D3 WBB Daily: January 6, 2024: Amherst/Williams, Colorado College and Pacific with key conference wins out West

Good morning! A huge Saturday of D3 women’s basketball is ahead, and we’ve got so many key matchups on the slate. Nearly everybody is in action, including 21 teams ranked in the most recent Top 25. Here’s a look at how things transpired last night, as well as a quick look ahead to today’s action.

Tipping Off

Out West, Colorado College and Pacific earned big conference wins

Late last night, several hours after the East Coast matchups had wrapped up, basketball was still being played in the Western U.S. In Colorado Springs, Colorado College took a 35-27 lead at the half against Trinity (TX) and never looked back. CC won the rebounding battle 49-34 in what was a key aspect in keeping Trinity from fighting back into contention. 15 offensive rebounds from the Tigers of CC resulted in numerous second-chance opportunities, and down the stretch, it hurt Trinity’s chances at a comeback.

When you walk into the gym at CC, you’ll see a large message printed on one side of the court: “Welcome to 6,035 feet! Breathe Deeply”. It is an ode to the fact of the altitude at which Colorado Springs is located, and from a basketball standpoint, makes things just that much harder when you’re the visiting team. Over the course of a 40-minute game, exhaustion sets in quicker because of the altitude, and it is probably fair to say that CC has built-in home court advantage no matter how large or small the crowd is. That altitude is so tough to contend with. CC did everything it had to do to maintain its lead, and it creates an interesting situation atop the SCAC standings, with TLU and Trinity both 5-1 in league play, with CC is 4-1. And the SCAC is shaping up to be a one-bid league once again, which will make that conference tournament especially interesting.

But Colorado College wasn’t the only home team to score a big conference victory last night. Pacific stunned Puget Sound, 55-44, in a result that surprised me a little bit after the way Pacific had played as of late, having lost two straight in games they had been projected to win. But you never know in league play. The defensive presence from the Boxers was really good, and they pressured the ball on the perimeter really well. 17 offensive rebounds, which led to 10 second-chance points certainly helped as well, as Pacific attacked the boards and challenged Puget Sound in that aspect of the game. Neither team found much offensive traction, but Puget Sound just struggled to find consistency. Katie Minnehan was their only double-digit scorer, with 10 points. Credit to Pacific for finding a way to get the win, and it makes the NWC just a little more interesting moving forwards.

In a rivalry matchup, Amherst/Williams told us plenty about both teams

The Williams at Amherst matchup certainly lived up to its expectation as a great NESCAC battle (as it often is), with Amherst edging the Ephs, 71-68. The first half was all Amherst, and the second half featured much more of Williams, which nearly led to a dramatic comeback for the Ephs on the road, if not for a game-tying 3-point attempt that rimmed out with just seconds left.

Amherst did a nice job of solidifying its offensive presence early, jumping out to a 21-10 lead in the first 10 minutes. The Mammoths run an efficient offensive system and while not overly complex with their schemes and sets, they are incredibly effective and pushed the ball well in transition. It was one of the better offensive starts I’ve seen from Amherst this season, and a nice complement to the exceptional defense we see year-in and year-out from the Mammoths.

While that defensive presence really challenged Williams through the first two quarters, it seemed the Ephs made a few key adjustments when down 41-27 at the half. Williams tends to run a lot of motion, and likes to get go-to scorer Arianna Gerig in position for downhill drives to the basket, and we saw plenty of that in the second half, especially. Gerig finished with 33 points.

Overall, I saw a more complete offensive game from Amherst, but I also saw Williams find a way to score on Amherst’s incredibly strong defense. It gives me confidence for Williams moving further into NESCAC play, as Amherst is likely to be the toughest defensive team the Ephs will face. I like where I have Amherst right now in my ballot at #15, and we’ll see how they defend Alexa Mustafaj and Middlebury this afternoon. Should be another great NESCAC battle there.

Chicago/WashU might be the game to watch today

There are so many key games (as you’ll see in my “Looking Ahead” section below), but Chicago/WashU has some pretty serious Region 8 implications. Not only will it feature two UAA contenders in their conference opener, but both of these teams have, for one reason or another, taken some losses in getting to this point. While both are certainly in the NCAA Tournament Pool C bid conversation, Region 8 is stacked, and the difference of one spot in the regional rankings could be the difference between playing in March and staying home. The winner of this game will likely remain in a fairly comfortable No. 4 spot in the region, and close to a Pool C lock. The loser is likely to drop behind Carroll, and while there is plenty of season left, head-to-head matchups within region come into play as well. This is one of those cases, and the No. 6 spot in Region 8 is going to be very much “on the bubble”. Really interested to see how this one plays out. WashU has won its last four, while Chicago looks to snap a four-game losing skid.

Fast Breaks

» Willamette took down Linfield, 66-49, on Friday night, earning the Bearcats fifth straight D3 win. In fact, Willamette has not lost to a D3 opponent since Nov. 25 and interestingly, Friday’s win marked the Bearcats first home victory of the season since Nov. 12.

» In an offensive clinic, McKenna Snively and Alivia Giles each scored 19 points in Christopher Newport’s 103-49 win over Cheyney, as the Captains shot 53% from the field. The win moved CNU into a tie for the 14th-longest home winning streak in D-III history, at 45 games, and it is the longest home winning streak since Thomas More’s 64-game stretch in 2017.

» In another thriller in #NESCACtion last night, Middlebury edged Hamilton, 57-54. Middlebury’s Gabby Stuart sank a pair of huge free throws with 54 seconds left to put the Panthers in front, as they closed the win on a 6-1 run.

» Hollins pushed Randolph-Macon into OT in what was a major #UpsetAlert for a significant amount of time. Hollins led 27-19 at halftime, but slowly closed the gap and outscored Hollins 12-8 in OT. Very near upset for Hollins there in the ODAC.

Looking Ahead

• #18 Smith at Springfield, 1:00 pm ET

• WashU at Chicago, 2:00 pm ET

• Baldwin Wallace at Marietta, 2:00 pm ET

• Trine at #9 Hope, 3:00 pm ET

• Trinity (CT) at #19 Bowdoin, 3:00 pm ET

• Middlebury at #10 Amherst, 3:00 pm ET

• UW-Oshkosh at #17 UW-Stout, 4:00 pm ET

• Occidental at La Verne, 7:00 pm ET

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