Titans take Top 10 road win back to Bloomington
Two days before Thanksgiving, an action-filled day of basketball unfolded, with three Top 25 teams taking losses to unranked opponents in addition to several other high-profile matchups
It was a night of big-time shots, just ask George Fox’s Hanne Hopkins. It was a night of key defensive stops; Hope showed us that. It was a night on which more than a few results raised eyebrows, not even 24 hours after the first D3hoops.com regular season Top 25 poll was released. And in the center of it all was the Top 10 tilt in UW-Whitewater’s Kachel Gymnasium.
There, No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan met No. 4 UW-Whitewater, the Titans seeking their first victory over the Warhawks since Nov. 27, 2012. IWU did just that with the lights shining bright, on the road, against a UWW squad that shot 50% from the field and 71.4% in the fourth quarter.
The Titans used a quick pace to their advantage in the first half, withstood the Warhawks’ second-half response, and made timely shots, both within the flow of the offense and at the free throw line down the stretch. It came out to an 84-78 victory for the now 4-0 Titans, who will get DePauw, and possibly 11th-ranked WashU, this coming weekend at the Midwest Challenge.
In terms of quality play, a back-and-forth battle, and just having some of the most skilled players in the country on the floor at the same time, there’s little doubt in my mind that last night’s duel was the best game we’ve seen thus far. It was the kind of battle you’d expect to see in an Elite Eight or at the Final Four, and it was our good fortune that we were able to see IWU and UWW face off this early in the year.
Notes from the contest
» The first big notable for IWU is the free throw shooting. The Titans were 21-of-22 at the line in the game, and an impressive 16-of-16 in the fourth quarter. That put IWU in position to win, with the consistency and quantity of the Titans’ trips to the charity stripe. UWW, though with fewer attempts, was also very good on FTs, shooting 14-of-16.
» IWU’s Kate Palmer tied her season-high in scoring, putting up 22 points on a 7-of-12 shooting day. Not many players in the country can say they’ve already scored 22 against a pair of Top 20 opponents this season, as Palmer also had 22 in the win at Hope. Ava Bardic added to the scoring with 20.
» Kacie Carollo carried UWW on the offensive end, with 26 points and six assists. She fouled out with 21 seconds left, and not having her on the floor as a 3-point shooting threat (even though she didn’t shoot it great from 3 last night) for UWW’s last chance, down four, was a tough break for the Warhawks.
» IWU’s win is the Titans first in Whitewater since Jan. 2, 2010.
George Fox stuns No. 15 Hardin-Simmons at the buzzer
» With the crowd on its feet in Newburg, Oregon, George Fox inbounded the ball in the frontcourt, just in front of their bench. The initial pass went to Alyssa Wells, who then found Hanne Hopkins with her back turned to her defender, just inside the 3-point arc. Hopkins stepped right, faked left, then drove right, stopping mid-stride with two seconds left to put up a one-handed floater that fell through the net as the buzzer sounded. Upset secured!
» It marked the Bruins’ first Top 25 win in three years, and their first under second-year head coach Lauren Howard. "We knew we had to play solid defense for 40 minutes and the girls locked in and everyone did their job,” Howard said postgame. “This team shows up to battle every night and I feel lucky to coach them."
» The defense was a key in George Fox’s win, as the Bruins contested HSU’s 3-point shots especially well (HSU was 4-of-11 from beyond the arc). HSU’s 9-for-18 mark at the FT line didn’t help the Cowgirls’ effort either.
» The Bruins earned their second win in the last five seconds of a game in the last five days. George Fox also beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 49-46, on Alyssa Wells’ 3-pointer with three seconds left last Friday. Hopkins was credited with the assist on Wells’ go-ahead 3.
Chicago’s quick start paves the way to upset of No. 13 Carroll
» The Maroons, now 6-0, opened the game on a 15-4 run and never really looked back, leading from wire-to-wire. Carroll came within two in the second quarter, only to have Chicago answer with five points of its own.
» Chicago outscored Carroll, 24-14, in the third quarter, controlling the game through the second half. In all likelihood, this is the sort of win that will take Chicago from the receiving votes category to actually breaking into the Top 25 itself next week.
» 3-point shooting was a central piece of the offense both sides, as Chicago shot 6-of-12 from beyond the arc and Carroll was 10-for-18. Half of Chicago’s 3s came from Bella Alfaro, who had 15 points in the win.
Incredible shooting night powers UW-River Falls to a 72-54 win over No. 23 Concordia College (MN)
» On an evening in which UWRF sank 15 3-pointers and shot 47.3% from the field, the Falcons pulled off the big win on their home court. And it wasn’t a narrow win. It was a statement win. The game seemed to be decided by halftime, when UWRF went into the intermission leading, 45-22.
» UWRF’s 15 3s are tied with their 2015 performance against Platteville and Stevens Point’s 2013 game at Central for the third-most in a single game in WIAC history.
» Zoey Buchan came up with several big shots for the Falcons from long-range, connecting on 5 of her 7 3-point attempts, which accounted for all 15 of her points. It also tied for the third-most 3s in a single game in program history. Averie Varsho, Mari Ryberg, and Paige Pearson each had 2 3-pointers apiece for UWRF.
» UWRF, who has played its entire non-conference schedule up to this point against MIAC programs, is 4-2 against the MIAC this season. The Falcons are also 4-0 against Concordia (MN) since 2010.
» It’s a big week for the Falcons, whose two-game schedule featured last night’s home matchup against No. 23 Concordia (MN) followed by Saturday’s duel at No. 19 Hope.
Also of note
Believe it or not, Rochester’s first-ever triple-double came last night, as grad student Abby Gress put up a 15-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist stat line in the 86-56 win over William Smith. That’s pretty impressive. She had 11 points in the first quarter alone, and her 11 assists are tied for seventh in Rochester history amongst single-game records.
Keep an eye on Muhlenberg, who is now 6-1. The Mules dropped their season opener to Gwynedd Mercy, but have responded with wins over York (Pa.), DeSales, and Arcadia.
No. 19 Hope went down to the wire with a tough, underrated UW-La Crosse squad inside DeVos Fieldhouse, winning 68-65. UWL had a chance at a game-tying 3 as the Eagles held possession for the final 20 seconds or so, but Hope’s defense, particularly from Terin Maynard, made it just about impossible for UWL to get a shot off. By the time Ali Sprangers put up a long desperation 3, Leah Richards was right there for the game-sealing block.
Kylie Grassi put up 22 points and put the team on her back in Bridgewater State’s 83-75 OT win over Rhode Island College (who was receiving votes). Grassi scored seven of BSU’s 14 points in overtime, and hit a trio of 3-pointers in her fourth 20+ point performance of 2024-25.
Scranton survived a late rally from Tufts on the road, as the third-ranked Lady Royals edged past the Jumbos, 60-57. Scranton was 2-of-12 from the field in the fourth quarter, while Tufts shot 6-of-12, outscoring Scranton, 18-4, over the final 10 minutes.
In the definition of a catch-and-shoot buzzer beater, UNE’s Faye Veilleux put up a perfect shot to lift the Nor’easters to a dramatic 58-56 win over Colby. Veilleux played 32 minutes off the bench, scoring 23 points in the narrow win. Watch UNE’s buzzer-beater here.
Today’s Games to Watch (all times ET)
St. Scholastica at UW-Superior, 6:30 p.m. ET
No. 15 Hardin-Simmons at Pacific, 9 p.m. ET