”

• Reese’s future with the team came into question in September, after she was suspended for making comments deemed “detrimental to the team” in a Chicago Tribune interview.

Big picture: Reese was drafted by the Sky in 2024, and remains under a rookie contract through 2026 with an option for 2027.

• After leading the WNBA in rebounds-per-game in 2025, a back injury limited Reese’s late-season availability — with the forward now reporting that she’s fully recovered from the knock.

Satou Sabally to miss Unrivaled 3×3 with lingering concussion

Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally has been sidelined, with the 27-year-old set to miss Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball’s January 5th opening tip-off as she continues to recover from lingering concussion symptoms.

• Sabally suffered the head injury in the fourth quarter of the 2025 WNBA Finals Game 3, exiting the October 8th matchup and sitting out the remainder of the postseason series.

• She was expected to return to Unrivaled’s Phantom BC this offseason, after averaging 15.3 points per game through the league’s 2025 debut.

Big picture: Sabally is under a multi-year contract with the 3×3 upstart, with Unrivaled promising the forward’s fitness would be “reevaluated at a later date.”

• Valkyries guard Tifanny Hayes — who played for Laces BC last season — has signed with Phantom BC as Sabally’s replacement.

Quote of the day

Gotham FC forward Midge Purce
announcing her one-year contract extension with the NWSL team in Friday’s Women’s Health interview.