Although WNBA action wrapped up almost two weeks ago, women’s basketball continues to entertain fans, with the NCAA taking center stage. While names like Sarah Strong and Madison Booker, alongside returnee JuJu Watkins, will continue to make headlines, this week introduced fans to a new crop of players looking to make their mark, including Jazzy Davidson, Sophia Georgiades, and Erica Finney. Add in nail-biting contests like Princeton’s showdown against Villanova and surprising results in the New Mexico-UTEP matchup, and the season is already delivering plenty of excitement. With several emerging talents beginning to announce themselves and established programs looking to assert their dominance, here are the best performers from Tuesday night of women’s basketball.

Best Game: Princeton vs. Villanova

On Tuesday evening, the Jadwin Gym saw the Princeton Tigers overcome the Villanova Wildcats 81-74 on the back of a 28-point, seven-rebound performance from Fadima Tall. After a The Tigers extended their record to 4-0, while the Wildcats fell behind at 2-0.

Tall scored five consecutive points to help the Tigers close the opening quarter with a 21-17 lead. They carried that momentum into the second, putting together a seven-point unanswered stretch to extend their advantage to 28-17 with 7:46 left before halftime. Princeton continued to dictate the tempo, winning the quarter 19-12 and heading into the break with a 40-29 cushion. The Tigers also enjoyed an efficient first-half shooting display, converting 13 of their 27 field-goal attempts, including six of 11 from three-point range.

Princeton looked to put the game beyond Villanova’s reach after the break, adding seven of the first nine points in the third quarter to stretch its advantage to 47-31. However, the Wildcats responded with urgency, gradually cutting into the deficit and preventing the Tigers from running away with the contest. Villanova outscored Princeton 19-17 over the course of the quarter, bringing the gap down to nine points at 57-48.

With 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter, a Jasmin Biscoe layup put the Wildcats within four at 62-58. Princeton responded emphatically, however, putting together a 12-1 run to extend its advantage to 74-59 with just 1:22 left on the clock.

Just when it appeared the Tigers had secured the result, Villanova tried another comeback. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 78-74 with 24 seconds remaining, putting Princeton under pressure. However, the Tigers held their nerve at the free-throw line, with Fadima Tall and Skye Belker combining to convert three of their final four attempts and seal the 81-74 victory. While Tall will get all the glitz and glamor with Princeton’s victory, Bascoe’s game-high 29 points for Villanova went far from unnoticed.

Princeton will now head to the West Coast to take on Pepperdine on Friday before a nationally televised contest at No. 10 UCLA on Sunday. Meanwhile, Villanova returns to action on Wednesday night against Merrimack.

Best Player Performance: Jazzy Davidson

USC’s Jazzy Davidson celebrated her 20th birthday barely a week ago, and it seems the celebrations are still running wild as unranked Charleston faced the wrath of the No. 3-ranked team on Tuesday. For the first time in program history, the Trojans opened the season with three consecutive 100-point games.

The USBWA National Freshman of the Year continues her impressive sophomore year with a season-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting with three shots from outside the arc, four rebounds, and four assists against Charleston. Working alongside another top NCAA recruit in Saniyah Hall, the duo scored four more points than Charleston managed in the four quarters.

Meanwhile, the WNBA’s prospective No. 1 draft pick, JuJu Watkins, seems like she has barely skipped a beat following her ACL tear. Watkins added 20 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals in just 22 minutes on the floor, as Charleston were no match for the Women of Troy, facing a humiliating 105-44 defeat. The Trojans have a big game coming up next, facing Dawn Staley’s South Carolina on Sunday.

Best Freshman Performance: Erica Finney

Missing last season at Illinois after bilateral knee surgeries, redshirt freshman Erica Finney of Loyola Marmount delivered one of the standout performances in an emphatic 118-37 victory over La Sierra. The redshirt freshman guard came off the bench to pour in a game-high 25 points, along with five rebounds and an assist, helping LMU improve to 3-0 on the season.

Finney needed just 14 minutes to make her presence felt, shooting an impressive 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. What made her performance particularly impressive was her fourth-quarter scoring burst. Finney took complete control, hitting four of her threes in the final 5:38 of the contest. Her shooting added another dimension to an already dominant LMU performance, as the Lions outscored La Sierra 31-10 in the final period.

A former four-star recruit ranked No. 47 nationally in the 2025 class, Finney’s performance against La Sierra offers an encouraging glimpse of what she could bring to the Lions’ backcourt as the season progresses.

Biggest Upset: New Mexico State vs.UTEP

New Mexico State delivered one of the biggest surprises of the day, handing UTEP its first defeat of the season with a commanding 69-50 victory in the Battle of I-10. Playing on the road at the Don Haskins Center, the Aggies overcame an early deficit before taking control behind an exceptional shooting display, particularly from beyond the arc.

While the Miners held a narrow 13-12 advantage in the first 10 minutes, New Mexico State responded in the second, outscoring the hosts 16-8 to carry a 28-21 lead into halftime. The Aggies then turned up the pressure after the break, opening the third quarter with a 20-10 stretch to extend their advantage to 17 points. To add fuel to the fire, they connected 8-of-9 attempts from downtown in the second half alone.

Raina Tomasicka led the way with a game-high 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting off the bench, including four three-pointers and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

“I think it was my teammates, and it was a team effort. I think we played well together,” Tomasicka said after the game.

While UTEP attempted to mount a comeback, the Aggies maintained their offensive rhythm and eventually secured a 19-point road victory. With this result, both New Mexico and UTEP have a 2-1 record.

“I was very pleased with their resiliency and their focus today. Today was a game where we really emphasized discipline and having the mental concentration that was required to follow the game plan, so I was very happy with this.” Aggies head coach Adeniyi Amadou said after facing UTEP for the first time in her tenure.

Sixth Woman: Sophia Georgiades

Another remarkable performance off the bench came from Boston University’s Sophia Georgiades. The freshman recorded a game-high 30 points, while grabbing four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes against UMass Boston, for the program’s first win of the season on Tuesday evening at Case Gym.

Georgiades was particularly impressive in the opening half, recording 23 points to help the Terriers establish a commanding 50-28 lead. Her second-quarter burst saw her score 14 points in less than four minutes, including a four-point play. She also scored 12 points during a game-changing 14-0 run. The freshman finished 12-of-19 from the field, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, while converting four of her five free-throw attempts.

The Terriers would hope Georgiades’ form continues in the long run, as next up on their agenda is a visit to Quinnipiac on Saturday.