Tuesday's matchups lived up to the expectations...and in some instances, exceeded them
Wisconsin Lutheran took down Hope, two CCIW/WIAC battles went down to the wire, and Ohio Wesleyan earned yet another resume-building win
Thanksgiving Week is upon us, and last night provided us with the last full slate of games prior to Thursday’s holiday. Simply put, it did not disappoint.
We had so many competitive battles, starting with the duel in Ohio between 10th-ranked Ohio Northern and Ohio Wesleyan in the mid-afternoon, and ending with a handful of outstanding Midwest battles, especially between the CCIW and WIAC. There was constant action, and a number of these games went down to the wire, as several highly-regarded programs in the national conversation were tested well. In some cases, even teams that left with a loss displayed some real positives that give me confidence in their capabilities moving forwards in the season.
CCIW/WIAC crossover matchups did not disappoint
One of these instances came in Bloomington, Illinois, where unranked Illinois Wesleyan hosted #9 UW-Whitewater. In a tightly-contested finish, UWW escaped on the road with an 82-80 victory in a physical, hard-fought battle that emulated an NCAA Tournament game in terms of the intensity and pace of play.
With 1:50 left, Katie Hildebrandt (the transfer from North Dakota State), converted on a jumper (while drawing a foul) that put the Warhawks in front, 77-76. She made the free throw, and UWW never gave up its lead from there on out. It was an exceptional fourth quarter from the Warhawks, considering they trailed by seven, 65-58, at the end of three quarters.
That’s right. IWU, in my opinion, controlled the game for the majority of those first three quarters, and into the fourth. UWW, with its height in the post, rebounded well, but in many instances, IWU’s outstanding guard play overcame that. With Lauren Huber and Ava Bardic leading the way, the Titans pushed the ball in transition, keeping UWW off-balance defensively, and as a result, got to the rim for a number of layups or short-range jumpers. The backcourt from IWU is incredibly strong, and what was most impressive for me was the fact that the Titans matched UWW’s physicality. I’m not sure anyone else UWW has played this season managed to contend in that aspect of the game with the Warhawks as well as IWU did last night. Major credit to head coach Mia Smith for putting together a well-executed gameplan that nearly resulted in a marquee win. And credit to UWW for pulling that victory out in a tough road environment. Both teams will be very much in the national conversation moving forwards.
Another WIAC-CCIW duel that turned out to be very competitive throughout came further to the north, where UW-Platteville hosted #24 Millikin. Before going further, let me just say that my thoughts and prayers have been with the UW-Platteville community since I was alerted of the saddening news that UW-Platteville AD Dr. Kristina Navarro-Krupka had passed away Monday. She did so much for Pioneer athletics and her impact will be lasting there. It is truly heartbreaking news. Very special to see how many people she helped and impacted positively throughout her career in college athletics, and also to see Millikin women’s basketball, and the outpouring of kindness from that program ahead of last night’s game in a difficult situation.
In regards to the game itself, Millikin kept its perfect record alive at 5-0, edging UWP 73-68. But it was UWP who led 21-11 after the opening quarter, before Millikin answered with a 22-point second quarter. It definitely took Millikin time to adjust to what the Pioneers were doing offensively, but once they did, it became a very tight battle throughout the second half.
Millikin won the rebounding battle, 41-26, and ended up with 14 offensive rebounds. Second-chance points, however, did not come frequently for the Big Blue, who had just 10 second-chance scores. That was a credit to the UWP defense, although the Pioneers did not rebound especially well either, which is understandable considering Millikin is probably the CCIW’s best team in the rebounding category this season. But UWP did shoot it well from the perimeter, and converted on 7-of-19 3-point attempts, all of which were key to the Pioneers’ effort.
Millikin actually trailed, 49-47, entering the final quarter, and the score remained within a point or two for most of the first seven minutes. Then Elyce Knudsen made a pair of free throws for Millikin, and Bailey Coffman connected on a huge 3-pointer that gave the Big Blue a four-point lead with 2:51 left. UWP got it back to a one-point game with just over a minute left, but Millikin made its free throws down the stretch, escaping with a very hard-fought win. UWP could really surprise some people in the WIAC this year.
Ohio Wesleyan posts another quality win, further improving what has already been a successful start to the season
Ohio Wesleyan followed up its dominant win over Marietta by taking down the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern on Tuesday afternoon, in a 58-55 thriller. OWU has been on the verge of stepping into the national spotlight for a little while now, and won the NCAC Tournament last spring. They’re now legitimately contending for a spot on my Top 25 ballot after finding a way to get this one done, led by 26 points from Kasey Schipfer. Yes, 26 points! She was 11-of-15 shooting with 9 rebounds…
In one of the best finishes I’ve seen this year, Schipfer went to the line with 11 seconds left and calmly swished two free throws for the 3-point lead. ONU then took a timeout, setting up an inbounds pass from the sideline on the Polar Bears’ side of the court. When an opportunity didn’t present itself seven seconds into the play, ONU head coach Mark Huelsman called another timeout, setting up a pivotal final play. But the Polar Bears never got a shot off, as Brynn Serbin came around the backside on a set play and took the inbounds pass near the right wing before being immediately trapped by OWU. I was impressed by OWU’s ability to read the play and not even hesitate to go for the trap, as it proved to be the difference.
Wisconsin Lutheran hands Hope first loss of season
Wisconsin Lutheran was outstanding in a victory over #21 Hope, and after Hope’s solid 4-0 start, this win has even more weight for me. 79-68 was the final in favor of the Warriors, who put together a complete four-quarter effort. Hope wasn’t bad, but definitely missed some open opportunities and surrendered a few wide-open shots defensively. This is still a young team (in terms of returning game experience) and inconsistencies will happen, but I came away feeling like the game was more about WLC.
The Warriors were just so impressive, especially offensively in terms of ball movement. WLC finished with 24 assists on 29 made shots, led by seven assists from Meggie Scott, who also had 13 points. In fact, in the first half, WLC jumped out to a 27-7 advantage, completely dominating on both ends of the floor. Hope eventually cut that deficit to 10, but the Warriors never allowed Hope to get any closer to the lead.
WLC also utilized a zone defense that was on-point and well-positioned on nearly every Hope possession. The Warriors are cohesive, especially on that end of the floor, and that fact was evident as the game progressed. The communication aspect of defense is incredibly important, and I saw that from WLC, especially as Hope tried several different things to get an open look. The Flying Dutch finished with just 18 points in the paint, and that was a testament to WLC’s defensive effort, which paved the way to victory.
Alma takes down Wittenberg in double-overtime thriller
In a down-to-the-wire impactful matchup in Michigan, Alma pulled off a double-overtime, 97-95 win over Wittenberg, who most recently took down #17 Trine. Wittenberg was significantly trending upwards after its 3-0 start, but Alma overcame a 23-14 first-quarter deficit in one of the most back-and-forth games I’ve seen.
With 18 seconds left in regulation, Alma’s Breckyn Werner scored on a layup, only to have the score knotted at 72 apiece three seconds later on Jazmyn Gaines-Burns’ layup. She missed a go-ahead free throw that followed, sending the game into overtime as Alma’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer did not go.
In overtime, it was Wittenberg’s Kelsey Ragan who made the key shot, hitting a 3 with 20 seconds remaining, tying the score at 80-80 as double overtime rolled around. Alma led by as many as seven points with just 16 seconds left, though Wittenberg closed the game on a 6-1 run. There just wasn’t enough time left for the Tigers to get any closer.
Huge win for the Scots, who are now 2-2, and look ahead to a matchup against Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday.
Monday: Trinity (CT) fends off Coast Guard upset bid behind big fourth-quarter run
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Trinity (CT)’s win over Coast Guard on Monday night in what ended up being the game of the day. If you look at the final score by itself, it looks like a fairly one-sided, 53-38 win for the #7 Bantams. But what you won’t see is that the score was tied at 36-36 after the first three quarters. Coast Guard fought incredibly hard, and actually took the lead a couple of times in the 3rd Quarter. We thought an “upset watch” may have been warranted, but Trinity quickly reversed the narrative, catching fire offensively in a 17-0 run over the first eight minutes of the final quarter. By that point the game was decided and Coast Guard’s attempt at a road upset had quickly faded.
Olivia Vick came off the bench and produced in a huge way, connecting on jumpers and 3-pointers left and right, finishing with 12 points in 12 minutes of action. Really impressive stuff, though Trinity will have a tougher test upcoming on Sunday, playing at Smith. Interested to see how that contest unfolds up in Massachusetts.
Hope you all are enjoying the week so far! Going to wrap things up here as we look ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday and a packed weekend of D3 WBB! There are so many outstanding matchups on the slate, and I’l have much more frequent updates, both on here and on X/Twitter (@ZayasRiley) as we watch everything play out. As a reminder, the first D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll of the regular season will be released on Monday, Nov. 27, so be looking out for that too.
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