January 19, 2023: Taking a look back on a wild Wednesday in D3 women's hoops
#6 DeSales, , #19 UW-Whitewater, #21 Loras all fell to unranked opponents last night
It was a wild night in D3 women’s hoops yesterday, as several games came down to the wire, and a few ranked teams even suffered losses against their unranked conference foes. Here are a few of my thoughts on the way it all played out, and my colleague Scott Peterson put together an informative thread on how last night’s results may affect the regional rankings. I’d highly recommend checking it out below…
#6 DeSales has been a team I’ve been tracking for quite some time with its high national ranking, yet very weak SOS. Last night, the Bulldogs were handed their first loss in a 49-48 defeat at the hands of a good Stevens team in MACF play. In a game that came down to the final minute, Stevens’ Jess Broad connected on a jumper with 45 seconds left, putting the Ducks in front. DeSales was unable to counter on the offensive end, and Stevens pulled off what is likely going to be its biggest win of the regular season. Neither team was particularly good offensively, but credit Stevens for getting the job done on its home court. DeSales is now second in the MACF standings and if Stevens can win out, the Ducks will shockingly claim the conference’ regular season title. I’d expect we’ll see these two face off in the MACF tournament here in about a month.
#5 Smith nearly ended up in the “upset” category too, barely edging WPI, 67-64, in overtime. WPI outscored the Pioneers 15-10 in the fourth quarter, though the Engineers trailed by 7 with under two minutes left. Lisa Cristiano’s layup with 19 seconds remaining tied the score at 60, completing the 7-0 run, but Smith avoided the upset with a handful of key defensive stops in overtime. I can’t quite figure Smith out; some days they look elite, others they don’t appear to be a Top 10 team. Ultimately, it was just a strong showing from WPI. This probably won’t be the last time we hear “WPI” and “upset” in the same sentence.
UW-Platteville kept the crazy scores coming, shocking #19 UW-Whitewater AT Whitewater by a sizable 65-49 margin. I did not see this one coming. Platteville has been somewhat inconsistent this year, just 2-5 in the WIAC, but on the nights they are in rhythm, watch out! 4 days after losing by 10 to UWRF they hold one of the nation’s best teams to nine first-quarter points and outrebound them 54-32. Complete, A+ effort from UWP in that one. Ella Mackiewicz had 31 points, 9 rebounds for Platteville.
Sticking with the WIAC, I don’t know if I’ve seen a stronger quarter this season from anyone else in the nation against a competitive opponent than I did from #16 UW-Eau Claire vs UW-Stout last night. In the Battle of I-94, UWEC led 36-31 at half, but dominated in the third, outscoring Stout 32-16. The Blugolds claimed first place in the WIAC with the 85-59 win, and shot an incredibly 79% from the field in that third quarter. 79%! I couldn’t believe it. That’s what UWEC’s offense can do.
#9 Hope, after taking a loss to Albion that surprised quite a few including myself, came back with a massive statement against St. Mary’s (Ind.) last night, in what I have been told is the program’s third biggest win in terms of margin of victory. The Flying Dutch scored 30+ points in each of the first three quarters, shot 63% from the field, 54% from 3-point range, and broke the 100-point mark for the third time this year. By just how much did they win by? 70 points. That’s right, Hope’s margin of victory was more than what a handful of D3 hoops teams score on a regular night, with a finale score of 121-51. That’s statement, regardless of who the opponent is. Credit the Flying Dutch for a great bounce-back.
Oh yeah, and Wartburg is now the team to beat in the American Rivers Conference (at 8-0 in ARC play), sticking with the midwest discussion. We knew it would be a tough matchup for #21 Loras going to Wartburg last night, but never did I anticipate Wartburg winning by 12, 63-51. Loras still has a great resume and will secure a Pool C bid if necessary, but wow did Wartburg look good. After struggling a bit out the gate this season, the Knights, traditionally an ARC power, outscored Loras 38-22 between the second and third quarters, pulling ahead at that point in what might go down as their most impressive win of the year.
#3 Christopher Newport seemed to have struggled a bit at Southern Virginia last night, winning by just 11, 77-66. Not quite sure what happened, but you typically expect matchups like that one to be very one-sided. Not in this case. I should note that Gabbi San Diego is a difference-maker for CNU, but did not play yesterday, and I would guess is still battling an injury. They’ll certainly need her for the Mary Washington and UC Santa Cruz games upcoming in February. Of note as well, Southern VA outrebounded CNU 40-37. You don’t typically see that. Kudos to Southern VA for hanging in the game against a top-tier opponent.
Elizabethtown also looked pretty sharp, winning in a tight game at Catholic last night, 64-58. It was a back-and-forth contest, and throughout this year, I’ve felt Catholic is one of the more overlooked teams on the east coast. But they haven’t won enough in the “big games”, at least not from what the numbers are showing. So they probably won’t be regionally-ranked, and while winning against a quality opponent is an SOS booster for Elizabethtown, the Blue Jays will not have the benefit of picking up a regionally-ranked win from this one (most likely). Still a well-played game by both sides, and Elizabethtown’s defense really showed up.
I’m going to stop there, as I figure this is enough for now! Getting ready to go on Hoopsville this evening, to talk D3 WBB with Scott Peterson and Dave McHugh. I anticipate it being live and you can find that link on D3hoops.com. Looking forward to chatting about the current state of the Top 25. Until tomorrow, thank you for reading and have a great night!