Saturday Superlatives: Feldman's triple-double, Bethel's big road win
A look at some of the top performances and storylines from yesterday's action (Jan. 18, 2025).
As I do each Sunday afternoon, it’s time to take a look back on yesterday’s biggest storylines as conference play continues to unfold. There was plenty of notable results from a huge slate of games across the country, and I’ll go into more of my thoughts in Tuesday’s Top 25 ballot breakdown as well as my look on Wednesday at the most experienced teams in the country whose tournament odds rest solely on getting in via an automatic bid and/or have very marginal Pool C chances. But I always enjoy taking a look at the way yesterday’s action unfolded through the lens of some superlatives, which I’ll do in the post below. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Standout Individual Performance: Macie Feldman, Johns Hopkins
As Johns Hopkins put together an impressive 74-42 win over Franklin & Marshall, who came into the day ranked #137 nationally by Massey Ratings, Feldman recorded just the ninth triple-double in D-III this season. The junior guard made plays up and down the floor over the course of 29 minutes, scoring a season-high 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. It was just the third triple-double in JHU history, and only the 15th in the history of the Centennial Conference. With 3:19 left, Grace Soltes caught a pass from Feldman at the top of the arc and knocked down a 3, giving Feldman her 10th assist and completing the triple-double as part of the Blue Jays’ 23-4 fourth-quarter run.
Other performances of note:
Vassar’s Tova Gelb broke the Vassar single-game scoring record with her 36-point outburst in the Brewers’ 85-76 OT win over RIT. Gelb played all 45 minutes, shooting 11-of-17 from the field and 12-of-13 at the FT line, while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Gelb also joined the 1,000-point club with her performance on Saturday.
Alexa Mustafaj put up 27 points for Middlebury in the Panthers’ loss to Tufts, pushing Mustafaj past 2,000 career points. The senior guard has officially scored 2,007 points in her four-year college career, and is the first Middlebury player, men’s or women’s, to surpass 2,000.
Ohio Wesleyan point guard Elizabeth Homan broke the OWU single-game assist record, dishing out 15 in the Battling Bishops’ 78-38 win over Wooster. It broke a record that had stood since Feb. 19, 1986, when Ann Osbourne had 14 in a game against Denison. Homan also made NCAC history with her assists, breaking the conference’s career assist record (previously 601, now 615) set by Allegheny’s Suzanne Helfant from 1984-88.
Standout Team Performance: Bethel (72-58 win over No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus)
In yesterday’s newsletter, I wrote about five key conference games on the Saturday slate, which included the showdown in St. Peter between the MIAC’s lone two undefeated teams (within conference play). Both Bethel and Gustavus entered 7-0 against MIAC competition, and on paper, it certainly seemed that the Royals would have a shot at pulling off the road upset, as long as they maintained their strong offensive rebounding and scored consistently against Gustavus’ lock-down defense.
As it turned out, Bethel didn’t need to go after many offensive rebounds. Not when they converted on 51.2% of their shots and got to the free throw line time and time again. It was an offensive showcase from the Royals, who opened the game on a 12-2 run and never looked back. Bethel led for the game’s entirety, using its athleticism and ball movement around the perimeter to put Gustavus’ defense out of position on multiple key possessions. That carried over to the defensive end, where Bethel applied tight pressure, and forced a number of empty possessions in the early goings. Gustavus shot just 4-of-12 in the first quarter, and struggled to find a rhythm. While the Gusties put together a few solid offensive stretches over the final three quarters, Bethel made stops when it mattered most, and Gustavus didn’t shoot above 40% in a quarter until the fourth.
As for the rebounding, coaches talk about forcing the opponent into “one-and-done” possessions—allowing one shot, but never a second-chance opportunity. Yesterday was a clinic from Bethel on how to do just that, as the Royals did not give up an offensive rebound. It’s the first time going all the way back to 2002-03 that Gustavus went an entire game without at least one offensive board. While Bethel had just three offensive rebounds of its own, the idea of holding Gustavus to 0 stands out, especially on a day when the shots didn’t fall as easily for the Gusties as they did for Bethel. To show up and play to that caliber on the road against the sixth-ranked team in the country says a whole lot about Bethel’s potential moving forward this season.
Biggest NPI riser: Whittier
The top riser in NPI is a West Coast program, as Whittier extended its win streak to 6 with a key 75-61 road win at Redlands yesterday. The Poets, now 12-2 overall, are sitting at a perfect 6-0 in SCIAC play, and are now considered by most as the frontrunner in that league. Considering Redlands entered yesterday with a 4-1 SCIAC record, Whittier’s 14-point victory graded out extremely well. They jumped 11 spots in Massey Ratings and 18 spots in NPI, moving up to #55. Rhe Nae Leach had 34 points in 36 minutes for the Poets, along with 12 rebounds and 9 assists.
You can check out the latest NPI rankings on D3Datacast.com.
Surprise of the Day: MIT defeats Springfield, 67-42
In NEWMAC action, MIT put up one of its best performances of the season, going to Springfield and walking away with a 25-point win. The Engineers, who were 4-10 entering the contest, trailed 18-9 through the first 10 minutes. But they stormed back in a 23-6 second-quarter run, then came out of halftime with another huge run, scoring 20 of the next 27 points. Springfield, 8-6 entering the day and still somewhat in the at-large bid picture, had no answer. The Pride shot just 24.6%, including 4-of-29 over the second and third quarters, and MIT forced 19 turnovers. It was a huge victory for the Engineers, who had been close in recent losses to Middlebury and Trinity (CT), but hadn’t quite secured that first notable win of the season.
Play of the Day: La Verne’s Marissa Howell lifts Leopards to OT win at Pomona-Pitzer
This is always a difficult one, considering there are so many key plays across so many games on any given Saturday. But this shot from La Verne’s Marissa Howell in OT to lift the Leopards to their first SCIAC win of the season was pretty noteworthy. Howell had missed a jumper a few seconds prior, but made the most of her second opportunity on La Verne’s final possession. The 69-67 road win was made possible by a 28-9 run from La Verne over the final 10 minutes of regulation, sending the contest into OT. (Clip courtesy of FloSports; to sign up to watch great games in the SCIAC, SCAC, NEWMAC, and Landmark Conferences, visit flocollege.com).