In a Top 15 battle, IWU gets its first win over Hope
The 10th-ranked Titans took down No. 12 Hope, 74-65, in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday evening
In a highly-anticipated matchup inside Calvin’s Van Noord Arena, Illinois Wesleyan and Hope battled for the fourth time since the 2019-2020 season. IWU’s record against the Flying Dutch? 0-3. But that changed on Saturday in what capped a strong opening weekend for the Titans, as IWU never trailed in the final three quarters en route to a 74-65 victory.
I don’t think there’s any room to doubt this IWU team now. The experience they have on the floor, the cohesiveness you get when its a main rotation team of juniors and seniors, the overall athleticism; they’re all traits that make the Titans amongst the best in the country this season. And we certainly saw that against Hope. Even late down the stretch, when Hope—and I want to talk about Hope more in a second, too—cut the deficit to two with just six minutes to go, the Titans didn’t panic. They didn’t let the 5-0 run become any larger. Instead, they locked in defensively and got the free throw line, going 6-for-6 at the line over the next two minutes. That pushed the lead back to eight, and it was a double-digit advantage soon after when Ava Bardic’s layup fell through with 2:58 to go. That right there is what makes IWU dangerous, in my opinion. Because they are such a veteran-laden squad, they know how to handle those pressure situations, how to take care of the ball, get to the line, and make the necessary defensive plays to stop the opponent’s run. Once you give up the lead to the Titans, it’s very difficult to get it back. Especially since IWU runs so well in transition; the Titans had 16 fast-break points in yesterday’s win.
And for Hope? I know they were ranked No. 12 in the preseason poll, but Hope lost three starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team, a tough thing to overcome for any program when you consider the schedule Hope has and will play in this early part of the season. Illinois Wesleyan highlighted this weekend, Carroll will highlight next weekend. And after that it’s a pair of WIAC opponents in River Falls and La Crosse. But Hope isn’t just any program. And Brian Morehouse isn’t just any coach. There’s a reason he became the fastest college basketball coach in history to reach 600 wins. Last season, Hope had five new starters and went to the Sweet 16. This year, they’ve got three new starters, and yet, Hope is clearly playing smart, quality basketball, which can be a struggle for teams with new contributors on the floor in the first few weeks. I believe that’s a credit to Morehouse and the program’s standard. Anna and Leah Richards have both been super impactful freshmen and are players to keep an eye on as the season unfolds. I expect both, whether in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, will contribute consistently for the Flying Dutch, especially with Anna scoring 22 against IWU and Leah putting up a 7-point, 3-rebound, 2-assist performance. I really like what we’ve seen from Hope so far, especially with how much I value IWU. To play the Titans as tough as they did on a neutral court in mid-November is definitely a sign of good things for this group, who is still forming chemistry and learning how to win together.
» Top individual performances: IWU — Kate Palmer (20 pts, 9/11 FGs, 3 ast), Mallory Powers (17 pts, 7/13 FGs, 9 reb), Lauren Huber (12 pts, 8 reb), Hope — Anna Richards (22 pts, 8 reb), Olivia Bellows (8 pts, 3 reb)
No. 7 W&L, 84, RV Emory, 79
Schleusner goes for 32 & 21, W&L earns a big win in Atlanta
» In yet another single-digit win, seventh-ranked Washington and Lee managed to pull away late, and this could be a trend to watch with the Generals this season. Against Southern Virginia, W&L outscored the Knights, 21-15, in the 4th quarter. On Saturday, the Generals erased a four-point deficit entering the final 10 minutes, winning the 4th, 24-15.
» Preseason All-American Mary Schleusner once again dominated the box score and the game itself, with a 32-point, 21-rebound double-double. Notably, she was 10-of-11 at the FT line, and on a day in which she faced former teammate Hanna Malik (who now plays for Emory), Schleusner passed Malik on W&L’s all-time scoring list, and now ranks 10th in program history.
» Emory kept itself in contention, and a late run from the Eagles made it very interesting in the final minute. Emory cut an eight-point deficit to two in a 26-second span with 21 seconds left to play, but a missed layup and missed 3-pointer in the last 15 seconds stopped the comeback right there.
» Daniella Aronsky had an exceptional performance for Emory, with 15 points and 11 assists. That’s a really solid double-double and one of the highest assist totals I’ve seen in a single game this season. Alexandra Loucopoulos came off the bench to score 19 for the Eagles.
No. 4 UW-Whitewater, 62, No. 21 Carroll, 60
Carollo scores 26 as the Warhawks win at Carroll
» Kacie Carollo stepped up in a big way for UW-Whitewater in its first true road test, as the senior guard scored 26 points in 31 minutes on a 9-of-15 shooting night. She also had four rebounds and three steals and scored the Warhawks’ final five points.
» UW-Whitewater keeps building its resume, now with two Top 25 wins: vs #24 DePauw (64-58), at #21 Carroll (62-60). And the Warhawks are still playing with standout forward Katie Hildebrandt.
» Carroll led by 9 at the half, but UW-Whitewater controlled the third quarter. They outscored the Pioneers, 26-14 over that 10-minute stretch, shooting 90% (yes, 90!!) from the field, going 9-of-10.
» Both team have huge tests still ahead before Thanksgiving: Whitewater hosts No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan on Nov. 26, and Carroll travels up to Holland, Michigan for a duel against No. 12 Hope next Saturday.
Other noteworthy results:
RV Chatham, 80, PSU-Behrend, 52
No. 15 Gettysburg, 79, Randolph-Macon, 47
No. 3 Scranton, 76, NJCU, 40
Messiah, 60, Rowan, 44
DeSales, 81, Shenandoah, 71
RV Elizabethtown, 83, Dickinson, 48
St. Catherine, 64, UW-River Falls, 53
Today’s Games to Watch (all times ET)
Springfield at Trinity (CT), 2 p.m. — This one might be interesting. Trinity has only played once, beating Eastern Connecticut State yesterday, and Springfield is 2-1, still seeking its first “big” win of the 2024-25 season. I think both of these teams are pretty evenly-matched and it should be a competitive battle through all four quarters.
No. 9 Christopher Newport vs No. 6 Johns Hopkins, 3 p.m. — This is the game of the day without question. A Top 10 battle that features a pair of 2-0 teams, both of whom are national contenders, this game should tell us a lot about both of these squads.
Middlebury at Chicago, 3 p.m. — Middlebury looked strong in its 76-45 season-opening win over Millikin yesterday, but faces a tougher test with 3-0 Chicago this afternoon. This will undoubtedly be Chicago’s toughest test yet, after beating Carthage, North Park, and Millikin to open the season.
No. 24 DePauw at No. 17 Transylvania, 5 p.m. — Both teams last played on Nov. 9, so they’ll be well-rested heading into this Sunday afternoon matchup, with Transy looking to bounce back from its first loss to Redlands, and DePauw seeking a Top 25 road win.