D3 WBB Daily: Oshkosh wins at Whitewater, Gettysburg with statement Top 10 win
Another Wednesday night is in the books, and we saw so many competitive duels unfold within the D3 women’s hoops landscape. Plenty of conference title races got a little more interesting, and while it’s hard to believe, the majority of teams have just six (or fewer) regular season games left. We’re approaching the most crucial stretch of the season now, but before looking too far ahead, here’s a few thoughts on last night’s games!
Oshkosh defense continues to work wonders
Outside of a second quarter that saw #5 UW-Whitewater put up 18 points, the UW-Oshkosh defense held the mighty Warhawk scoring attack to a rather limited offensive output in a huge 57-46 win on the road. Whitewater was 7-of-25 from 3-point range, 17-of-54 (31.5%) from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 17 times as the Warhawks took their second loss in WIAC play. There is truly never a dull moment in this league. The parity this year seems to be even better than it has been in past years. Yet, this was not a matchup of “parity”. This was the top two teams in the WIAC facing off—the only two nationally-ranked teams in the league at that. While points were hard to come by for both sides, and Whitewater was on its home court, the zone defense of Oshkosh late really made it difficult for the Warhawks to generate quality offensive possessions. What was a 46-41 lead for Whitewater with under seven minutes left became a 51-46 Oshkosh lead with 3:16 left. By the 1:26 mark, it was a 10-point lead for the Titans. Talk about a statement win. Whitewater and Oshkosh split their season series, and are tied atop the standings at 7-2.
Gettysburg’s statement win over #9 Johns Hopkins
In another Top 25 matchup much further to the east, #25 Gettysburg opened its home duel with a 22-12 run, and never let up in a 78-67 win, despite a strong effort from #9 JHU to pull back into contention. Gettysburg’s 66-63 loss to JHU back on Nov. 21 clearly made the Bullets that much more eager for the rematch, considering how close the margin was, and the fact that they held a two-point lead entering the 4th quarter in that one, only to give it up. Gettysburg’s strong start proved key, especially since JHU outscored the Bullets, 37-33, in the second half. The Bullets shot 50% in each of the first two quarters, and were 6-of-11 from 3 at the half. Not to mention, they were a perfect 9-of-9 at the free throw line through two quarters. Five different players ended up scoring in double figures, and while JHU certainly played a better second half, the deficit remained large. The Gettysburg lead was cut to six with 5:41 left, but quickly widened back to 11 two minutes later. Outstanding performance at home from Gettysburg, snapping JHU’s 17-game winning streak. The Bullets could easily find themselves ranked inside the Top 20 this next week after breaking into the D3hoops.com Top 25 on Monday.
Loras/Wartburg: An OT thriller
Photo of Wartburg’s Lauren Donlea and Jaedon Murphy courtesy of go-knights.net
We had plenty of fantastic matchups and exceptional finishes to last night’s games, but the duel between #19 Loras and #11 Wartburg certainly sticks out. With Loras needing a win to stay on the right side of the Pool C bubble, and Wartburg looking to gain separation atop the ARC standings, the contest was pushed into OT. Loras hit two 3s in the final five seconds, but it wasn’t enough to knock off the Knights, who emerged with a thrilling 59-57 victory. We didn’t see a ton of effective offense early—both defenses made shots difficult, but there were several straight-up misses along with that—though that changed in the second half. First it was Wartburg who went on a 12-0 run in the 3rd, as a six-point lead became an 18-point advantage in a matter of minutes. But Loras had its surge in the 4th, erasing a 16-point deficit in a 20-4 run to close regulation. Madison Fleckenstein’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left completed the comeback, and knotted the score at 50 apiece. The difference, in my opinion, came down to a number of early turnovers for Loras, which cost the Duhawks several offensive possessions, and resulted in 23 points for Wartburg. Loras turned the ball over a total of 23 times in the contest, and Wartburg being the experienced team it is, capitalized. That was a key for Wartburg too; the Knights took advantage of opportunities in transition or off a turnover, and got to the rim, evidenced by their 34 points in the paint.
Fast Breaks
» Congratulations to Carroll’s Olivia Rangel, who surpassed the career 1,000-point mark with a 28-point performance in a 79-59 win over Carthage. She is now 16th all-time in Carroll history for career points.
» #8 Catholic took down Elizabethtown, 89-74, last night, marking the first time since 2019-20 that Catholic has swept the season series with the Blue Jays. The Cardinals are now 20-0 and 13-0 in the Landmark Conference.
» #4 Christopher Newport had one of the best 4th quarters I’ve seen from a team as of late, as the Captains led by two, 53-52, entering the final 10 minutes. A 21-4 scoring run followed, as CNU coasted to a 74-56 victory.
» A back-and-forth battle between the MASCAC’s top two teams came down to the wire, with Framingham State’s Flannery O’Connor scoring on a layup with 17 seconds left. It put FSU ahead 57-56, and BSU missed a pair of shots late, as the Rams created a tie atop the league standings, with both at 7-1 in conference action.
» For the first time since 2019 and in the last 10 meetings, UW-Platteville beat UW-Eau Claire, 53-36, and the Pioneers did it on the road. UWEC had won the previous nine meetings, including a 70-45 defeat of the Pioneers on Jan. 3. Platteville is now No. 3 in the WIAC standings and one of only three teams in the league with a record of .500 or better in WIAC play.
» Hope head coach Brian Morehouse coached his 800th career game last night, as the #7 Flying Dutch emerged with a 79-51 victory over St. Mary’s (IN) at DeVos Fieldhouse.
» #2 Transylvania won its 53rd straight game, defeating league rival Hanover, 62-50, on the road last night. The Pioneers are now 20-0 overall.
» For the first time since Jan. 6, 2016, Elmhurst defeated Augustana on Augustana’s home court in CCIW action. The Blue Jays erased a double-digit deficit en route to their third straight win last night, coming up victorious, 78-69.
Looking Ahead
McMurry at UT-Dallas, 6:30 p.m. ET
Sul Ross State at Mary Hardin-Baylor, 6:30 p.m. ET
UC Santa-Cruz at Whittier, 10:00 p.m. ET