D3 WBB Daily: Two Top 10s fall in key conference duels, notable West Coast results, Colby beats Bates
Good morning! I’m back with another edition of D3 WBB Daily! I had the opportunity to watch NYU and Rochester play Friday night, and also saw a talented Nazareth team roll to an Empire 8 win over Elmira yesterday. Overall, lots of great D3 hoops in Rochester, NY, and I appreciate the hospitality from the folks at both universities as I compiled research and interviews for my book on D3 basketball. Very happy with the way the book itself is coming along! But let’s take a look at yesterday’s action in D3 women’s hoops, because there were plenty of games of note. It’ll certainly make putting together a Top 25 ballot this week just a little bit more difficult!
Tipping Off
Without Carollo, #5 UW-Whitewater falls to UW-Stout
The big news in Menomonie, Wisconsin yesterday was the fact that Whitewater’s Kacie Carollo, the Warhawks’ dynamic guard and leading rebounder, did not suit up due to an apparent ankle injury. Her timetable for return is unclear to me (based on the information I have so far), but it certainly made a noticeable impact yesterday, as Whitewater took its third loss in four games, 69-60.
Credit to UW-Stout, who has turned the corner a bit after a disappointing 1-5 stretch to open WIAC play. The Blue Devils made the necessary halftime adjustments offensively, and a 20-10 third quarter gave Stout the lead. While they shot just 3-of-17 from 3-point range, you have to admire the aggressiveness in getting to the basket. Stout ended up shooting 30-of-40 on free throws, and was 10-of-21 from the field in the second half.
As far as Whitewater’s offense without Carollo, it seemed the Warhawks just struggled to find a spark on the perimeter as the game progressed, and even more so when Maggie Trautsch and Katie Hildebrandt landed in foul trouble (though two of Trautsch’s fouls came in the final few minutes). The Warhawks ended up shooting 33.3% from the field, 24.1% from 3, and 57.9% at the foul line. Figuring out what to do with Whitewater from a Top 25 voting standpoint will be tougher this week, considering the recent 1-3 stretch.
Impactful results on the West Coast
Four of the top teams in NWC and SCIAC fell late yesterday evening, as the title races in each of those leagues heat up. Pacific, Willamette, Whittier, and La Verne each took losses, although none were incredibly surprising with the way both leagues are.
Pacific lost at Puget Sound, 54-45, as the Boxers went 0-2 on the weekend and Puget won its fifth straight. It moves the Loggers up to a tie for second place in the NWC, and they now trail Willamette by a single game. The two play next Saturday in what could be the biggest game of the year in the NWC when it comes to deciding the regular season champ. Willamette also stumbled on the road, losing at Linfield. The Bearcats avoided the upset bid against Pacific Lutheran on Friday night, winning 72-70, but couldn’t hold off Linfield, who has been a somewhat underrated team in the NWC this year. A 26-10 3rd quarter put Linfield in control, and Willamette dropped to 10-2 in the conference. However, with Pacific’s loss, the Bearcats remain in sole possession of first place in the NWC. Definitely a conference race you should be watching!
Down in Southern California, Occidental broke through, moving a half-game ahead of the rest of the pack in the SCIAC, at 10-3 in league play. Whittier, now 8-4 in the SCIAC, took a rare loss at home, and it wasn’t close. Occidental led from start to finish, winning 64-45. Occidental now plays Cal Lutheran, who is 9-3, on Wednesday in what should be a pivotal SCIAC duel, considering CalLu is one of the two who trail the Tigers by half a game in the standings. La Verne is the other, and the Leopards dropped a 70-65 decision to UC Santa-Cruz in a non-conference duel. Keep in mind that only the top four in the SCIAC make the postseason tournament, and while that four seems to be set, seeding also comes into play. Both the SCIAC and NWC have established themselves as leagues with quite a bit of depth this season, which makes every result hold a great deal of significance.
Bates beats Bowdoin, then Colby beats Bates
Talk about leagues with depth. The NESCAC has been so impressive this year, but also pretty surprising with some of the teams who have unexpectedly risen to the top and others who have struggled despite high preseason expectations. #24 Bates really solidified itself atop the standings with a win at Bowdoin on Friday night, but turned around and lost at home to Colby yesterday, 63-61! Bates held a 3-point lead entering the 4th quarter, but Colby put together a complete scoring run down the stretch for what is certainly Colby’s biggest victory of this season. You just never know night-to-night in the NESCAC, and even more so on Saturdays, which are tough to manage from a preparation/depth point of view after playing less than 24 hours prior. Neither team shot the ball especially well, but Colby got to the free throw line nine more times and had three more made free throws…that certainly helps considering the narrow margin.
We now find ourselves with a tie for first place between Bates and Bowdoin, with Bates now holding the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker. Bates closes its regular season with two road games at Trinity and Wesleyan. Bowdoin has Hamilton and Amherst at home. This is such a deep league, which will make that conference tournament one to watch. I truly think all eight seeds will have the talent and experience level to potentially make a run at the title this season from Bates to Tufts and everyone in between.
Scranton attacks the offensive glass, defeats #8 Catholic
Scranton snapped Catholic’s 20-game winning streak as the Lady Royals pulled off their most impressive victory of the year, 56-51. It keeps Scranton near the top of the projected regional rankings, which obviously increases the Lady Royals chances at a Pool C bid in the case that they do not win the Landmark Tournament. Catholic has been so good when it comes to shooting the 3, making a 2-of-18 day from beyond the arc stick out pretty noticeably. Scranton’s attention towards the offensive rebounding played an especially big role as well, with 21 second-chance points. In a game where shots aren’t falling consistently, that is exactly what you need…some key offensive rebounds that extend possessions and create additional scoring opportunities, especially while the defense is scrambling after the missed shot. Catholic now holds a one-game lead over Scranton in the Landmark, with Elizabethtown just one game back from the Lady Royals.
Fast Breaks
First-year head coach Jason Pruitt has Elmhurst rolling, as the Blue Jays picked up a fourth-straight win on Saturday, beating North Central (who already beat Millikin once), 60-55, on the road. Elmhurst is now 11-11 and has its first 11-win season since 2017-18.
La Verne’s Marissa Howell broke the La Verne program record for career 3-pointers with 195. Howell has scored 862 points in three seasons thus far, and is averaging 10.6 PPG. Having seen her play in-person, she is not only a dynamic shooter, but also a great ballhandler and tough on-ball defender.
After ending up on the wrong side of a two-point OT loss to Amherst two weeks ago, Trinity (CT) experienced the opposite in Saturday’s 46-44 win over Middlebury, as Reilly Campbell hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, giving Trinity the win. The Bantams struggled early, but have found their way; they are currently 6-2 and in third place in the NESCAC.
It was a record-breaking day for #21 Smith in a 104-64 win over Clark: Head coach Lynn Hersey won her 300th career game as head coach, and senior standout Ally Yamada broke the program’s career 3-point record while simultaneously scoring her 1,000th career point! Yamada now has 203 made 3-pointers in her career.
Chatham won at Westminster, 71-61, yesterday, which marks a major program accomplishment. The Cougars are now 15-2 in PAC play and have won 15 league games for the FIRST TIME in program history, as well as matching the overall high for wins in a season, with 19.
St. Benedict head coach Mike Durbin has now coached 1,000 career games for the Bennies, and his 1000th was a victory, as CSB beat St. Scholastica, 62-45. Congratulations to him on that huge milestone! Lydia Hay also scored a career-high 26 points in the victory.
Looking Ahead
Millsaps at Centre, 1:00 p.m. ET
Chicago at Carnegie Mellon, 1:00 p.m. ET
#1 NYU at #12 Emory, 2:00 p.m. ET