Saturday in Review: ETBU, Willamette pull off upsets, UW-Whitewater takes down Chicago
Looking at some of yesterday's best and most impactful results
Well, I can’t say I was necessarily surprised that we saw some heavily-favored teams fall yesterday (especially in the cases where it was a conference game), but what I wasn't expecting was those specific teams to lose. You generally come to anticipate a few upsets each Saturday, and sometimes you can see those upsets on the horizon. Not in this case, from my perspective.
ETBU opened the afternoon by stunning #9 Hardin-Simmons, 66-65, on ETBU’s home court. For a little bit of context, ETBU was just 1-6 entering the game, having lost six straight, including a disappointing 0-2 road trip in California against mid-tier SCIAC programs. It was not the kind of ETBU team we’re used to seeing. Last year’s team was more experienced for sure, and lost to HSU twice. In fact, before yesterday, the Cowgirls of HSU had not lost a regular season conference game since Jan. 27, 2022, as HSU went a perfect 18-0 in the ASC last season.
It came right down to the wire, with HSU holding onto the basketball for the entire length of the shot clock, taking it down to just 3 seconds. They did not get a shot off, though (unsure if the intent was to shoot it or not), giving ETBU the ball. Credit to ETBU head coach Blake Arbogast. Admittedly, I was sitting there wondering why ETBU hadn’t fouled down 1 with say, 7 or 8 seconds, considering they now had time for just one shot and had lost in a similar situation against McMurry on Thursday night.
But in this case, Payton Hicks drove hard towards the paint upon taking in the inbounds pass in front of the ETBU bench and drew a foul, sending her to the line. With poise, the senior transfer swished both free throws, putting ETBU in front. HSU actually had a chance to win it at the buzzer, taking the ball in front of their bench on their side of halfcourt with a little over 1 second on the clock. But the initial pass was deflected, giving the hosts a dramatic victory. Congratulations to ETBU. As far as the impact on HSU’s ranking, I think they drop a good amount, but this isn’t an earth-shattering loss.
Maybe I’m biased because I’ve been around the ASC for longer, but ETBU is a very competitive program that always recruits well. I think the 1-6 start was a simple case of having an entirely new rotation and several newcomers in key spots right out of the gate. Three losses came to Top 25 opponents. As for the other three, I expect ETBU is just looking to put those in the rearview mirror and move forwards. But this is yet another example of why any given Saturday, nobody, even a Top 10 team, can walk into the gym without the chance of being upset.
Sorry for rambling a bit there. Believe it or not, Region 10 yielded two more pretty impactful results and another Top 25 upset, as #17 Whitman fell to Willamette, 66-61. And Whitman was at home! It was a very evenly-contested matchup, but a 12-4 run in the second quarter gave Willamette both momentum and the lead at halftime. Everything clicked for Willamette in this one, whether it be shooting 46%, holding Whitman to 38%, turning the ball over just eight times, or seeing three starters score in double figures. Whitman dominated on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 44-26, but Willamette just shot the ball a lot more consistently, and limited Whitman’s second-chance points.
Elyse Waldal, Carolyn Ho, and Ava Kitchin led the charge, combining for 49 of Willamette’s 66 points. What a day for them. Could this knock Whitman out of the Top 25? I don’t know, considering they beat a solid Pacific team just a day earlier. The Pacific win should elevate the resume a little bit, but this is not the kind of result Whitman needed, especially having played so few D3 opponents in the early part of the schedule.
It did not stop there. #14 Trinity was taken into overtime against SCAC rival Texas Lutheran, as TLU is very much on the rise this season, and was 7-1 entering the matchup. Playing at home, TLU seized the lead right from the get-go, and took a 21-10 lead after the opening quarter. The slow start also came into play on Friday night, as I watched the Tigers fall behind Southwestern in the opening quarter and then pull away. That didn’t happen last night, though. TLU outscored Trinity again in the second quarter, 18-14, and led 39-24 at the half. Trinity looked stronger offensively in the third, but trailed by 14 at that juncture, setting up a back-and-forth final quarter.
The Tigers turned a corner late, however, and Natalie Anderson’s game-tying layup at the buzzer (Watch it here) sent the game into overtime for Trinity, tied at 70 apiece. The visitors from San Antonio took control and outscored the Bulldogs, 16-6, in the extra period, winning 86-76. But what an impressive start for TLU, who is likely going to be the SCAC’s No. 2 team this season. And exceptional effort from Trinity to fight back with the game on the line. Anderson led all scorers with 27 points…and added 12 rebounds to go along with that.
For some other impactful results (including another win by an unranked team over a Top 25 opponent) from the other nine regions, let go quickly region-by-region…
Region 1
Amherst is off to a 6-0 start after taking down a solid 4-1 Wesleyan team yesterday, 70-55. Playing its typical small rotation, Amherst played three of its starters either 39 or 40 minutes in the win, which definitely seemed to keep the momentum and consistency in favor of the Mammoths. Reeya Patel (18 Pts, 12 Reb) and Kori Barach (15 Pts, 10 Reb) each had double-doubles and that is the kind of production that Amherst will need once NESCAC play tips off.
Another NESCAC team off to a perfect start is Hamilton, who sits at 8-0, heading into next week’s duel at Albertus Magnus. That will be the real test, as Hamilton hasn’t had the strongest schedule early on, but seems to be building well off last year’s strong campaign. The Continentals got off to a 21-2 lead against Fisher and with that start, a one-sided, 60-20 win unfolded over the next three quarters. Taylor Lambo shot 5-of-5 from the field, scoring 12 points in just 12 minutes of action.
In keeping with the NESCAC notes, #11 Trinity (CT) got back in the win column after consecutive losses and took down a quality Stevens team on the road, 70-59. I thought Trinity did a nice job of working the ball into the paint yesterday and scoring that way, which led to a shooting percentage of 51% and 19 points from Reilly Campbell. The losses to Smith and RIC in the last two weeks are disappointing because of the slim margin of victory for the opponent, but Trinity shouldn’t drop too far, especially after seeing yesterday’s double-digit win over Stevens.
Region 2
Putting this here in Region 2, though it was a Region 1-Region 2 crossover matchup, as Williams (R1) took down Babson (R2), 70-60. Babson drops to 4-4 and further from Top 25 contention. Not necessarily what I had expected, but the Beavers have played a tough schedule, and lost quite a bit of senior talent from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. And let’s be clear, Williams is an exceptional team. As with many of these big wins yesterday, it was the second quarter in which Williams took control, outscoring Babson 20-6 in that span. Arianna Gerig with 28 points for Williams in the victory along with 11 rebounds. Definitely a player to keep an eye on throughout the NESCAC this season.
Region 3
SUNY New Paltz stood out to me yesterday, beating Brockport, 89-59. And this was a Brockport team that took down Rochester earlier in the week. The Hawks outscored Brockport in all four quarters and had a constant flow of offense. The big key was staying strong on the offensive boards, as New Paltz tallied 24 offensive rebounds, leading to 20 second-chance points. That is huge, and allowed New Paltz to gain some separation. The Hawks are now 5-1, with their lone loss coming to NJCU, and I’ll be interested to see how they navigate their final three games of the month. A non-conference battle against Ithaca is set for next Saturday, and after a lengthy break, New Paltz plays CNU and Stevens in a holiday tournament at Stevens, Dec. 29-30. All three are big non-conference matchups with regional ranking implications.
Region 4
I want to give Delaware Valley some attention here, as the Aggies are 6-1, and extended their win streak to six games with a 65-50 win over Gwynedd Mercy yesterday. MACF play doesn’t tip off until January, but right now, DelVal is in a great spot. After starting slow offensively yesterday, the Aggies found an offensive rhythm, and posted back-to-back 20+ point quarters in the second half. That allowed them to take the lead and pull away, especially as they began taking care of the ball a little better. Four starters finished in double figures, as I’ve really liked DelVal’s balanced scoring attack, but more importantly, the effort on the defensive end. Six-game win streaks don’t come easily, so kudos to the Aggies for this excellent start to the season.
Region 5
Johns Hopkins has gotten off to a fast start, assembling a 6-1 record with the only loss coming to #1 NYU. And the Blue Jays are 4-0 in Centennial Conference play after taking down Muhlenberg, 77-55, yesterday. If you remember, Muhlenberg beat DeSales early in the season, and while Muhlenberg holds a 1-3 conference record, yesterday’s 77-point effort from JHU was the most points the Mules had allowed in any game this season. Elisabeth Peebles and Greta Miller each had 20 points for JHU in the win. Rodney Rogan is leading the Blue Jays extremely well in his first season as head coach. Definitely a team to keep an eye on in the national conversation.
Region 6
Mary Washington defended its #25 rank with a 67-60 win over Marymount, pulling out the victory in the fourth quarter. Marymount led 29-25 at halftime, but Mary Washington stepped up with two strong quarters, improving to 6-1, and likely maintaining its place in the Top 25 for another week. Biggest stat? 22 points off turnovers for UMW, compared to just six for Marymount. The defensive effort from UMW was very impressive.
Region 7
The OAC continues to be very intriguing, as Muskingum took Baldwin Wallace down to the wire yesterday, with BW eventually pulling out a 54-51 win. Muskingum had its chances down the stretch to take the lead, having cut the deficit to 53-51 with 1:39 left, but four straight missed shots (three of which were layups) ultimately sealed BW’s road win. I have a feeling we see several more of these types of games through OAC play this season. Lots of contenders there in what looks to be a pretty wide-open title race. BW had more quality depth on its bench in my opinion, which helped in the second half, and the Yellow Jackets finished with 24 points off the bench, compared to just nine for Muskingum.
Region 8
Illinois Wesleyan moved to 2-0 in CCIW play, and the Titans did it without Lauren Huber and Ava Bardic, their top two scorers. Bardic is out with an injury, though I’m unsure on Huber’s unavailability. But regardless, IWU pulled out a 65-59 win over a pretty strong Carroll squad, tallying 22 points off turnovers. Kate Palmer stepped up really well with 16 points, and Sawyer White made a handful of very impressive non-scoring plays on both ends of the floor along with contributing 15 points to the win. Great to see IWU finding ways to win, even without two All-Region type players on the floor. This is a team that will rise in my Top 25 ballot tomorrow.
We witnessed a shocker in the NACC as Edgewood went to Wisconsin Lutheran—who a week ago, beat Hope and nearly upset Transylvania—and won, 66-65. Ironically the exact same final score as that ETBU win over Hardin-Simmons. Funny how that works. Edgewood used to a 21-12 second quarter to lead 34-27 at the half and with the score tied at 53 entering the fourth, it was the Eagles who pulled in front. Edgewood made its free throws down the stretch and WLC came up a little short on the offensive end, missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds left.
Region 9
After taking a disappointing 67-62 loss to DePauw on Friday, UW-Oshkosh bounced back nicely against a pretty strong WashU team, 73-60. Two things stood out: 1) The margin of victory, and 2) the fact that this game was played at WashU. It’s tough to win at the WashU Fieldhouse and even more difficult to win by 13. Lexy Harris had 23 points for WashU, but nobody else had more than eight for the Bears. While WashU tended for focus more on points in the paint, UWO separated itself by converting on 13 3-pointers. To shoot 13-of-23 from long-range is a stat to be very proud of, especially against WashU. The Titans moved the ball around the perimeter well, and Bridget Froehlke stepped up with 18 points…off the bench! She was a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc.
UW-Platteville was also on the road, playing at #15 Loras, and UWP looked good from start to finish in a huge 71-57 win. The days of UWP being at the bottom of the WIAC are over, and even last season, we saw flashes of this level of success, including in a pair of wins over UW-Whitewater. The Pioneers are in an ideal Pool C position, in my opinion, assuming they post a solid record in WIAC play, considering the impact that this win should carry, especially in the case that Loras ends up regionally-ranked (though that is far from a lock at this point). I was extremely impressed by the fourth-quarter performance from UWP, outscoring the Duhawks 21-9 over the final 10 minutes. That sort of run is difficult to put together late in games, especially when you are on the road and facing a nationally-ranked opponent. Madalyn Reichmann led the Pioneers with a double-double, tallying 21 points and 10 rebounds. The WIAC never disappoints, and yesterday was a banner day for the league in terms of quality non-conference victories.
That statement is helped by the fact that #6 UW-Whitewater posted an outstanding performance in a 74-63 win over #12 Chicago. It was the “Game of the Day” in many people’s opinions, especially as Chicago entered the matchup with a 7-0 record. But UWW jumped out to a 24-16 lead after the opening quarter, and led 44-28 at halftime. This Warhawk team looked a little inconsistent early on, but they have since looked like a national championship contender, and proved that yesterday. UWW did not dominate in any particular stat category, but did what was necessary to claim the victory, and that is the mark of a great team in my opinion. I won’t be surprised if UWW is #2 in this week’s Top 25.
Time to start working on my Top 25 ballot! Lots to consider this time around with some interesting results taking place. Also, Scott Peterson and I, along with special guest Justin Heinzen will be sitting down this afternoon for a conversation on the season so far in D3 women’s hoops along with some statistical breakdowns and more. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below, email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com, or message me on X/Twitter (@ZayasRiley), prior to 5:30 p.m. ET.