Looking at the last two days of #d3wbb action and the impact of Wednesday's biggest results on my Top 25
Due to a long day of travel yesterday, combined with having three very impactful games on Wednesday evening, I decided to shift this post to this morning, not only looking at what happened in Wednesday’s three big games, but their potential impact (as of now, understanding this weekend’s games haven’t yet been played) on my Top 25 ballot for this coming week. Plus, I’ll take a quick look at some of the other impactful results from the last two days and close it out with some games to watch.
Corsairs charge from behind in win at No. 14 Smith
It’s difficult to win in Northhampton, inside the Ainsworth Gymnasium, especially on nights like Wednesday evening, when the stands are packed to capacity. That home court advantage has undoubtedly contributed to Smith’s success over the years as countless NEWMAC Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament games have been won in the Pioneers’ home gym. Just twice in 18 contests last season were the Pioneers beaten at Ainsworth.
But UMass-Dartmouth stole a rare road win for a Smith opponent, the 63-60 victory for the Corsairs standing as the result of a tremendous fourth-quarter push. Already 2-0 on the year and coming off a 10-day break from game action, Dartmouth outscored Smith, 26-17, over the final 10 minutes. That said, with 6:33 to go, Smith still seemed in firm control, leading by seven. Then came a 10-0 run from the Corsairs, one that saw Amaris Mills tie it up at 50 on a 3-pointer and Kaylin Zalewski give UMD the lead with 2:09 left on yet another 3. Once the momentum shifted in UMD’s favor, Smith was unable to get it back. The Pioneers cut the deficit to a single point with 54 seconds remaining, but they never any closer than that.
UMD’s senior core, the one that made me put them in my preseason ballot in the first place, deserves a lot of credit for the result. They struggled offensively for much of the first three quarters, but stayed in the game and didn’t let up, eventually breaking through late. The Corsairs shot just 34% from the field through the first 30 minutes, yet were 8-of-10 in the fourth. They were just 2-of-18 from beyond the arc entering the final quarter, but were a perfect 2-for-2 in the last 10 minutes. After a solid start from Smith, one that gave the hosts a 30-21 halftime lead, UMD seemed to find its rhythm at just the right time. Sometimes that’s the biggest difference when you get into a back-and-forth battle like this one was.
Impact on my Top 25
I feel really good about UMD in my ballot now. There’s just such value in seeing a Top 25-caliber team against the same tier of competition. Not that Union and Maine Maritime weren’t good tests, but it takes the evaluation to another level when you see a team like UMD competing the way they did against a Preseason Top 25 opponent on the road. The road aspect of the Corsairs’ win carries added weight, and while we’ve seen UMD in just three games thus far, there’s little doubt in my mind that they belong in my Week 1 ballot. The seniors have led the charge in the way I anticipated they would, and that is a great sign of what’s to come for the Corsairs, who host a solid Brandeis squad on Saturday. They were No. 24 in my preseason ballot, and as of now, that ranking will increase by at least a few spots in next week’s ballot.
As for Smith? I’ve seen some good things from the Pioneers, particularly in the win at Redlands and even in Wednesday’s loss. It was a back-and-forth game, and there doesn’t seem to be a ton separating Smith and UMD as of now. The Pioneers will be strongly considered for a spot towards the bottom of my ballot, with a 4-1 record that includes the Redlands and Arcadia wins. Admittedly, Redlands’ back-to-back losses to UT-Dallas and Pomona-Pitzer have dropped the value I place on Smith’s win over Redlands, but it still remains a solid data point for the Pioneers. Schematically, they are playing solid basketball right now, even with a few new faces playing key roles in the rotation. I’ve been especially impressed by 6’0 forward Ella Sylvester, who averaged 3.9 PPG last year and is now at 12.4 PPG through the season’s first five games.
RV Elizabethtown starts strong, takes down No. 16 Catholic on the road, 73-69
In the first several minutes, it seemed like Elizabethtown was going to run away with it, taking a 20-6 lead through the opening quarter. Then came Catholic, whose 29-point third quarter erased the lead entirely, giving the Cardinals a 48-47 lead, and later, 60-55 lead with 8:34 left. But the Blue Jays weren’t finished, answering with a 9-0 run that gave ETown the lead for good.
But ETown didn’t coast to the victory. While the Blue Jays led by seven with 3:02 left, Catholic’s Keegan Douglas scored the game’s next seven points, and cut the deficit to two with 47 seconds left. Catholic had three chances to tie it up in the final 17 seconds, but didn’t convert, as ETown sealed its win at the free throw line.
Notably, ETown’s Cyleigh Wilson etched her name into the record books as the program’s career leader in 3-pointers, shooting 3-of-6 from long range as she passed Michele Swantner’s record of 191 on her second made 3 of the evening. That’s a pretty impressive mark,
Impact on my Top 25?
ETown went on the road to a conference rival, opened on a 20-6 run, and despite a shaky third quarter, came away with the win. A win is a win, and as I’ve already mentioned, I think there’s a lot of value in road wins over really good teams. This is a huge resume-booster for the Blue Jays, who are now 3-1, beat Dickinson handily last week, and split their opening weekend with a win over Marymount and a loss Ohio Wesleyan. This win is by far the best of their three, and I think you really see ETown’s experienced group leading the way here. I expect I’ll bump ETown up by a little bit from my No. 20 preseason ranking. Catholic will most likely drop behind ETown, though I do like their resume, with a 3-1 record including wins over Shenandoah and RIT, who beat Nazareth on Thursday night. It was still a very competitive game with ETown, and that has to be taken into account as well, because though it’s a home loss, you have to remember ETown also has a home loss. Both of which came to very good teams.
No. 19 Baldwin Wallace pulls away from No. 23 Trine in OT win
Baldwin Wallace surged in overtime, outscoring Trine, 14-5, after being deadlocked at 58 apiece through four quarters. The eventual 72-63 win for the Yellowjackets gave BW its third-straight home win over Trine and their third consecutive victory this season.
It was about as evenly-matched as you’re going to see, with neither team winning a quarter by more than three points, with the exception of OT. In fact, the first quarter alone saw the lead change hands on eight occasions.
Both squads were solid at the free throw line, with Trine shooting 14-of-18 and BW going 16-of-19. That was especially true late, as BW finished 9-of-9 in the fourth quarter and OT, while Trine made all eight of its FT attempts in the same span.
Caely Ressler and Bella Valliant once again led the way for BW offensively, as Ressler had 20 points and Valliant added 19. Valliant also had 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
Impact on my Top 25?
I didn’t have Baldwin Wallace in my preseason ballot, but they were a team I strongly considered. They’re still on that list, 1-1 in top-tier games so far with a loss to W&J and now the win over Trine. The fact that this game went into OT is a pretty good indication that both teams are solid, and very much in the Top 35. As far as being in my next ballot? I’ll have to see on BW, as they’ll be strongly considered. Trine was No. 19 in my first ballot, and the 60-49 season-opening win over Wisconsin Lutheran is a good result. But they’re not solidly in my Top 25 at this point. BW is probably barely ahead of Trine when I look at it right now, and both will be considered for those last three or four spots.
Other notables from the last two days
College of Saint Benedict goes down 21-0, then comes back for a victory
» You may have seen the huge swing in Sunday’s Top 10 battle between CNU and Johns Hopkins, a game in which JHU dominated early, leading 26-4, before the Captains put together a 19-0 run and eventually won. A very similar scenario unfolded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin last night, as CSB found itself in a deep hole early, trailing 21-0. They didn’t even outscore UW-Eau Claire in the second quarter, but put together an exceptional second half to complete the surprising comeback.
» The Bennies outscored UWEC, 48-25, in the second half, in large part because their outside shooting and overall offense came alive. CSB opened the game 0-of-17 from the field, yet went 23-of-47 to close it, and converted on 10 3-pointers. 7 of those 3s came in the second half.
» "Tonight proves you can coach for 39 years and still experience a first. Never have I ever been part of a team and a game that we start a game down 21 and then rallied to win.” —CSB head coach Mike Durbin after the win
Saint’s Mary’s (IN) wins at the buzzer!
» Entering the fourth quarter, Franklin trailed SMC, 64-50, but opened the final period on a 15-1 run, taking the lead from the Belles. Saint Mary’s battled back, culminating with Nicole Connelly’s buzzer-beating rebound-putback in the 75-74 victory.
» It marked a huge win for SMC first-year head coach Rob Hoffman and his squad, who are now 3-2, having won three of their last four. For context, SMC won a total of five games in the entirety of last season, and in just three weeks, they have already accounted for 60% of that total.
Mark’s Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout — Day 1
We saw two interesting results at Rochester’s annual Division III tournament (which is played in a true tournament format) last night, setting up an intriguing championship game match up between RIT and St. John Fisher today. Amongst the storylines in that contest is that RIT head coach Melissa Kuberka will face her former team for the first time when that contest tips off. Kuberka led SJF to tremendous success, especially recently, putting together a 146-35 record as SJF’s head coach, before taking the RIT job prior to this season.
RIT’s win was somewhat of an upset, as the Tigers defeated Nazareth, 71-65, outscoring the Golden Flyers, 41-32, in the second half. At 2-2, RIT is definitely making strides early towards improving on last year’s 9-17 record. We also saw St. John Fisher pull out a 71-62 win over Rochester, as the Cardinals jumped out to a 24-13 lead through the opening quarter. Sidney Tomasso had 19 points for SJF, as she is now averaging 21.5 PPG.
Today’s Games to Watch (all times ET)
RV Springfield at Amherst, 1:00 p.m.
RV Wisconsin Lutheran at No. 17 Transylvania, 6:00 p.m.
MIT at No. 20 Rhode Island College, 6:00 p.m.
No. 25 Hardin-Simmons at McMurry, 6:30 p.m.
Calvin at Marietta, 7:00 p.m.
Great post as always, Riley!