3 must-see matchups set to tip-off this evening
A quick preview of tonight's action plus a look at three of the biggest results from yesterday's slate of games
We’ve reached the point in the season where Wednesday night needs to be circled on your calendar…every week. After all, the only thing that rivals Wednesday night #d3hoops is the slate of games each Saturday, and honestly, there are plenty of weeks when Saturday’s games are unable to match what we get from teams across the nation on Wednesday nights. This is, of course, because many of the nation’s top leagues schedule their weekday conference games on Wednesdays, one of whom tips off tonight (more on that in a minute). And because students are on campus during the week, which isn’t always the case on the weekends, the crowds for these games often contribute to the high-level environment of a key conference duel or a Top 25 showdown.
Speaking of a big-time matchups, we’ve got several of those on tap tonight. We aren’t even into conference play (for most teams), yet the schedule certainly has that sort of feel, with the number of impactful matchups involving national caliber programs. In fact, I’m unsure if we’ve had a weekday this season with more must-see games than today. So what are these games? Let’s take a look at the top three…
No. 23 Trine at No. 19 Baldwin Wallace, 6:30 p.m. — Both of the above games involve one ranked team and one in the receiving votes category, but heading further west, we get a Top 25 vs. Top 25 duel. After dropping its season opener to an evidently very good W&J squad, BW bounced back with wins over Saint Vincent and Oberlin, and has a chance to really elevate its resume at home tonight. This is the sixth meeting between the programs since 2015, and BW has come away with wins in each of the two meetings as the home team. Trine is 3-0, aiming to keeps its perfect record alive after opening the season with a noteworthy 60-49 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran (who received votes in the preseason poll) and a 115-point performance against Lake Forest, along with a 12-point win over Allegheny. The Thunder are very good, but still looking for that first “marquee” victory of the season. The same could be said for Baldwin Wallace. Watch this one here.
RV Elizabethtown at No. 16 Catholic, 7:00 p.m. — All right, here’s the notable conference game of the evening. And it’s a big one. Catholic is 3-0, with wins over Shenandoah, RIT, and Wesleyan, but the Cardinals haven’t gone up against an opponent of ETown’s caliber yet. The Blue Jays come into this Landmark Conference duel with some momentum, having won at Dickinson, 83-48, last Saturday. Think they don’t remember how last year’s meeting went in D.C.? Think again. After Catholic won the first time at ETown in OT, the Blue Jays opened well in the second contest, yet fell behind in the second quarter and ended up on the losing end of an 89-74 result. They want this win badly, and it’d certainly be important in the context of the Landmark title race. Catholic knows this too. The guard play from the Cardinals is amongst the best there is, and Catholic has four players averaging double figures in scoring. Watch this one on FloSports.
RV UMass-Dartmouth at No. 14 Smith, 7:00 p.m. — Smith has backed up its preseason ranking quite well, with a 4-0 start that included a dominant win over Arcadia and a 56-51 road win on the West Coast against an underrated Redlands team. The Pioneers are on track for another year of considerable success, but there’s a reason I had UMass-Dartmouth in my preseason Top 25. And I wasn’t the only one. The Corsairs were No. 2 amongst teams in the “Others Receiving Votes” category, but this is our first real chance to see them tested against another top-tier opponent. UMD is 2-0 with wins over Union and Maine Maritime and comes off a 10-day break from game action. Expect a tight contest in Northhampton. Game will be on FloSports.
Other games to keep an eye on:
Capital at Case Western Reserve, 5:00 p.m.
Oberlin at Carnegie Mellon, 5:30 p.m.
Saint Vincent at RV Chatham, 6:00 p.m.
PSU-Harrisbury at Messiah, 7:00 p.m.
Maine Maritime at Colby, 7:00 p.m.
Trinity (CT), 75, Vassar, 63
Bantams improve to 3-0 in key road win at RV Vassar
» Trinity’s success under first-year head coach Maria Williamson continued on Tuesday night, as the Bantams moved to a perfect 3-0, now holding a resume that includes wins over Springfield and Vassar.
» Olivia Vick was Trinity’s high-scorer, with 19 points for the second straight game. Overall, Trinity’s guard play was strong. In addition to Vick’s offensive contributions, Indi DelRocco had 12 points, and Avery Marzo had 10.
» Trinity’s defense showed up early, as the Bantams limited Vassar’s number of good looks on the offensive end, especially from long range. The Brewers finished the game 2-of-22 from beyond the arc, and shot just 29.7% in the first half as Trinity gained a 34-26 lead at the intermission.
» Tova Gelb had a strong performance for Vassar, with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. It marked her second-straight game with a double-double.
MIT, 71, Emmanuel, 61
Engineers orchestrate fourth-quarter comeback on the road, Win in OT
» MIT trailed by 10, 52-42, with just 6:39 left in regulation. By the 4:25 mark, it was still a five-point deficit, but the Engineers slowly chipped away, getting it to two twice. Then, with 43 seconds left, Kamsi Nwogu tied the score at 57 apiece on a layup. Emmanuel was held scoreless over the final 2:48 of the fourth.
» The Engineers controlled OT, with Nwogu opening the extra period with a jumper, followed immediately by Angie Choi’s 3-pointer for a five-point advantage. MIT outscored Emmanuel, 14-4, in OT.
» Nwogu had a huge performance for MIT, with 22 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 10-of-15 from the field. Seven of her rebounds came on the offensive end, as she played 40 of the game’s 45 minutes.
» MIT notably forced 27 turnovers, which led to 30 of the Engineers’ 71 points.
» MIT, now 2-2, looks ahead to the Rhode Island College Tournament this weekend. Emmanuel, who is 2-1, hosts Thomas College on Thursday and travels to Trinity (CT) on Saturday.
St. John Fisher, 73, Ithaca, 67
Tomasso, Moravec, lead SJF back into the win column
» After dropping three straight on the heels of a 2-0 start, SJF found its way back into the win column in a key road duel Tuesday night. The Cardinals had lost five straight to the Bombers, with their last win in the series coming during the 2015-16 season.
» Sidney Tomasso and Kelly Moravec lit up the scoreboard, as each had 26 points in the victory. Tomasso was 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 12-of-14 at the FT line, while Moravec finished with an efficient 8-of-12 from the field and 10-of-13 at the line.
» Using full-court pressure against the Bombers, SJF’s defense contributed to its offense, including a momentum-building 3-pointer from Tomasso for a 9-point lead with 1:26 left in the first half.
» Ithaca, however, dominated on the offensive boards, with 20 offensive rebounds leading to 31 second-chance points. Those second-chance opportunities were critical in keeping the Bombers in contention through all four quarters.
» The Bombers are 0-2 for the first time since 2015-16 and get SUNY New Paltz next on Saturday. SJF opens play against the University of Rochester at the Crosstown Shootout in Rochester on Thursday.