D3 WBB Daily: History made in Holland
Welcome back to another edition of D3 WBB Daily! Each day, I do my best to recap yesterday’s biggest results and storylines, while also taking a quick look ahead to the current day’s matchups. We had plenty of great contests on this particular Saturday, even with winter weather affecting several games in the Midwest, and I’ve got another Top 25 ballot to start putting together! But first, here are some of my thoughts on notes from yesterday’s action…
Tipping Off
Morehouse earns Win No. 700: Makes college basketball history
History was made in Holland on Saturday night. Not just D-III basketball history. College basketball history. As Hope captured a 79-77, double-overtime victory over Alma inside DeVos Fieldhouse, head coach Brian Morehouse earned the 700th win of his storied career. And get this: he reached that mark in just 795 games, all of which have been spent as head coach of the Flying Dutch. The victory makes him the fastest coach in college hoops history to 700 wins (men’s or women’s) in any division. What an accomplishment!
Morehouse reached the mark 18 games sooner than Kim Mulkey, head coach of LSU women’s hoops, who set a new NCAA record on Dec. 7, 2023, when she reached 700 in 813 games.
Hope’s dominance and pursuit of excellence is nothing short of remarkable. The Flying Dutch have won 20 or more games in 25 straight seasons, and Morehouse has never had a losing season while at Hope in 28 years at the helm. The Flying Dutch are very much on their way to that mark again, with a 15-1 start to the season, and a 7-0 record. Never mind the fact that they had five new starters in the lineup when the season tipped off.
What a well-deserved accomplishment for such a legendary figure in D3 women’s basketball. Morehouse has helped advance the sport and created a tradition at Hope that programs around the country hope to emulate. It’s not just the on-court wins…it’s the program as a whole. Hope has high-achievers on and off the court, and it’s clear that Morehouse does not only recruit great players, but high-character individuals.
Hope put together a pretty cool tribute message for Morehouse that was played postgame. You can watch it here:
Is Bates flying under the radar?
I think the general thought entering the season was that the top three in the NESCAC was going to be some order of Tufts, Amherst, and Trinity (CT). As it has turned out, Bates and Bowdoin have surged to the front of the pack. Bates is the real surprise in my opinion, with a 14-2 record and a 3-0 mark in league play. The Bobcats have won five straight, with the most recent win coming yesterday afternoon against #16 Amherst. It wasn’t even that close. Bates defeated the nationally-ranked Mammoths, 59-41, jumping out to an 18-10 lead and never looking back. But this didn’t come out of nowhere. Bates has been fairly strong all season, with a loss at Bowdoin and a neutral court loss to St. Vincent being the Bobcats’ only blemishes. Notably, Bates defeated Wisconsin Lutheran—the only team to beat Hope this season—in Daytona Beach, took down Colby and UNE, and has posted a handful of dominant performances since the turn of the calendar. Elsa Daulerio is one of the best post players in the NESCAC, and currently averages 12.1 points and 7.1 boards as a sophomore. Morgan Kennedy shoots it well from outside, and Bates has quite a bit of depth on hand that helps in these Friday/Saturday NESCAC matchups. Keep an eye on Bates, who battles Tufts next Saturday.
Besides Baldwin Wallace, OAC race is wide-open
Yesterday certainly yielded a few tight battles in the OAC as Capital emerged with a 63-55 win over Ohio Northern, Muskingum beat Otterbein, 55-50, and Marietta earned a 65-54 win. Baldwin Wallace is 8-0 in league play, but besides the Yellowjackets, this race is wide-open. We’ve got five teams sitting at .500 in league play and within two games of each other. And Muskingum and Otterbein aren’t out of the mix. It’s hard to believe, but the way things are shaping up in Region 7, it looks like the OAC could end up as a one-bid league this season, in the event that BW wins the OAC Tournament. What is interesting, though, is that the parity seems to be more prevalent than ever before in the OAC, which has created this logjam in the standings. I think Capital is a much improved team, and that win over ONU is huge for the Comets, who are now tied for No. 2 with ONU. I’ll be interested to see how the next four weeks play out in this league, and that OAC Tournament is going to be especially intriguing.
Fast Breaks
» Congratulations to Marietta head coach Kole Vivian, who became the winningest head coach in Marietta history yesterday, with 132 victories. Vivian has led Marietta to three NCAA Tournament appearances since taking over in 2016, and back-to-back 20-win seasons in the last two years.
» #21 DeSales was on the ropes against Lebanon Valley for three quarters yesterday afternoon, and trailed, 36-35, entering the 4th. But then came an incredible defensive effort from the Bulldogs…for 10 minutes straight. LVC scored just one point in the 4th, as DeSales went on an 18-1 run, winning 53-39.
» In #14 Hardin-Simmons’ 103-58 win over Concordia (TX) yesterday afternoon, HSU point guard Anna Fanelli dished out 14 assists for a program record as the offense fired on all cylinders. Several of those assists led to 3-pointers, as HSU connected on a program-best 13 3-pointers in the one-sided victory.
» HSU wasn’t the only ASC team to eclipse the century mark. #20 UMHB put up 108 in a 108-96 win at McMurry, and scored the second-most points in a game in program history. Arieona Rosborough had 36 points in the win, setting a new UMHB record for points in a single game.
» #4 UW-Whitewater continues to impress me. The Warhawks took down a quality UW-Stout team yesterday, jumping out to a 23-7 lead in the opening quarter. UWW emerged with an 80-70 win, led by Kacie Carollo’s 30-point effort. Carollo was 3-of-3 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 at the FT line.
» Mary Schleusner continues to play at an All-American level, leading #23 Washington & Lee on both ends of the floor. In the 85-74 win over Mary Washington, Schleusner tallied a 22-point, 19-rebound performance, grabbing eight offensive boards and shooting 8-of-19 from the field. For good measure, she added four blocks.
Looking Ahead
Oglethorpe at Centre, 12 pm ET
#1 NYU at Carnegie Mellon
#6 Emory at Chicago, 3 pm ET
Carroll at Augustana, 3 pm ET
Dubuque at Central, 3 pm ET