Manchester snaps Transy's HCAC win streak, ETBU hands No. 2 Wartburg a second-straight loss
A big week of holiday tournaments and classics continued yesterday with an upset special, as several teams pulled off surprising wins in gyms across the country, and in Puerto Rico as well. After a couple weeks of pretty minimal “must-see” matchups, we’re back into a time where every day feels like it brings major storylines and new insight on some of nation’s top teams. Yesterday saw two of the four Top 25 programs in action take losses, and we got several tight finishes as the day went on.
As always, I’ll lead off with some of the headlines and my takeaways from yesterday, followed by some shorter thoughts as I look at storylines around the nation, and close it out with today’s games to watch.
Tipping Off
Manchester snaps Transylvania’s 53-game conference win streak
Amongst the numerous upsets on Wednesday, Manchester stunned Transy in a 60-51 win at home. It can’t be overstated just how improbable that win was (Massey ratings had Manchester with a 1% chance to win), considering Manchester was just 2-5 overall coming in, and had won just one of its last five. But that’s why games aren’t played on paper. The upset snapped a 53-game streak of regular-season HCAC victories for Transy, a streak that began all the way back on Feb. 22, 2020. So much credit goes to Manchester, especially on the defensive end, holding Transy to a season-low 26.2% mark. Part of that also came from Transy taking 42 3s, a fairly uncharacteristic approach from the Pioneers, who averaged just 24.75 3-point attempts/game coming in. And junior Abigail Rosenkrans was the star for Manchester, putting up a career-high 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds. No other Manchester player had more than eight points.
Wartburg ends up 0-2 in Lone Star State trip
The second-ranked Knights had a rough go of it in Belton, dropping a second-straight contest on Wednesday as they ended up on the wrong side of a 64-47 result against ETBU. It’s not like this has never happened before. Wartburg dropped consecutive games at both the UW-Eau Classic and the St. Pete Classic in 2022-23, the same year they upset Hope in the NCAA Tournament. But it was surprising to see, considering how strong the Knights seemed in their first eight games up to this week. The offense just wasn’t there against ETBU, just as it wasn’t in the second half of Tuesday’s loss to UMHB. They ended up just 17-of-61 (27.9%), struggling to the finish as ETBU closed on a 24-9 run. Not having Grace Hennessy really hurt. She played just three minutes against UMHB before suffering an apparent ankle injury and didn’t see the floor at all on Wednesday, forcing some changes to Wartburg’s rotation and leaving a void, as Hennessy came into the week averaging 9.0 PPG. I still fully expect them to bounce back—long trips aren’t easy, especially just before the holidays—and there’s no need to overreact. But it wasn’t at all the kind of bounce-back performance I expected to see, and a lot of that was ETBU as well. The Tigers were more physical, out-rebounded Wartburg 46-32, and shot it better down the stretch in a relatively low-scoring duel. ETBU kept its defensive intensity turned up, and the Tigers walked away 9-2, heading into another Top 5 duel with Illinois Wesleyan next Saturday in San Antonio.
Hanover may end up being the team to beat in the HCAC
We now have a four-way tie for first in the HCAC with Manchester’s upset of Transy. And amongst that group is Hanover, who, while not in conference action on Wednesday, certainly scored a win that will stand out on its resume moving forwards. In Puerto Rico, Hanover took down No. 21 Mass-Dartmouth, 77-72, closing on an 8-0 run over the final 48 seconds. It was somewhat of a collapse from Mass-Dartmouth just as much as it was a surge from Hanover, and perhaps it was more Hanover seizing an timely opportunity than anything else. UMD went up 72-69 with 1:26 to go, but then came a technical foul (due to the livestream being behind a paywall, this is the most detail I have on that particular play) against the Corsairs, giving Katherine Benter two free throws and putting the ball back in the Panthers’ hands. Benter had seven of those final eight, hitting both FTs after the tech and then a 3-pointer immediately afterward, giving Hanover the lead.
Yes, they’ve got the losses to Webster and Franklin, and I’m not sure anyone is going as far as to say Hanover is in contention for an at-large bid. But this win certainly helps their case, and more importantly, it points towards a squad that just might be breaking through at the perfect time. The past couple years, Hanover dealt with being the second-best in the HCAC to a powerhouse, but the landscape has shifted, and with their senior talent—notably Grace Bezold and Benter—the Panthers are in a really good spot momentum-wise. They get Stevenson on Friday to close out their holiday trip.
Around the Nation
I wrote yesterday that McMurry needs to be considered as a real threat to win the SCAC, and the Warhawks proved that by beating UMHB, 74-64. McMurry was the lone team at the Cru Classic to walk away 2-0, and considering the strength of the four-team field, that’s pretty noteworthy. Kylie Flippin and Emily Holland were tremendous, especially late, as McMurry went on an 11-0 run with less than 5 minutes left to claim the lead, and the game. Holland had 22 points and Flippin added 20.
St. Joseph (CT) handed Bridgewater (VA) its first loss of the season yesterday, shooting 53.3% to overcome a -23 rebounding differential. Bridgewater is now 9-1, while St. Joseph has won two straight by single digits after going 1-3 over its previous 4.
Tell you what, Randolph-Macon has a knack for winning tight games. The Yellow Jackets won by a single point for the second time this season, defeating Rhode Island College, 58-57. RMC went 6-of-8 at the FT line in the final 38 seconds and the Yellow Jackets are now 8-1, with their lone loss to Gettysburg.
Carthage used a game-changing 22-5 run to shift the momentum and overcome an eight-point halftime deficit, defeating John Carroll, 69-54, just one day after JCU took down a solid St. Benedict squad. It was yet another surprising result in Puerto Rico, as Carthage improved to 7-2, outscoring JCU, 38-15, over the final two quarters.
Most impactful games of the day (all times ET)
#17 Hope at Wittenberg, 2:00 p.m.
Shenandoah at Christopher Newport, 3:00 p.m.
#10 Ohio Wesleyan vs Rhode Island College, 4:00 p.m.