Saturday Superlatives: Schleusner's incredible double-double, Sage pulls off huge road upset
Recapping yesterday's action and the biggest storylines that emerged
We’re bringing back the “Saturday Superlatives” edition, taking a look at how yesterday played out through the lens of some different categories, allowing me to dive a little deeper into a handful of big storylines. There was a lot, almost too much, that happened yesterday on the second-to-last Saturday of the regular season, but I’ll do my best to highlight the main things that stood out as the action unfolded.
Enjoy your Sunday!
Standout Team Performance: UW-La Crosse knocks off No. 5 UW-Oshkosh for second Top 15 win of the season
UWL already took down No. 15 UW-Stout on the road earlier in the conference schedule, but the Eagles were still underdogs against a determined, hard-nosed Oshkosh squad that seemed intent on finishing the regular season with only a single blemish on its record. Instead, UWL made sure that for a fourth straight season, the WIAC champ will have multiple losses in league play. At home, in a wild OT duel, UWL took down the Titans, 64-56, in a game defined by a few key runs. There was UWL’s 17-7 run to open the game, UWO’s 21-5 spurt in the second quarter, and the Eagles’ massive 15-0 run to close the third quarter.
The third quarter was the turning point, as UWO had begun pulling away, up by 13, only to go scoreless for the final 7:58 of the third while UWL caught fire offensively. The Eagles climbed all the way back, taking 39-37 lead through three. UWL’s resilience in that situation showed up again at the end of regulation, when Lauryn Milne hit a 3 with 7 seconds left, tying it at 50 apiece. And in OT, with UWL holding a 59-56 advantage and under a minute left, Milne hit the dagger from the top of the arc, draining a 3 that put the game away.
To come up with an upset, it takes big play after big play at a somewhat consistent rate and UWL got that in the second half. They shot 10-of-31 from 3, out-rebounded UWO by +4, and scored 24 points off 15 UWO turnovers. Milne led the way with 24 points, highlighted by those key 3s at the end of the 4th and in OT, and Kailee Meeker added a 3-of-4 shooting day from beyond the arc. It was a win that head coach Moran Lonning and her squad won’t soon forget, as they remained tied with UW-Stevens Point for the fourth spot in the WIAC standings. And I’ll just add this: La Crosse is very dangerous. They’re one of those teams that could definitely cause some chaos in the NCAA Tournament if they’re able to get in.
Other noteworthy performances:
No. 11 Trine kept its perfect run through MIAA play going, decisively beating No. 15 Hope in Holland, 80-63. Sidney Wager had 23 points as the Thunder shot 53.3% and finished +13 on the boards.
No. 25 ETBU clinched the ASC regular season title with a dominant 78-46 home win over UMHB. The defense was stellar, Madison Hurta went 6-of-8 from 3, and head coach Blake Arbogast earned his 100th win as the Tigers’ head coach. ETBU is now 20-4.
No. 19 Randolph-Macon may have struggled a bit through three quarters, but RMC’s fourth-quarter performance warrants mention. On the road at Ferrum, RMC held the Panthers to a single free throw for the entirety of the fourth, outscoring their opposition, 14-1, over the last 10 minutes. It was enough for a 56-49 win, running the win streak to 21.
Standout Individual Performance: Mary Schleusner, Washington & Lee
Stat Line: 34 minutes, 42 points, 27 rebounds, 17/36 FGs
It was the very definition of “taking over the game” from Schleusner yesterday at Shenandoah, as the junior forward stepped up big when the Generals were buried in a sizable second-half deficit. With 5:59 left in the third quarter, Shenandoah stretched its lead to its largest of the game, 42-24, well on its way to a massive ODAC home win.
Insert Schleusner. The All-American, who garnered national attention for her 45-point, 29-rebound performance in a first round NCAA Tournament win over Vassar last season, sparked the turnaround. Schleusner scored 13 of its W&L’s next 21 points in a game-changing 21-2 run that put the General in front with 4:40 left. After Shenandoah briefly tied it, W&L answered with an 8-0 run, anchored by six points from Schleusner. In total, she put up 22 points in the fourth quarter, leading the dramatic comeback that saw W&L outscore Shenandoah, 30-14, over the final 10.
Her rebounding can’t be overlooked either; Schleusner grabbed 27 of W&L’s 52 boards, including 12 in the final quarter. Just an all-around incredible performance from a special player when her team absolutely needed it most.
Surprise of the Day: Sage upsets St. John Fisher on the road
Sage came into Saturday ranked #316 in Massey Ratings. St. John Fisher…#81. And yet, it was Sage who went into Manning & Napier Varsity Gym against a team that had won 13 of its last 14, and pulled off an upset almost nobody saw coming. Under first-year head coach Michael Branche, Sage has already made some progress from its 6-19 campaign last year, and they came into the matchup 9-14, 7-7 in the Empire 8. Still, to keep pace with SJF, withstand the Cardinals’ multiple attempts to pull away, and then close with a 32-point fourth quarter is easily one of the most impressive performances I saw yesterday. Not many teams could go into halftime as significant underdogs, trailing 37-25 on the road, and come out with the kind of second half Sage did. After outscoring SJF 23-20 in the third, they kept climbing, eventually taking the lead on a Kallie Hopkins layup with 2:40 left. After SJF briefly took it back, Sage’s 8-0 run put the game away, as they went up 78-71 with 30 seconds left. Layla Acosta was terrific for Sage, with 15 of her 23 points coming in that fourth quarter as the Gators shot 10-of-20 down the stretch. This is one that the Sage program will remember for quite a while, especially since it marked the Gators’ first win over SJF since joining the Empire 8 in 2017.
Other notable upsets:
Southern Maine took down 23rd-ranked Mass Dartmouth, 74-68, shooting 47.3%. Despite giving up 15 second-chance points and 17 points off turnovers, Southern Maine’s offensive success kept the Huskies right in it, lifting them to a Top 25 win and snapping a 14-game losing skid against the Corsairs.
St. Mary’s (IN) won its second straight game as the Belles went to Alma in MIAA play and won, 66-62. SMC came in ranked #281 in Massey, while Alma was #158. Julia Schutz had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Belles, who overcame a -15 rebounding differential and shot 11-of-27 from 3.
Lewis & Clark (#245 Massey) stunned Linfield (#48 Massey), who was seeking a historic 19th win of the season. L&C had other ideas, winning only its second game of NWC play, as the Pioneers closed on a 27-17 run in an 80-74 win at home. Lauryn Frederickson put up 23 points on a 9-of-12 shooting night and L&C shot for a season-high 51.7%, scoring 40 points in the paint.
Biggest NPI risers: UW-La Crosse and John Carroll
UW-La Crosse benefitted enormously from its upset of Oshkosh, sliding all the way up to #42, a rise of 23 spots. That puts the Eagles firmly in the at-large bid conversation, as they would make the tournament if the season ended today. UWL’s resume has been fairly notable all year, with a number of solid wins in non-conference (Bethel, Concordia Moorhead, Simpson), some very close losses (Gustavus Adolphus, Hope, St. Benedict), and wins over Stevens Point and Stout in WIAC play. But at 14-9, they’re still very much a bubble team, which is why yesterday’s win was so crucial, and likely put them from the “probably out” category to a potential “bubble-in” team.
John Carroll was a team I mentioned in yesterday morning’s newsletter as one with high stakes entering its matchup against Capital. It was really their last opportunity to improve their NPI before the OAC Tournament, and JCU delivered, winning 73-65. The Blue Streaks were rewarded with a bump of 14 spots in the newest NPI rankings, sliding up to #50. Their chances of an at-large bid saw a solid rise to 15.9% ALWYNI as well.