December 17, 2023: Recapping Saturday's action
December 17, 2023
Sunday afternoon recap » Thoughts, news, notes from an exceptional Saturday in D3 Women’s Hoops.
1. An incredible contest in Angola
In a pivotal midwest matchup between 24th-ranked UW-Stout and 17th-ranked Trine, it was the Blue Devils of Stout who emerged with a 77-76 victory in dramatic fashion. With 6:48 left, Trine’s Allison Capouch put the Thunder in front, 70-59, on an offensive rebound putback, and it seemed that Trine was going to pull away, having begun the quarter on a 10-0 run.
But then came a response from Stout, who cut the deficit back to single digits on Raegan Sorensen’s layup on the ensuing possession. But Trine also maintained its lead, working the ball into the post and pushing the pace in transition. It was not until Sorensen connected on a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left that it became a one-possession game again, as Trine then led 76-75. The Thunder called a timeout, but missed a 3-pointer on the other end with nine seconds left, giving Stout possession with the game on the line.
The Blue Devils inbounded inside their half of the court with eight seconds left, and Anna Mutch found Sam Schaeffer near the baseline. Schaeffer quickly got the ball to Sorensen, who caught the pass with her back to the defender, took two dribbles to her left, before turning to the right. In one fluid motion, Sorensen released a baseline jumper…nothing but net. (You can watch the final play from two different angles here and here)
It put Stout back in front for the first time since the final seconds of the third quarter. While Trine had an opportunity to win it on its final offensive possession, the layup was missed as the final buzzer sounded, and the Blue Devils pulled out a pretty remarkable win.
» An NCAA Tournament-type feel: This was one of those games that you’d expect to see in the national tournament, with how effective both teams were throughout all four quarters, and honestly, just the efficiency down the stretch. There wasn’t really a key mistake by Trine that opened the door for Stout; the Blue Devils simply took charge over those final five minutes and ended up with the win. But the late-game execution was fairly strong on both sides, and we should expect to have both in the Top 25 for a while. That was Top 25 basketball yesterday, no doubt about it.
» Strong offensive performances on both sides: I thought both offensive gameplans were well-executed and did a good job of attacking weaknesses in the opposing defense. Stout shot 50 percent from the field (4th time this season the Blue Devils have done that) and Trine was an impressive 10-of-22 from 3-point range. Sidney Wager had a terrific 21-point performance for Trine, and Amanda Giesen had a handful of key shots for Stout, finishing with 26 points. Sorensen had 18 points in 19 minutes, having been sidelined more than usual with foul trouble early in the contest. Mutch finished with an impressive double-double for Stout, scoring 10 points (with a couple of huge 3-pointers) and 11 rebounds.
» Looking ahead: Stout does not play again until Dec. 30, when the Blue Devils host Augsburg. Trine hosts Geneva and Asbury this week, and then faces Carnegie Mellon and Gettysburg in two key matchups at the Marietta Tournament the following week.
2. The Titans’ conquest continues
#20 Illinois Wesleyan took down yet another top-quality opponent on Saturday afternoon, winning its seventh straight game, as the Titans defeated #11 Chicago, 73-63. And they did it at Chicago. That was impressive, and once again, Lauren Huber did not play for IWU.
It was very close through the first half, with IWU leading 37-34 at halftime and the Maroons having led at points through each of the first two quarters. But the Titans turned things in their favor in the third quarter, widening the lead to as many as 11, 56-45, on 3-pointer from Ava Bardic. That momentum rolled into the fourth-quarter, where IWU opened the final 10 minutes on a 7-0 run. No matter how much Chicago tried to get back into contention, IWU did a good job of maintaining consistency on the defensive end, and did not allow a big run at any point in the fourth. That kept the Titans’ double-digit lead intact as they improved to 10-2 overall.
» Bardic was fantastic: Having Bardic back has been huge for IWU, and it was yesterday, as she scored 24 points and stepped up numerous times on the defensive end. In addition to her scoring, Bardic also had two assists, two blocks, and five rebounds. Not a bad stat line!
» Stats ended up almost identical: Watching the game play out, IWU was clearly the better team on this particular day, but stats-wise, both teams were fairly even. I thought Chicago did a nice job of really staying strong on defense, and the Maroons actually shot better than IWU (39.3% for Chicago vs 37.3% for IWU). They both had 14 points off turnovers, and Chicago had two more points in the paint. The only real difference was Chicago’s 3-point shooting. IWU was not great from beyond the arc, but the Titans finished 8-of-23 with some very timely shots from long-range. Chicago did not have that, especially late, when the Maroons were aiming at a comeback; Chicago finished 1-of-11 from 3-point range in the second half.
» Looking ahead: Illinois Wesleyan has a long break before playing at Hendrix College on Dec. 29. Chicago, meanwhile, has a huge two-game lineup in Nashville, facing Johns Hopkins on Dec. 29 and Bowdoin on Dec. 30. Those will be must-see games.
3. In defensive battle, Ripon defeats UW-Platteville
After a 3-0 start to conference play, Ripon emerged with a marquee non-conference win over UW-Platteville on Saturday afternoon, 56-53. It was a game that very much lived up to the hype, as it came right down to the wire, and literally, to the final shot.
Ripon led by as many as 12 in the first half, but credit to UWP, who really battled back through the third quarter and into the fourth. To give you an idea, it was one of the games that ended up being a one-possession game for the entirety of the final four minutes, and as the clock ticked down, the intensity only increased.
Ripon’s defense was what impressed me the most in the win, as UWP finished the game with a three-minute scoring drought. Ripon only had two points in the final two minutes, both of which came on free throws, so the same could be said about the Pioneer defense. Both teams put together numerous defensive stops, and if there was one big takeaway, that was it. It was defensive showcase for the most part, with few open shots, and plenty of blocked shots and forced turnovers.
» Ripon’s 3-point shooting put the Red Hawks in position to win: If you watched the final five minutes, you wouldn’t have seen the strong offensive start we saw from Ripon. But just as the defense stepped up in the fourth, the offense took charge early on, keeping Ripon in front. The Red Hawks shot 6-of-13 from 3-point range, including 3-of-4 in the second quarter. I was really impressed with that shooting range from Ripon’s backcourt, and especially Bella Opelt, who was 2-of-2 on 3s.
» Credit to Ripon for the non-conference schedule: Playing in what is almost certainly going to be a one-bid Midwest Conference (MWC), Ripon went out and put themselves in a spot where, if certain things fall into place, the Red Hawks could be regionally-ranked. That would be huge for the program, and it stems from the fact that they scheduled UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse, Wheaton, Carroll, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Platteville. They’ll also have UW-Oshkosh later this month. So there’s an opportunity for Ripon to go 3-2 vs the WIAC, and have several RRO results on its resume heading into February. Credit to head coach Lauren Busalacchi for challenging her team well in non-conference play…awesome to see!
» Looking ahead: Ripon hosts Lakeland on Tuesday, and after a short Christmas break, battles Dubuque and UW-Oshkosh on Dec. 29 and 30, respectively. UW-Platteville’s next three games will take place in California, as the Pioneers battle UC-Santa Cruz on Dec. 27, Northwestern (MN) on Dec. 29, and top-ranked NYU on Dec. 30.
4. Other Notable Results
A surprise in the ASC? It’s finally time I give a shout-out to McMurry, who is 8-1 and 4-0 in the ASC after taking down UT-Dallas, 81-69, yesterday. Remember, UTD is the defending ASC Tournament champion, and a talented team who entered yesterday’s matchup with a 7-1 record. McMurry looked terrific throughout, with 18 assists and 21 points off turnovers, and Emily Holland had 30 points for the Warhawks. And get this; McMurry was picked sixth in the ASC preseason poll. Turns out, the Warhawks are silencing the doubters, and are currently tied for first place in the league. The Warhawks are one of only two teams (UMHB being the other), with a 4-0 start to ASC play.
Is Ohio Northern back on track? Like several others, ONU fell off my radar in terms of a Top 25 perspective after the frustrating 1-3 start. But the Polar Bears are now 4-0 in OAC play, and took down Marietta in a low-scoring battle yesterday afternoon. 48-41 was the final score, and ONU overcame a five-point second quarter to score 18 in the third and stay in contention. The Polar Bears appear to be getting back on track, especially as they head into the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas, where they will face Trinity (TX) and La Verne.
CNU makes history vs Stevenson: Christopher Newport took down Stevenson 94-58 on Saturday, but it was bigger than just a 10-0 start for CNU. The Captains earned their 35th straight road win, tying the Division III record in that category. It ties the mark set by Amherst from 2015-18, and the Captains can claim the record outright with a win at Stevens on Dec. 30. Additionally, head coach Bill Broderick is now just one win away from becoming the winningest head coach in CNU women’s basketball history, with 265 victories at CNU over the course of 11 seasons.
Hope everyone is enjoying a great weekend, especially as the holidays approach. We still have plenty of games ahead of us early this week, and certainly in the following week as well. So stay tuned!
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