November 30, 2023: Oberlin takes down Baldwin Wallace in 2OT, Wartburg, RIC, Catholic win key matchups
Taking a quick look back on what was a very exciting slate of games last night
We’re nearing a month into the season, but the down-to-the-wire finishes and surprising results are just beginning, as we witnessed time and time again last night. I never know how to define an “upset”…I guess it comes down to personal preference as we saw on Tuesday night on the men’s side when #1 UW-Whitewater took a loss on the road to unranked Carthage.
Some see any win by an unranked opponent over a ranked opponent as being an upset. But that seems a little extreme, especially at this point, when the Top 25 is all over the place at times with only three weeks of games having been played. I would argue that an unranked win over a, say, #20 team in February, could be seen as an “upset” much easier than the same kind win in late November. By February, to be #20, a team has to have won several key games already and probably be nearing the 20-win mark…so a win in that case would probably come as a much bigger surprise.
I ask myself this question as I watch Oberlin College take down Baldwin Wallace, 69-65, in a double-overtime thriller, with Oberlin keeping its undefeated season intact on its home court. What a game. It was competitive and back-and-forth the entire way, and coming in, Baldwin Wallace was the definite favorite, especially as a team that had already notched wins over Gettysburg and Rochester and battled Trine in a two-point loss. The Yellow Jackets received the second-most points of any unranked team in Monday’s Top 25 Poll and I had them at #18 in my ballot.
But Oberlin stayed in stride with BW for the game’s entirety and didn’t lose momentum into either the first or second overtime. The game played out incredibly even when it came to the final numbers; BW shot 31.5%, Oberlin was 35.3%, neither team was better than 21% from 3, and BW won the rebounding battle by just five. The only noticeable difference came in the free throw shooting, where Oberlin had 29 attempts and converted on 22 of them. BW shot 14 fewer free throws, going 12-of-15 at the charity stripe. That makes a difference.
Overall, I was most impressed with the way that Oberlin got to the paint. Typically a perimeter-shooting team, the Yeowomen finished with 32 points in the paint, which played no small role in the win, especially down the stretch of regulation. BW also had 32 points in the paint, but it was impressive how Oberlin got the rim and attacked BW’s defense on that area of the floor.
I didn’t see this one coming at all. But this is the kind of the thing that can happen in college hoops, where parity reveals itself often, especially in non-conference matchups such as this one. Oberlin now 7-0 to start the 2023-24 season.
Other thoughts from games around the country…
I was equally surprised, or maybe even more surprised, when I saw how Carthage was winning in its CCIW opener against Wheaton. Not necessarily the fact that Carthage was in front—they have a tremendously talented team this season—but the margin by which the Firebirds were winning. The final ended up being 77-37, with Carthage absolutely dominating against a previously-undefeated Wheaton squad. And Wheaton was at home! Wheaton was nine points away from being ranked in this week’s Top 25, but after last night’s game, I’m not sure what to think. Just shows how deep and strong the CCIW is. This league, as Millikin head coach Olivia Lett talked about on Hoopsville on Monday, is extremely competitive, but it isn’t often you see margins like this one. Biggest stat in this one: Carthage outrebounded Wheaton 55-20. Wow.
One of the night’s most impactful Top 25 games played out in Hartford, CT, where #4 Rhode Island College defended its ranking, beating #11 Trinity (CT) on the road, 60-56. As Scott Peterson posted on X after the game, this result has the potential to determine first weekend hosting come Selection Monday. That’s how big this win was for RIC.
Madison Medbury came through in a terrific performance for the Anchorwomen, scoring 25 points in 36 minutes of action, shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Reilly Campbell had a 24-point night for Trinity and grabbed 10 rebounds, but RIC really limited Trinity’s point production from its backcourt. Emma Wax had 13 points, but nobody else had more than five points for the Bantams.
In its Landmark Conference opener, Catholic went on the road to #18 Elizabethtown and came out with a win, taking down the Blue Jays, 79-70 in overtime. With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Elizabethtown led 55-49. But with 4:40, Kerry Flaherty, who was outstanding for Catholic late in the game, connected on a 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 57-54. But with two minutes left, Elizabethtown led 64-56, and seemed to be in a position to seal the win.
Catholic had other plans, as Carly Mulvaney hit a 3-pointer and Flaherty scored the next five points in an 8-0 run for Catholic to end regulation. Flaherty converted on two more 3s in the first three minutes of OT, keeping Catholic in front. This is by far Catholic’s biggest win of the season, as the Cardinals are now 6-0.
Out in the Midwest, #7 Wartburg moved to 2-0 in American Rivers Conference action, battling #15 Loras in a huge Top 15 duel. These are the kinds of games that will come into the conversation once we get in the hosting and Pool C discussion later in the season, especially considering how difficult it is to be regionally-ranked in Region 9. The key run of the game came midway through the second quarter, after Loras cut Wartburg’s lead to 20-18. The Knights answered with a 9-0 scoring run, going up 29-18, just before halftime. That momentum seemed to carry over into the second half, though Wartburg never completely pulled away. In fact, Loras cut the deficit to just six points, 62-56, with 46 seconds left in the fourth. Wartburg’s backcourt is just so good, and they move the ball really well around the perimeter, which tends to wear down a defense and create opportunities for mid-range shots. Credit to Wartburg for pulling out that road win against what is a solid Loras team, especially on the defensive end.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Elyce Knudsen’s 36-point performance for Millikin against Augustana last night. She’s making her National Player of the Year case early in this season, currently averaging 27.9 points per game! In last night’s 85-48 win (that included a 30-6 third quarter run), Knudsen shots 14-of-18 from the floor and an impressive 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
Bowdoin likely eliminated Saint Joseph’s (Maine) from the Pool C conversation last night. That’s right. Saint Joseph’s really needed a win to stay in the Pool C conversation, and had a solid chance at it, playing Bowdoin at home. But Bowdoin took control in a 21-12 third quarter and never looked back, improving to 4-1 overall. The NESCAC has a number of contenders, as usual, this season, and Bowdoin is certainly one of them. I was impressed by how Bowdoin got to the paint, scoring 30 points there, and overall, the Polar Bears looked really sharp on the offensive end last night.
I’ll stop here for now, as that wraps up most of my thoughts on last night’s action. What a great slate of games it was. Not as many must-see matchups tonight, but Dickinson at Muhlenberg is going to be a pretty exciting duel in the Centennial Conference. 7:30 p.m. ET tip off in that one, as 2-1 Dickinson battles 6-1 Muhlenberg. McMurry at East Texas Baptist could turn out to be a good one as well here in Texas.
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