Saturday Superlatives: What stood out across the country in yesterday's slate of games
As I do each Sunday afternoon, it’s time to take a look back on yesterday’s biggest storylines as conference play continues ramping up. We had three Top 25 vs Top 25 matchups yesterday, saw several tight games across the country, and ultimately, several results that will shape the NPI and Top 25 conversations moving forwards. I’ll have a look at updated NCAA Tournament odds in the coming days, along with a breakdown of my Top 25 ballot on Tuesday, but that’s all forward-looking based on the recent past. In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the top individual and team performances in yesterday’s games alone, through the lens of some superlatives. Enjoy!
Standout Individual Performance: Kasey Schipfer, Ohio Wesleyan
Schipfer scored the most points of any player in the country yesterday (tying with Eastern Connecticut State’s Taylor Salato), as she set a new career-high with 34. Putting up 30 or more in a single game at the college level is impressive in itself, but to do so against a Wittenberg team ranked in the Top 60 in Massey makes it that much more notable. It seemed the fifth-year senior couldn’t miss in the first half, shooting 9-of-12 to start as 21 of her points came in the opening two quarters. It pushed OWU out to a 39-23 lead at the intermission, and she continued her efficient shooting in the second half, going 5-of-8. The scoring was certainly a highlight, as it ranked No. 9 all-time in OWU history, but she also led the Battling Bishops in rebounds (7), dished out 3 assists, and tied for the team-high in steals (4). That’s an all-around performance to remember, as Schipfer, a D3hoops.com Preseason All-American, is now averaging 18.1 PPG and 7.4 RPG.
Other individual performances of note:
In a key NESCAC win for Trinity (CT), Olivia Vick put up 33 points, shooting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
For the second time this season, Ripon’s Ella Ten Pas tallied at least 20 rebounds, recording 20 boards in Saturday’s win over Illinois College. That included 9 offensive rebounds.
Baruch’s Mia Castillo was two assists shy of a triple-double against CCNY, tallying 25 points, 10 steals, and eight assists in 22 minutes.
Alma’s Brooke LeRoux made eight 3s in the win over Saint Mary’s (IN), leading to 32 points. LeRoux is shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc this season.
Standout Team Performance: No. 24 Trine (vs No. 15 Hope)
There were three matchups between nationally-ranked teams on Saturday afternoon. Of that group, Trine was the only lower-ranked team to come away with a win, besting No. 15 Hope at the MTI Center in a high-caliber performance. The 76-66 victory marked the first time Trine earned a home win over the Flying Dutch since the 2018-19 season. The streak of six straight losses to Hope inside the MTI Center is now no more for Andy Rang’s team, who continues raising its trajectory. Trine is now 5-0 in MIAA play, holding sole possession of first place in the standings, while also sitting at 12-2 overall. Trine’s efficiency on offense certainly stood out, as the Thunder took quality shots and scored inside whenever possible, putting up 42 points in the paint and shooting 52.7% from the field with 13 turnovers.
The hot shooting stretches played into Trine’s surge in early in the fourth quarter, allowing for some separation from Hope, but it was also the consistency on the boards that made this such a convincing performance from the Thunder. Hope had been out-rebounded just twice coming into Saturday, and never by more than five. But Trine finished +9 on the boards, with a 37-28 advantage. That doesn’t happen often against Hope, and is a credit to Trine stepping up to the challenge, being physical around the rim to pull down a handful of those 50/50 rebounds.
The single-digit losses at Baldwin Wallace and UW-Oshkosh earlier in the season were tough, but it certainly seems like Trine has become a lot better for it. It’s going to be tough to stop the Thunder through MIAA play.
Other noteworthy performances:
Smith picked up its eighth-straight win in dominant fashion over Springfield, 70-39. While Smith was favored to win by a good amount, a 31-point win was unexpected, as was the Pioneers forcing Springfield into 30 turnovers. 34 of Smith’s 70 points came off takeaways and Springfield finished with a 0.10 assist-to-turnover ratio), with just 3 assists against their 30 TOs.
Gettysburg is now 13-1 after taking down No. 22 Johns Hopkins in a huge Centennial Conference clash, winning 54-44. Gettysburg’s defense held JHU to a 3-of-22 mark from 3-point range and an 18-of-62 mark (29%) from the field.
UW-Stout went to No. 7 UW-Whitewater and handed the Warhawks their second loss of the week, as the Blue Devils picked up a key 76-65 road win. 4 of Stout’s 5 starters — Amanda Giesen, Raegan Sorensen, Anna Mutch, and Lexi Wagner — scored in double figures, contributing to Stout scoring 42 points in the paint and 23 points off turnovers.
No. 20 Ohio Wesleyan dominated against a solid Wittenberg team in NCAC play, winning 77-59. OWU was 16-of-18 at the FT line, 45.3% from the field, forced 9 more TOs than Wittenberg, and scored 18 more points in the paint. While OWU fought through a losing skid in late December, the Battling Bishops are 12-3 and 3-0 in the NCAC.
Biggest NPI Mover: Puget Sound
Puget Sound started 0-7 against D3 competition, but the Loggers have turned the corner with the arrival of Northwest Conference play. Now 3-1 in league action, Puget moved into a tie with Whitworth for second place in the NWC standings, earning its biggest win of the season so far. The Loggers stunned Linfield, who was 11-1 entering the game, in an 64-57 win in Tacoma. The win warranted a jump of 77 spots in NPI, and while Puget Sound is still back at #224, it is a significant move in the right direction, and certainly helps their non-conference opponents, including Centre, Hardin-Simmons, and Texas Lutheran.
Surprise of the day: Rochester wins at Emory in UAA opener
There’s a few candidates for this one, but Rochester entered the day with a 23% chance to win at Emory in its UAA opener, per the D3 Datacast. They were projected to lose by 8. Instead, the Yellow Jackets left Atlanta with a 23-point victory.
The 74-51 victory was a complete performance from a Rochester team that is now 8-4 and has won its last three. The 16-spot NPI jump after the win was evidence of that, as Rochester slid up to #76. While the Yellow Jackets had put up some noteworthy results to this point, beating Cortland and Ithaca, this win marked their first over a Top 50 Massey team, and better yet, it came on the road…in conference play. And it was the fact that they left no doubt, even in the first half, that really added weight to the performance. By halftime, Rochester led 47-23. They turned 18 Emory turnovers into 21 points, and led by 17 points from Erin Lillis, and 16 from Abby Gress, cruised to the win. Rochester gets Brandeis and NYU next weekend as UAA play continues.
Monday » Come back tomorrow for a look at the Top 10 freshmen forwards/centers (based on current stats) in D-III WBB!
Hey Riley - I know you were quoting PLU’s post about their being the first to hold a D3 opponent to two points in a quarter, but Whitman had already done it the night before in their second quarter vs Lewis and Clark.