*pushing aside rum drink so she can see the screen*

In St. Thomas, #9 Duke defeated #22 Purdue in what must have been one of the least aesthetically pleasing games of the season. Purdue, long armed but point-guard weak, jumped out to an early lead, but the Blue Devils fought back and used their size and strength to push towards the 53-41 win. Jasmine Thomas was Duke's high scorer with 15. Chante Black had an impressive line, too: 11 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.

#2 UConn leapt out in front of #4 Stanford and maintained the lead throughout. A close game at the half almost became a blow out, with the Huskies surging to a 26-point lead. But, Wiggins returned (despite having 4 fouls) and UConn lost focus, and the Cardinal made a serious run, quieting the very pro-UConn crowd.

Huskies came out 66-54 winners on the strength of their post play and a rookie. Tina Charles had a double-double and Brittany Hunter made the most of her minutes to help frustrate and exhaust Jane Appel. (Watch out, I'm going to say it!) Freshman-phenom Maya Moore was quiet in the first half, but exploded in the second, winding up with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

One final note -- sending out a "Welcome to top-Division 1 officiating!" shout out to Maj Forsberg, who crewed with vets Dee Kantner and Bonita Spence. Denmark's Forsberg is a former point guard for Hawa'ii and is what coaches have been wanting -- players who are willing to become officials. Perhaps, as a point guard, when she gets yelled at it'll just seem like a flashback to her playing days?

*closes computer screen and slathers on sunscreen*