Thoughts from Wednesday and Thursday's most notable results as we look ahead to the weekend
Alright, time to take a look back on the last two days of D-III women’s basketball action, especially after a huge slate of games on Wednesday night! We’ve also got a handful of exceptional contests tonight, ranging from the East Coast to the Midwest. This is a great time of the season, because we have the chance to see plenty of non-conference matchups involving teams from different states and different regions of the country. Several of those types of matchups take place this weekend, starting tonight and going through Saturday and Sunday.
Takeaways from Wednesday
#15 Gustavus Adolphus won the day in my opinion. When it comes to the Gusties, Wednesday’s matchup against UW-Stout was their season-opener. And UW-Stout is a top contender in the WIAC this season after claiming a stare of the WIAC regular season title a season ago. But on this particular evening, Gustavus came out firing on all cylinders, taking a 22-7 lead through the opening quarter. Stout got back on track in a 21-point second quarter, but also gave up 21 points, as the Gusties led by 15 at the half. The final was 76-58, with much wider separation than most had expected entering that contest.
Stout will be alright, and at this point, Gustavus should now be rooting for a big year for the Blue Devils in the WIAC. If Stout ends up regionally-ranked, it would give Gustavus a much-needed RRO win. Those have been tough to come by in the past for a program that plays just three non-conference games, so having this win could be very impactful for Gustavus when it comes to the overall tournament resume.
I was also impressed by Trine. They’re very much in consideration for my Top 25. They were probably one of the “First Four Out” when it came to my official preseason ballot, and by taking down Baldwin Wallace, 62-60. It was a game that came down to the wire and was competitive all the way through, with Trine overcoming a two-point deficit entering the final quarter. Sidney Wagner and Erin Sherwood each had 16 points for the Thunder against a BW team that should be near the top of the OAC.
Granted, Trine was ranked #17 while BW was unranked (though I had BW in my Top 25 ballot), but to win against an experienced BW team is pretty impactful. Trine, Calvin, and Hope are all playing well out of the gate, which is good for the MIAA.
Dickinson’s first two games were against real challengers, facing Elizabethtown and Messiah. ETown wasn’t nationally ranked, but won 64-56 against the Red Devils on Saturday. Solid win for ETown, especially after what Dickinson did against #25 Messiah! Dickinson went out on Wednesday and won convincingly, 61-45. Wow. A strong second and third quarter gave Dickinson a chance to pull away from its nationally-ranked foes. I think we need to start looking at Dickinson being an under-the-radar contender out of Region 5 (we already knew they’d be good, but a 16-point win over Messiah is still pretty impressive).
Congratulations to Southwestern head coach Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler, who earned her first win as a head coach when the Pirates roared back from a double-digit deficit with a 23-8 fourth quarter against Concordia (TX) on Wednesday. They ended up with a 60-56 win, giving the former Hendrix standout her first head coaching victory. Really exciting finish there in Georgetown.
Natalie Bartle, of SUNY Canton, dominated the stat sheet in the ‘Roos fourth straight win (yep, they’re 4-0 under third-year head coach Chris Klassen). And not just by a little bit. Bartle scored 46 points and grabbed 26 rebounds as SUNY-Canton beat Clarkson, 74-72. Oh yeah, and she also went 17-of-17 at the free throw line, which is huge in a tight game like that.
As for yesterday’s games…
There weren’t a ton of incredibly notable results and not even half as many games as Wednesday…but we still saw great basketball!
As for a couple of thoughts, UW-River Falls was really solid in the Falcons’ 82-75 win over St. Benedict. They executed well down the stretch of the fourth quarter, and shot the ball fairly well all night. Karleigh Creasey kept finding ways to score, and finished with 22 points. In fact, four players finished with double figures in scoring for UWRF. The Falcons are now 2-0 against D-III opponents.
Also in the WIAC, UW-Platteville went on the road for the fourth time in the last seven days and came away with a victory over a tough Augustana team out of the CCIW. The final was 83-74, but even with under a minute left, the game was far from over. I was impressed by the way UWP handled the ball at the end of the game and didn’t give up a turnover or rush things, especially with the way Augustana was pressing on defense late. Neither team turned the ball over much, and both shot above 45% from the field. UWP is 3-1 with its lone loss being to Hope (at Hope).
Tonight’s Games to Watch (all times listed are Eastern Time)
East Texas Baptist at #18 Elizabethtown, Newport News, VA, 6:00 p.m.
John Carroll at #21 Hope, Holland, MI, 5:00 p.m.
Puget Sound vs Illinois Wesleyan, Holland, MI, 7:00 p.m.
Bridgewater State at Bowdoin, Brunswick, ME, 5:30 p.m.
Framingham State at Middlebury, Middlebury, VT, 5:00 p.m.
Albertus Magnus at #7 Trinity (CT), Hartford, CT, 5:30 p.m.
Have a great start to your weekend!