February 4, 2023: Emory pulls off the upset, Trinity takes first NESCAC loss + Look ahead to Saturday
So many great matchups on tap for today!
As per usual, the UAA and NESCAC dominated in the national conversation last night…and for good reason. It felt like just about every game in each of those two leagues was closely contested, and it led to some intriguing results. We have a fantastic (and I do mean FANTASTIC) slate of games coming up today, many of which have both regional ranking and Top 25 implications one the line. I’ll get into some of those in a second. But first, here are few of the “notables” from last night’s action.
WashU proved why it was the UAA’s best against 18th-ranked Rochester, sweeping the Yellowjackets in the season series with a second victory, this one coming in St. Louis. For a time, it seemed like Rochester, who has now lost 4 of its last 5, would pull out the tough road win. But the Bears had none of it. In a stellar 4th quarter that saw WashU shoot 60% from the field (6-of-10), the Bears erased a six-point deficit, outscoring Rochester 23-12 in the final 10 minutes for a 64-59 victory. Katie Titus was held to just 7 points in 27 minutes for Rochester, which proved problematic as Titus entered the game averaging 21.3 points per game. Naomi Jackson scored 20 for WashU and Jessica Brooks was right behind her with 19. WashU is in a great position right now, atop the UAA with a 7-1 record.
The Bears can’t get too overconfident though, because the next opponent coming to St. Louis on Sunday is Emory. I said in my write-up yesterday morning that I felt Emory was on the verge of a breakthrough in this gauntlet of a conference schedule, and we saw it at #10 Chicago last night. The Eagles pulled off an upset, winning 78-67, dominating in a 4th quarter that saw them score 30 points. I was super impressed by Emory’s poise and aggressiveness against a top-quality Chicago team. Not only did Emory shoot 48%, but the Eagles also saw 20 points come off the bench, a testament to the depth, went toe-to-toe on the boards (Chicago had a mere +1 advantage in the rebounding category) and dished out 19 assists. Claire Brock was her usual self, playing incredibly well with 24 points in 35 minutes. Joining her in double figures was Daniella Aronsky (13), Morgan Laudick (12), and Izzy Munson (11). It’ll be a showdown in St. Louis on Sunday!
Elsewhere in the UAA, #7 NYU took down Carnegie Mellon, 82-50, and Case Western Reserve rolled over Brandeis, 86-67.
The other really big result on the night was in the northeast, where Williams put on a show at home against #11 Trinity (CT). I had argued on Hoopsville yesterday that Trinity should be considered in the Top 10 conversation, and one result won’t change that. But, four straight games on the road is tough for any team, especially in a league as strong top to bottom as the NESCAC. The Bantams met their match in Williams, who squeezed out a 49-48 win in a thriller of a game. It is Trinity’s first loss in league play this season. The Bantams are now tied with Tufts for first place at 6-1. The one thing Williams did really well (because most of the time when you shoot 21% you don’t win) is they stayed intact defensively, staying in the game by forcing missed shots, rather than making shots of their own on the offensive end. I should note as well, whether it was the so-called “home-cooking” calls or not, Williams went to the free throw line 37 times, making 26 of them. Trinity? Just 11 chances from the charity stripe, with nine makes. That’s your game right there. It was tight through both halves, and the most Williams ever led by was six. Honestly, that’s a concerning differential of free throws…especially in the case where the home team is the beneficiary of a large percentage of those foul calls. But oh well. Free throws or not, it was a well-executed game from Williams, and certainly a big-time win in the NESCAC race. We’ll see how Trinity responds today against Alexa Mustafaj and Middlebury.
I’d also note that down in the SCAC and Region 10, Colorado College is making a bit more noise than I anticipated they would. Watching them back in November, this didn’t look like a team that would be 10-1 in league play come February. But here we are. Colorado College beat a very solid Schreiner team by a wide margin of 70-49 last night at home. I do know from talking with coaches who have played there at CC, it is an adjustment with playing at higher altitude. And considering the style Schreiner has, with full-court pressure and fast-pace, the altitude likely played an especially large role in the outcome. There were no notable absences for Schreiner, either. Colorado College just played at an incredibly high level for its 7th straight win. Zoe Tomlinson had a massive stat line for CC of 19 points (team-high), and 17 rebounds (team-high), 11 of which were offensive boards. And she did that in 25 minutes of action. Impressive.
Back to the northeast, I thought the Cortland vs. SUNY Oneonta duel in SUNYAC play produced a very competitive contest. SUNY Oneonta was trying to pull off the upset at Cortland, but ultimately the Red Dragon defense was near-unstoppable, emerging with a 51-47 win despite not converting on a shot from the field at any point in the final five minutes. Oneonta had just 10 points in each of the last two quarters. Cortland’s resume now features a 13-1 SUNYAC record, an OT loss at Ithaca, and OT win at Hamilton, a 21-point win over SUNY Geneseo (15-5), and a win over Bowdoin. Not bad at all! Cortland is in a great spot right now, though last night was certainly a close call.
Ok, that just about covers some of the most notable results on the night. Now to look ahead to today….
In the WIAC, you got…
River Falls at Oshkosh: This will probably be a defensive battle…rebounding should be a key factor with the talent both teams have in the post
Stout at Platteville: This is either team’s game right here. No clear favorite whatsoever
Eau Claire at Whitewater: Do I even have to explain why this is a big one?!?
In the NESCAC, you got…
Trinity CT at Middlebury: Pivotal matchup for Trinity here, needing to bounce back after the loss. Can the Bantams stop Mustafaj?
Tufts at Bowdoin: Both teams have looked sharp at times this year. This is a chance for Bowdoin to make a statement with a quality conference win on its home court. If you’re a Trinity fan, certainly be rooting for Bowdoin here.
In the OAC, you got…
Baldwin Wallace at Otterbein: Otterbein definitely the underdog here, but no team is safe in the OAC…plus, BW has not been all that sharp as of late and is on the road.
Marietta at John Carroll: JCU is another underdog with a shot here to upset a rising Marietta team that has enjoyed huge victories on each of the last two Saturdays.
In the SCAC, #1 Trinity (TX) travels to Colorado College. I was just talking about the altitude. That, along with CC’s recent success, could create an intriguing duel in SCAC play tomorrow.
In C2C action, UC Santa Cruz heads east to face Mary Washington, needing a big win after taking care of business on the west coast through January. Mary Washington has looked good in its last few matchups, and is 17-3 overall.
In the ASC, Hardin-Simmons puts its undefeated conference record to the test at UT-Dallas, whose defense is, in my opinion, the league’s absolute best.
In the SUNYAC, Cortland hosts SUNY New Paltz in another key matchup in the conference title race. Both will likely be regionally ranked, so there is that to consider as well.
In the MAC Freedom, DeSales travels to Misericordia, and I don’t see this being decided by double digits. Both have legitimate NCAA Tournament resumes right now.
In the NJAC, Rowan battles Kean, and this is a game both teams desperately want to win, separated by just one game atop the standings (Kean is 11-3, Rowan, 10-4)
I’m going to stop there, haha. But I could go on! Believe it or not, there were actually some good games left off that list. For the compelte schedule + livestream links, visit D3hoops.com. I’ll be back with a taekaways/thoughts/recap write-up tomorrow morning…let’s see how today’s action unfolds!!!