Monthly Archives: December 2022

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: What a finish to 2022.

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December 31, 2022

By Riley Zayas,@ZayasRiley

Let me start by saying this. The day that we had in D3 women’s basketball yesterday I can only equate to the feel of an NCAA Tournament slate. We had scores from nationally-relevant games coming in throughout the day, plenty of on-the-edge-of-your-seat finishes, and a good number of unranked teams challenging Top 25 opponents. You really did not know what to expect from one game to the next, and that is the sort of slate we very well may not see again until March. 18 Top 25 teams were in action. Two of them lost, and five won games by less than 10 points. That should give you an idea of the sort of day in was with so much action playing out at one time. I guarantee you that come tournament time, we will still be talking about at least a few of yesterday’s results.

I didn’t know where to start with this, so I figured I should just go from the top…literally.

  • Top-ranked NYU was truly tested for the first time on Friday afternoon, in a 2020 NCAA tournament rematch with Bowdoin that certainly lived up to the hype. It was like a chess match from start to finish, both teams executing their offenses with remarkable effectiveness and poise. Both shot above 40 percent from the field (41.2% for Bowdoin, 49.2% for NYU) and it really came down to a few big forced turnovers from NYU late in the fourth quarter that kept Bowdoin from retaking the lead. Bowdoin turned the ball over twice with less than 1:20 left, but at no point did the Violets fully pull away. The lead changed hands a whopping 36 times and I was very impressed by the way both sides found ways to stay in the game with the pressure mounting. A 16-of-28 performance at the line is something NYU will need to improve on, but overall, the Violets got a very nice showing from Belle Pellecchia, who shook off a disappointing performance at Tufts in mid-December with 22 points. She is once again in the All-America conversation. Sydney Jones had 28 for Bowdoin and all signs are pointing towards her having a huge season for the Polar Bears.
  • Bowdoin’s fellow NESCAC rival Trinity (CT) pulled perhaps the most impressive win for an unranked team on Friday, taking down #13 Springfield ON THE ROAD, 58-45. Winning at Springfield is hard to do, but here’s the stat that jumped off the page in my opinion: Trinity outrebounded Springfield, 52-29. Yes, you read that right. Reilly Campbell and Emma Wax were exceptional on the boards, with 11 rebounds apiece. Springfield had just three second-chance points. When you can do that on the defensive end, you’re going to win nine times out of 10. The defensive effort was what impressed me the most about this big win for the Bantams. We know they can score, but solid defense will take you a long way in a deep conference highlighted by Amherst, Tufts, and Bowdoin.
  • Oh, and it’s probably time to expand the “NESCAC contenders” list beyond those four. Because Hamilton is making waves. The Continentals already boast wins over St, John Fisher and Rochester, and nearly shocked #8 Baldwin Wallace on Friday, falling 72-65. Hamilton actually led (at Baldwin Wallace), 51-50 heading into the fourth quarter. Credit to BW, who really turned it on in a 22-point fourth quarter, but I was very impressed by the way Hamilton approached this game. I had BW #5 in my unofficial Top 25 this past week for good reason, and aside from the Trine game back in November, hadn’t seen the Yellow Jackets tested the way they were Friday. Taylor Lambo had 28 points for Hamilton, 14 in the fourth, in a solid offensive performance. Hamilton gets another shot at a top-level team, when it plays at Ithaca on Monday. They’ll get Amherst and Trinity (CT) back to back on the road come late January.
  • So what did Baldwin Wallace do right? The Yellow Jackets were balanced, and let their depth power them to victory. 12 players played at least nine minutes, and performances like Kira Philpot coming off the bench to score 11 points in 19 minutes really drove BW to victory. The fourth quarter is when things really started to click, but I’d argue the Yellow Jackets’ best run came in the closing minutes of the second, after Hamilton had established a 33-21 lead. BW roared back, mounting an 11-1 run to go into halftime trailing by just two, 34-32. Obviously it would have been a much different story had that run not happened, and BW had gone into halftime down 12, or possibly more.
  • #9 Babson had a bit of an upset scare on their home court against Middlebury (another NESCAC program that could make some waves in conference play), and was tied 42-42 entering the fourth quarter. Babson put 19 points on the board over those final 10 minutes, and held Middlebury to just 10, but it was not a very convincing performance overall from Babson. The Beavers actually trailed 28-20 at the half, and could not really get anything going consistently on the offensive end. They had looks at the rim, but were unable to finish in the paint. 21 turnovers did not help either. We’ll see where Babson ends up in the next Top 25 poll, but I won’t have them in my Top 10. Chances are, this was a bit of the holiday break showing its effects, which is understandable. I’ll be interested to see how they fair against Tufts, Springfield and Hamilton (in that order) in mid-January.
  • Funny enough, for all the great basketball that was played, just one Top 25 vs. Top 25 matchup was on the slate. That was #7 Scranton’s home duel against #19 Tufts, a game that Scranton prevailed in, 68-59. Maggie Russell had 24 for Tufts, but it just wasn’t enough to take down a Scranton team that remains undefeated. Scranton led by a single point entering the fourth, but a 9-0 run created some significant separation. Tufts did not score for the first five-and-a-half minutes of the fourth, which isn’t a stat you want in a Top 25 matchup. Side note: I’ve heard of small rotations but Scranton might have the smallest rotation I’ve seen this season, playing just eight in this one. That says a lot about the stamina of the starting five, four of whom played 30+ minutes. Just six of the Lady Royals’ 68 points came from the bench.
  • In non-Top 25 news, UW-Stout lost its second straight game, as WashU rebounded nicely after a one-sided loss to UW-Oshkosh on Thursday. That looked like a completely different WashU team and I really liked the defensive effort, which didn’t seem to be there in full force against Oshkosh. Stout shot just 25% from the field.
  • Loras didn’t need to do anything else to earn a Top 25 spot in this next poll. Their recent wins alone qualify them for a spot, possibly in the Top 20. We’ll see. But the Duhawks went above and beyond on Friday, completely dominating a UW-Stevens Point team that had wins over UW-Platteville, Millikin, Wheaton and Luther. Loras won 85-58 as Sami Martin put 17 points in the board. Loras has so many scorers, I’m not sure opponents know who to focus on. The Duhawks had five players score in double figures!
  • Concordia-Moorhead is officially on my Top 25 watch list. I would not be surprised to see them challenge Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC this year. After beating #6 Amherst in double overtime, the Cobbers pulled out a 40-point, 82-42 win over Salve Regina at the D3hoops.com Classic Friday afternoon. Salve Regina is not a great team, but entered the matchup 7-2. The Cobbers filled up the stat sheet, shot 43.3% on 30 three-point attempts, and scored 33 points off turnovers. The ball movement offensively was especially strong, and gave way to plenty of open three-point shots. Remember, this is a team that beat Gustavus Adolphus earlier in the year as well.

Okay, I’ve officially maxed out as much as I can write. And there were still some pretty notable games that I didn’t get a chance to mention, like Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ OT win over Illinois Wesleyan. That’s the sort of banner day it was for D3 women’s basketball yesterday. A remarkable set of games that I really can’t say enough about. Kudos to all the coaches who have approached these tough schedules head-on. As always, feel free to email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com. Or drop a comment below. I’ll be sure to respond. And while you’re at it, subscribe for free on Substack if you haven’t already! Enjoy your Saturday!

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: 5 big-time matchups to watch over the next 2 days

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December 29, 2022

By Riley Zayas, @ ZayasRiley

We are back! Hope you enjoyed the Top 25 breakdown and wow, are we in for some great basketball the next two days. I cannot wait, especially with so many afternoon duels being played across the country. Looking at the schedule, I thought I’d put together a list, in no particular order, of my Top 5 matchups, between today and tomorrow’s slates. I am aware that we might get a few more big-time games at various tournaments, but seeing as those games are not confirmed (the top two teams have to win today or tomorrow to advance to the championship game), I’ll save mention of those for a later post. For now, here are five good ones you will want to tune into.
1. #15 UW-Eau Claire @ #10 Trine, Thursday, 4 pm EST: This is a huge matchup for both teams as they aim to solidify their non-conference resumes, especially playing in deep conferences (WIAC and MIAA). UWEC can shoot the ball from just about anywhere on the floor, at 45.4 percent from the field this season. That’s a dangerous matchup for any defense, considering the guard play from the Blugolds is at a high-level, and they find ways to get open shots on the perimeter. But that’s exactly what Trine took away in its massive win at Hope a couple weeks ago, a game in which the Flying Dutch were just 29 percent from the field. I think this one comes down to perimeter shooting. In UWEC’s loss to Loras, the Blugolds struggled from beyond the arc, and shooting just above 50 percent from the free throw line didn’t help much either. If Trine’s guards stay aggressive and contest the Blugolds’ long-range shots, and Sidney Wagner scores at least 20 for the Thunder, Trine could pull out a victory. That said, I can see this one going the other way too.
2. #23 Calvin @ Loras, Thursday, 5 pm EST: Can Loras pull off another shocking upset? We shall see this afternoon. Loras already upset then-#14 UWEC a couple weeks ago and went down to Florida a couple days prior to Christmas, taking down #9 Babson by 19. I like the product that Loras is putting on the floor, and the Duhawks currently rank 28th nationally in field goal percentage (42.4%). But Calvin has some big wins of its own, notably the November upset of UW-Whitewater. The offense is highlighted by 6’3 center Gabby Timmer, though she is not the only scorer on the floor for the Knights. Sydney Clearly, a transfer from Central Michigan, has been exceptional as the primary ballhandler, with a team-best 39 assists. I’m interested to see how Loras opts to match up with Timmer in the post. I’d think that 6’1 forward Sami Martin might be the best one-on-one matchup against Timmer, but Loras will need some strong help defense, especially in the paint, if the Duhawks are to limit Timmer’s point production. She can take over a game by herself if the opponent does not react in due time.
3. Bowdoin @ #1 NYU, Friday, 3 pm EST: This is an interesting matchup, and those of us that were following the 2020 NCAA Tournament know that the last time these two teams met, Bowdoin won 86-67, only to have the world shut down about a week later. Now almost three years later, these two opponents matchup with NYU entering as the favorite. Both rosters have changed, but I’m not quite sure that the way this game plays out, in terms of style of play, will be all that different. Paint points are going to be key for both teams, and watching the film, so is the rebounding. Interestingly, NYU is 18th in the nation in rebounding margin, Bowdoin is 23rd; a sign that each side has been fairly good at creating second-chance opportunities on the offensive side, while taking away the opponent’s offensive rebounding chances on the defensive end. NYU likely has more depth in the post, but Jess Giorgio has been fantastic in the low post for Bowdoin this season. Another storyline that I’m watching here is how NYU decides to use Belle Pellecchia. She had an off game against Tufts (the last time NYU took the floor), going 0-for-7 from the field. Undoubtedly one of the country’s best guards, I wonder if NYU will try to get her some more touches in this one, and some better looks than she had in the Tufts game, especially from midrange. How will Bowdoin defend that? Will they take a one-on-one matchup? Their guards are quick enough to do so, but it’s also possible that NYU uses Pellecchia more to draw the defense away from the scorer, than to be the scorer. This is all purely my thought, but I always enjoy watching how teams matchup with an All-American player. I like NYU’s chances here, but don’t count Bowdoin out!
4. Trinity (CT) @ #13 Springfield, Friday, 5:30 pm EST: If Zac and Matt Snyder of the D3 Datacast were putting together an “upset watch” for the women’s slate this week, I’d have to think this one is near the top of the list. Plug this matchup into the Massey matchup tool and the predicted result is Springfield winning 60-56. That’s awfully close, especially for a matchup between a Top 15 team and an unranked one. But Trinity (CT) has a solid resume, and a good start to NESCAC play could see them ranked in the Top 25 by the end of January. Trinity’s Reilly Campbell is a tough player to defend on the offensive end, and actually ranks fifth in D-III in effective field goal percentage (63.9% courtesy of @D3SportsData). She is incredibly consistent and as a 6’2 center, is probably Trinity’s best weapon in the paint. She is a big reason why the Bantams nearly upset Smith last month. Springfield is on an eight-game win streak entering this one, though I think this might be their biggest test since falling to Amherst back on Nov. 11. Springfield needs to be effective on the boards in order to pull out a win on their home court, while Trinity has to find ways to score from the perimeter, rather than relying on paint points. Springfield’s strength starts with its post play in my opinion, especially on the defensive end.
UW-Stout vs WashU, Friday, 1 pm EST: This is not a Top 25 matchup, but is intriguing nonetheless. Stout is on a 10-game win streak, but has just three wins over teams above .500, which diminishes the “wow” factor to the win streak just a little bit. WashU is 6-3, preparing to enter a very deep UAA conference come January. An overtime win over Millikin somewhat put WashU on the map in the early part of the year, but they have lost their last two as they battle injuries and other factors. Hopefully we see a fully healthy WashU team back on the floor for this one. Honestly, the matchup between WashU and Oshkosh on Thursday is one you won’t want to miss either (that’s my way of making it a “6 games to watch article” without listing out six games). Depending on how WashU plays Oshkosh, we’ll have an idea of what to expect against Stout. Overall, I’m just looking forward to watching Stout go up against a quality opponent, and eager to see if the two-week break alllowed WashU to get back on track. They’ve dropped three of their last five entering this one. I anticipate a competitive game that comes down to the wire in Oshkosh.

Looking forward to being on press row for two games at Mary Hardin-Baylor today. The women play Piedmont at 3:30 CT in what should be a solid matchup. I was excited because UC Santa Cruz and ETBU were scheduled to play ahead of that one, but travel issues caused the UCSC vs. ETBU and UCSC vs. UMHB games to be pushed to early next week. Anyway, it’s always good to be at D3 hoops games in person. I’ll cover all the best action from today in tomorrow’s post, so stay tuned for that!

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: My Week 4 Top 25 ballot 2.0

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December 27, 2022

By Riley Zayas, @ZayasRiley

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and holidays in general! I’ve worked on this piece off and on over the last several days. We did not have a Top 25 ballot to submit (the next D3hoops.com Top 25 will come out on Jan. 3) this week, but for my own purposes, I put one together anyway, and ranked out to #30 (which is why I titled this article as “Week 4 Top 25 2.0”). Here are my thoughts on where we stand after a relatively light week of women’s D-III hoops, with a very strong slate upcoming in the latter part of this week.

  1. Trinity (TX): I watched both of Trinity’s games this past week, and thoroughly thought out who to put at #1, since I had NYU in the top spot a week ago. But looking at it further, Trinity’s resume was significantly increased by its wins over Puget Sound and Mary Hardin-Baylor. Those, in addition to a pair of wins over Hardin-Simmons, put Trinity ahead of NYU, whose most notable win is against Tufts. NYU has played two fewer games and does not have the strong non-conference schedule that Trinity had, leading me to put the Tigers #1 this week.
  2. NYU: That said, NYU is very much in the #1 conversation for me, Once UAA play kicks off, if the Violets perform the way I anticipate they will against the likes of Rochester, Emory, Chicago, and others, I could see NYU jumping back into the top spot. The Tufts win still sticks out to me, especially seeing it live. Sure, Maggie Russell wasn’t on the floor for Tufts, but I’d be hard pressed to think of another team that put together a second half run so quickly on a Top 25 opponent this season.
  3. Christopher Newport: Likewise, this seems to be the week for shifting things around, and I’m moving CNU from #5 to #3. Bill Broderick has his team dominating, per usual, through the first 11 games of the year. They looked really good in Puerto Rico, taking down Colorado College and Cortland by significant margins. And those are no two easy opponents, mind you. I could see the Captains taking down D-I Maryland Eastern Shore come Jan. 4, which according to my records, would be the first D3 WBB win over a D1 this season.
  4. Hope: Hope slides back two spots for no reason other than CNU deserving to move up. I don’t feel like the Trine loss is all that bad if Hope responds the way they did last year and find success the rest of the way. Good teams are going to lose to good teams, every now and again. It’s the way sports are. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t reward undefeated marks, but a loss to a fellow Top 10 team is not the worst thing that could happen. Hope is still building after losing Schooveld and Voskuil after last year, and once we hit late January/early February, I anticipate the Flying Dutch will be peaking at the righttime.
  5. Baldwin-Wallace: The Trine win gets better and better for BW’s resume, and just watching the Yellow Jackets play, it’s obvious they are a team working in sync. When that cohesiveness is visible at this point in the year, it typically seems to be a sign of a team destined for great success in the months of February and March.
  6. Transylvania: Transy slides back three spots as well. Doing more research, I was surprised to find out that it is likely the Pioneers will not face a single regionally ranked opponent this season, Not one. I don’t know if it’s the type of thing where opponents don’t want to schedule them, or if the cost of travel is too significant, but I’d expect someone, somewhere, with a decent record and likelihood to be regionally ranked would have been willing to get Transy to their “classic” or tournament in non-conference play. If it were Sul Ross State, I might say that geography is a likely issue. But Trnasy has plenty of good teams in the area. It’d be beneficial for them to have a better win by this point than John Carroll or UT-Dallas, who are above .500, but not in the national conversation right now. So that’s a long way of saying, with more data, having seen CNU, NYU, Trinity and Hope all play teams receiving votes this season, I have no choice but to put them ahead of a team who is undoubtedly talented, but has not played much noteworthy competition.
  7. Scranton: I like what Scranton has done so far under first year head coach Ben O’Brien. He is doing a fantastic job, and the Lady Royals are 10-0 at this point. They took down Wartburg handily on Monday, displaying high-quality defense as it was the first time since 2012 that Wartburg had been held to 37 points. They followed that with a win over Rhodes, a traditional power in the SAA, though this is appearing to be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Lynx. Still, two solid wins on the week keep Scranton firmly in the No. 7 spot in my ballot.
  8. Amherst: Amherst started the year by playing four games in November, but now hasn’t played since Dec. 10. They’ve gotten just seven games under their belt, and I’m interested to see how the Mammoths come out of the gate against Montclair State on Dec. 28. Typically teams coming off a long break either look really good (due to extra practice time/time to refresh and reset) or come out very flat. But Amherst has done enough for me to confidently keep them in the Top 10.
  9. Trine: Trine was behind UW-Eau Claire a week ago, but after watching the way the Thunder followed the huge Hope victory with wins over North Park and Wartburg in St. Petersburg, Florida, I’m convinced Trine belongs in the Top 10. The losses to Ohio Northern and Baldwin Wallace came over a month ago, and both of those teams are ranked as I write this. Plus, I feel it’s important to grade a win/loss in November differently than one in January/February. I’d guess not all agree with me on this, but isn’t that what we expect from teams, to have some kind of struggle early but improve over time? If a team is losing multiple games after months of practice and games, that can be cause for concern. But a couple losses when the team had only been conducting official practice for just over a month (or in the case of BW, not even that long), are something I can overlook to an extent, if, as Trine has done, the track record shows steady improvement since that point.
  10. UW-Eau Claire: We’ll see Trine and UWEC go head-to-head before 2022 is over. And I can’t wait. UWEC fell to a very good Loras team the last time we saw them on the court, and like Amherst, I’m interested to see how the Blugolds respond to the 19-day break they are in the midst of, before taking on Trine on Dec. 29. That game will be at Trine, and unlike Amherst, this is a big test right out of the gate. I really like what I’ve seen from UWEC and I imagine they will be ready to avenge that Loras loss on the court later this week.
  11. DeSales: DeSales, like Transylvania, has not be tested all that much, but the Bulldogs have done more than enough to stay high on my ballot. I continue to be impressed by the effort on the defensive end; six times this season they’ve held an opponent below 40 points.
  12. Smith: Smith slides back up for me, in large part because of the losses ahead of them. But wins at Bowdoin and Trinity (CT) are not easy to come by, so an 8-1 record with those two victories certainly seems to warrant a spot in the Top 15 in my opinion. I’m looking forward to the games against Springfield and Hamilton in early January. Those two contests will tell us plenty about where Smith is at entering NESCAC action.
  13. UW-Whitewater: It seems I continue to have Whitewater higher than the poll, and I would even say, higher than 90% of the other 24 voters (though I have no idea). Yes, I can see the three losses. And they do not help the Warhawks’ resume. But to win at UC Santa Cruz, just before Christmas, says a lot about Whitewater’s resilience, and that is not their only notable win. Victories over La Crosse, Millikin, and even Augustana are fairly strong for their resume.
  14. Chicago: As I wrote last week, it is a decision I’ve gone back and forth on, as to whether I should keep Whitewater ahead of Chicago, considering Chicago beat Whitewater on Dec. 14. My only challenge with Chicago is that the strength of schedule has not quite been there, as the Maroons have put together a 10-0 record. That’s ok. The UAA will given them plenty of results against regionally ranked opponents, which could likely jump them up into the Top 10 by the end of January. But for now, Whitewater remains one spot ahead.
  15. Puget Sound: The Loggers jump ahead in my ballot after what I considered to be a strong showing in San Antonio. They took down Mary Hardin-Baylor on a last-second shot Tuesday, then came back and nearly beat Trinity (TX), falling behind only in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. And even then, the margin was only six. They looked poised, and certainly have consistent scorers who have seemingly emerged over the course of the year. The NWC is theirs to lose in my opinion.
  16. Babson: Babson struggled majorly in the “Sunshine State”, falling by 19 to Loras, before edging Hanover by a single point the following day. I get it. It’s right before Christmas and you’re far from home, which can sometimes make the motivation tough to come by. I think Babson is certainly a Top 20 team and Loras had one of its best games of the year, on the wrong day for Babson. Still, because their SOS is not tremendously strong, the loss puts them from #9 to #16.
  17. Rochester: Rochester remains at #17 for me and I know there are mixed opinions as to where Rochester should be ranked, as the win over Ithaca does not seem to have as much significance to some voters at this point. Part of that is that Ithaca hasn’t played in a month, so the Bombers’ ranking has dropped fairly significantly. But Rochester is a force that is hard to stop with Katie Titus on the floor, and I’m excited to see how the Yellowjackets fair in a stacked UAA schedule to open 2023.
  18. Springfield: The NEWMAC will be an interesting conference with Babson and Springfield going head to head atop the standings. Springfield is 9-1, on a nine-game win streak, and will be tested for the first time since, in all honesty, Nov. 12 (against Rowan) on Friday, when the Pride plays Trinity (CT). Springfield needs a win there to stay in the Top 20.
  19. Gustavus Adolphus: St. Benedict has shot up in the Massey ratings to #26, making the Gusties’ 64-47 win on the road in November seem all the more impressive. Watching Gustavus Adolphus play, I’m really impressed by the overall ability to rebound, both by the guards and forwards. It really limits the opposition’s second-chance opportunities, which has come up key in a handful of very notable defensive efforts from the Gusties. I’m interested to see how they respond to the 20-day break, facing Luther on Dec. 30.
  20. Hardin-Simmons: HSU has taken care of business since the two losses just before Thanksgiving to Trinity. The Cowgirls are 6-0 in the ASC, with some very one-sided results. They play Bates and SUNY-Geneseo in Puerto Rico this coming week.
  21. Tufts: As I’ve said before, Tufts has a decent resume, and is 9-2, with losses to strong UAA teams (NYU & Emory), but I just haven’t seen the Jumbos put a super convincing performance on the floor yet. Much like Chicago, they’ll have plenty of opportunities in the coming months, entering into NESCAC play.
  22. UC Santa Cruz: UCSC nearly took down UW-Whitewater, but regardless of the loss it was the Banana Slugs’ first against a D-III opponent this season. In order to jump into the Pool C conversation, though, (in the case they would need a Pool C), a win at Mary Hardin-Baylor is key this coming Friday. By my estimate, they have five more opportunities to pick up regionally-ranked wins, and it starts against UMHB. Those RROs will be huge for a team like UCSC, who doesn’t have consistent conference games to boost its strength of schedule and RRO opportunities.
  23. Mary Hardin-Baylor: The Crusaders really struggled in San Antonio, dropping games to both Trinity and Puget Sound. They went down by 20 in the first quarter of Monday’s game against Trinity, and it somewhat set the tone for the next 48 hours, though they stayed in the fight in both games, nearly taking the lead against Trinity in fact, in that one. This is a very young team, with a number of players who have never played together. Once UMHB finds a collective rhythm, the Cru could certainly make a run. The Pool C situation (by which UMHB qualified for the tournament last year) is unclear. They need a win over UCSC just as badly as UCSC needs a win over them.
  24. Ohio Northern: ONU is a team that I considered voting for in the last ballot, but ended up opting for Gustavus Adolphus and Calvin. ONU has proven itself and was a team I voted for early on in the year, a couple weeks after the Polar Bears upset Trine. That Trine win, since it was on the road, remains incredibly impressive, but beyond that, wins over Washington & Jefferson and Marietta are great for their resume. Head Coach Michelle Durand has her team in prime position in the OAC.
  25. Loras: Beating Babson on a neutral court pushes Loras into my Top 25, because the Duhawks also beat UW-Eau Claire (if I remember right, UWEC was #9 at the time as well!) on Dec. 10. Those are two outstanding wins. Now comes a showdown with Calvin on Thursday evening that should be very competitive. I like Loras’ chances to win the ARC. This is a team we’ll be seeing in March.
  26. Calvin: With a matchup against Loras looming, Calvin needs a win in Iowa to jump back into my Top 25. I really like the team that head coach Mark Christner has. Remember, this is a squad that beat Whitewater not long ago, when the Warhawks were a Top 10 team. That said, it seems fairly certain that Calvin will need a Pool C bid to get into the NCAA Tournament, as will one other team from the MIAA. So regionally-ranked wins will be super important, and beating Loras would be a good addition to a resume that already has one or two RROs at this point.
  27. UW-Stout: Stout has 10 straight wins after losing the season opener to Gust. Adolphus. We’ll see the Blue Devils tested in a big way come January, when the WIAC schedule opens with River Falls. Platteville, La Crosse and Whitewater. Wow.
  28. Ithaca: Ithaca hasn’t played in quite some time, so I have no idea what kind of team we’ll get when they step onto the floor against Hamilton on Jan. 2.
  29. Bowdoin: I’m looking forward to watching Bowdoin battle NYU on Friday in what should be a good matchup. Their best win right now is probably either Bates or Framingham State.
  30. Hamilton: Wins over St. John Fisher and Rochester highlight the resume, and Hamilton could be a real dark horse contender in the NESCAC this season. They play Ithaca on Jan. 2 in a high-quality non-conference contest; their last before conference action tips off.

More than likely, my next post will come on Thursday, but we will see. Stay tuned for that, and enjoy this final week of 2022. What a year it has been! As always, leave your questions, thoughts, feedback, and comments below. Keep supporting D3 women’s basketball, and if you’re a fan reading this, get out to a game if you can this week or next. We’re less than three months away from the Final Four (but not the national championship, which will be on April 2), which is hard to believe. This is the time of year when college hoops really ramps up.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Loras pulls off the upset, Top 25 showdowns go down to the wire

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December 21, 2022

Welcome back! Pretty exciting day in D3 women’s hoops yesterday, with games from mid-morning until late in the evening. And there were several that you couldn’t help but be on the edge of your seat as you watched the final quarter unfold. Here are a few of my thoughts from watching yesterday’s action, along with a big-time game to be looking ahead to today…

  • All these holiday tournaments make for some very early tip-off times, such as TCNJ’s battle in Puerto Rico with Susquehanna yesterday morning that began at 9 a.m. here in the central time zone. It was a nice win for TCNJ, who I think could be a viable contender in the NJAC, especially with NJ City struggling quite a bit at this point.
  • A game that I thought might have had the chance to turn out close between Loras and #9 Babson turned out to be nothing of the sort. Instead, Loras ran away with it, taking down a previously undefeated Babson team, 73-52. Loras has been on my watch list for a couple weeks now, and if you remember, this is not the first time the DuHawks have come up with a big win. They also took down UW-Eau Claire two weeks ago, which remains UWEC’s only loss of the season. Loras seems to have the right mix of guards and forwards who each contribute on both ends of the floor. Both Sami Martin and Silvana Scarsella had 20+ points in yesterday’s win. With that win, I’d think Loras has to enter the Top 25 conversation.
  • The first matchup involving two Top 25 teams came in #20 Puget Sound’s 59-58 win over #16 Mary Hardin-Baylor. Played on a neutral court, this had the feel of an NCAA Tournament game, and was back-and-forth in nature the whole way. UMHB led 59-58 with under 20 seconds to go, but PS inbounded the ball, dribbled around, and eventually found Grace Pytynia-Hillier, who drove to the free-throw line, and put up the game-winning shot with a tenth of a second left on the clock. Her shot won the game for PS, while UMHB lost its second straight. Regardless of the outcome in today’s game for PS against Trinity, this was a big-time resume-building win for the NWC title favorite.
  • The second matchup came on the west coast, as #18 UC Santa Cruz hosted #21 UW-Whitewater. There was a lot on the line for both teams, as I mentioned in yesterday’s write-up, and both teams played like it, with Whitewater pulling out a 61-60 victory. I thought a few too many fouls were called on plays that were borderline questionable, but hey, what do I know? Whitewater erased a two-point deficit and took a two-point lead in the span of less than 30 seconds, as Yssa Sto. Domingo came up with all four points. UCSC did a good job on the offensive end to get back into it after falling behind early, and shot 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the game. But down the stretch, with All-American Kaylee Murphy having fouled out for UCSC, Whitewater found a way to score at the right times.
  • Wartburg bounced back from a really rough showing against Scranton Monday and battled #10 Trine extremely well in Florida. But Trine emerged with a 60-56 win, keeping its win streak, now at six games, alive. Defining stat in this one was the rebounding totals: Trine outrebounded Wartburg 44-29, which is a huge margin for a four-point game. A few more offensive boards, and Wartburg could’ve been in a different position. What I will say though is that Wartburg gave up 13 offensive rebounds, but Trine scored just six points on those. Not a bad defensive showing. Still trying to figure out where Trine stacks up with the Top 15 or so in the nation.
  • Cortland beat Dickinson in what could actually be a win over a regionally-ranked opponent for Cortland, depending on how things shake out once regional rankings are released in February. Dickinson is a solid team, 4-1 right now in the Centennial Conference, but Cortland is also playing very well, at 9-2. The 63-54 win saw Cortland shoot 47% from 3-point range, and they held off an 18-9 run from Dickinson to close the game. Cortland is certainly in the national conversation, with its only losses coming to Ithaca and CNU, along with notable wins over Hamilton and SUNY Geneseo.
  • Key game today: #20 Puget Sound at #3 Trinity, 4 pm EST: This is a big one, and undoubtedly a result we will still be talking about come Selection Monday in March. PS has momentum after beating UMHB less than 24 hours ago on that game-winner, while Trinity has had a day to prepare and rest, not to mention playing on its home court. Both teams run a full-court press, so this will either be a game in which multiple players go for 20+ points, or a game where we see both sides turn the ball over about 20 times. It’s really a 50-50, and I think whoever executes better defensively comes out with the win. Massey matchup tool has Trinity winning 72-70…you don’t want to miss this one! Brian Yancelson has the call (and does a great job) on Trinity’s Tiger Network: https://www.youtube.com/@trinityuniversity/streams

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: My Week 5 Top 25 ballot…with context

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It’s that time of the week! The new Top 25 poll is set to drop sometime this evening, and though several teams were not in action at all over the last seven days, I do expect some slight changes as voters shuffle their ballot around. Though I don’t anticipate many new teams, if any, we should see the order of teams changed from last week’s poll after a handful of notable results, particularly Trine’s win at Hope and Chicago’s win at Whitewater. As I do every week, for the sake of transparency, and for fun, I have broken down my ballot. So here we go…

  1. NYU: Hope’s home loss to Trine on Saturday wasn’t terrible at all, but it was enough for me to move undefeated NYU into the #1 spot. NYU has played a relatively weak schedule thus far, though the Violets looked really good in their win over Tufts on the road, which gives me confidence in them moving into UAA play. 
  2. Hope: While the loss to Trine is disappointing, let us not forget that Hope still has wins over UW-Eau Claire and Calvin. Wins over IWU and Wisconsin Lutheran were notable early on, but with neither of those teams looking very sharp at this point, the strength of those wins diminishes a bit. 
  3. Transylvania: Transylvania stays #3 in my ballot and took care of business on the road at John Carroll on Saturday. We still haven’t seen the Pioneers truly tested in my opinion, and probably won’t until we reach NCAA Tournament time. 
  4. Trinity (TX): The Tigers have a showdown with #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor tonight in San Antonio in a game that will have concluded before this poll is released. But the game will be played after our voting deadline, so that result will factor into next week’s poll. Regardless, Trinity has looked strong throughout this entire year, and has two notable wins over Hardin-Simmons, one of which came on the road. I don’t see anyone, except maybe Schreiner, challenging Trinity all that much in SCAC play. 
  5. Christopher Newport: CNU dominated against Colorado College in Puerto Rico on Sunday, forcing 30 turnovers. CNU looks sharp once again this year, and with UCSC playing great basketball, and Mary Washington also in the mix, the C2C Tournament should be fairly exciting later this year. CNU hasn’t wavered yet, though we will see how the Captains fare against Cortland today on a neutral court. 
  6. Baldwin-Wallace: The 2OT win over Trine is looking especially good now that Trine beat Hope, and that win, along with victories over Wilmington and at Marietta, boost BW’s resume. The Yellow Jackets stay at No. 6 for me. 
  7. Scranton: Scranton’s win over Ithaca seems to be the one that really jumps out, though we’ll see them play Wartburg later today. Again, a lot of key games will be played late today, so we may see some movement come next week as a result of the results from today and tomorrow. Overall, Scranton has looked sharp to me, despite playing a relatively weak non-conference schedule. 
  8. Amherst: The Top 10 didn’t change much for me, as there were few results to go on. Amherst is looking true to its typical form, playing suffocating defense and relying on that to win games. So far, it’s led to a 7-0 record, though the SOS is lacking. Amherst holds just one notable win over Springfield, and that came by four points back on Nov, 15. 
  9. Babson: Babson gets a really nice test against an underrated Loras team tomorrow in Florida, but didn’t play at all this past week. Still, Babson stays at #9 for me this week, still undefeated, with a 7-0 record. 
  10. UW-Eau Claire: I brought UWEC back to No. 10 as I evaluated them further. The SOS number of the Blugolds of UWEC is a lot better (#8 in Massey SOS) compared to a lot of other Top 15 teams. Now, two losses are on their resume, but those were against Hope and Loras, both on the road. Not to mention wins over Wartburg, River Falls and La Crosse, all Top 40 Massey teams (Wartburg and La Crosse are both Top 20). I’ve seen enough to convince me that UWEC is still the WIAC’s best team right now. 
  11. Trine: Taking down #1 on its home court is huge. And that win for the Thunder will be well-rewarded in this poll. I moved them from #18 to #11, and if they continue playing to the level that they did Saturday, they’ll crack the Top 10 soon enough for me. Why aren’t they Top 10 right now? As I mentioned above, I look at this ballot more from a “total body of work” standpoint than a week-to-week standpoint, if that makes sense. Trine’s win over Hope is super impressive, considering I’ve had Hope at #1 this entire year. But, you can’t forget about the losses to Baldwin-Wallace and Ohio Northern, neither of which are bad losses at all, but in my opinion, are worse losses than UWEC’s. Again, this is one voter’s approach, so I have no problem if you don’t agree with my opinion on this. You could make a case for either UWEC or Trine at #10. 
  12. Springfield: At 9-1, Springfield’s only loss remains to Amherst. The Pride took down a solid Albertus Magnus team by 14 this past week, and I like the direction they are headed. Key matchup to look ahead to will be the Dec. 30 duel with Trinity (CT). Very excited for that one. 
  13. DeSales: Still undefeated, but with only one win on a Massey Top 50 team, DeSales is a program I’m paying close attention to. They looked sharp against Messiah back on Nov. 28, but I don’t know when we’ll see them really tested again. I’m a big believer in rewarding strong SOS as compared to just the W/L record, so putting DeSales 13 makes me somewhat uneasy. Time will tell. 
  14. Smith: Smith has the loss to Framingham State, but wins over Trinity (CT) and Bowdoin that look really good on their resume. I slid them up on spot from last week in my ballot, though I figure they’ll likely be ranked a couple spots higher. 
  15. UW-Whitewater: I went back and forth on putting Whitewater ahead of Chicago or not because Whitewater and Chicago have such similar resumes, though Chicago beat UWW on Wednesday behind a fourth quarter comeback. I tend to avoid placing too much emphasis on the head-to-head wins, because I feel you get a better perspective of a team by looking at their complete resume, rather than just one or two games when they really found a rhythm. Still, it helps a lot in these kinds of situations. Chicago’s best wins have come over Carroll (#42), Wheaton (#50), Whitewater (#11), and Wisconsin Lutheran (#86). Whitewater’s best wins are over Millikin (#21), IL Wesleyan (#30), UW-La Crosse (#16), and Augustana (#51). I don’t think the margin between the two is that large, but for now, Whitewater’s best wins more than make up for the two losses in my opinion. 
  16. Chicago: Reference my thoughts above…
  17. Mary Hardin-Baylor: As some of you know, I run the website True To The Cru, covering UMHB athletics, so I’m essentially a beat writer for Crusader sports, and have had several opportunities to see this team in action. I really think they are a Top 15 team, but felt Chicago deserved to move up which bumped UMHB down. However, a good showing in San Antonio tonight and tomorrow, and UMHB might just leap four or five spots up in my ballot since Trinity and Puget Sound are both Top 20 teams. For now, though, SOS-wise, and all things considering with the other teams in my ballot, UMHB is #17. 
  18. Rochester: With Chicago moving up, Rochester, like UMHB, slides back a little bit. I am excited for UAA play to begin, because I think we will have more clarity on both Rochester and Emory by that point. Rochester has some solid wins, having beat Messiah, St. John Fisher, and Ithaca, which gives me a lot of confidence as to how they will perform in a very deep UAA this season. They’re a clear Top 20 team for me.
  19. Puget Sound: The only blemish to Puget Sound’s record is a home loss to Wheaton, who is proving to be a very good team, and the more I watch them play, the more I am convinced PS can win in the NCAA Tournament. They lack strong defense, but can score in bunches and beat Coast Guard by 20 in their lone game of this past week. 
  20. UC Santa Cruz: UCSC moves up three spots in my ballot after shooting the ball very well against Cal Lutheran yesterday in a 75-54 win. The Banana Slugs are set to battle UW-Whitewater tomorrow in what will be a pivotal matchup for us as voters. For now, UCSC is No. 20, but a win tomorrow will put them much higher in my ballot. 
  21. Tufts: Let me make this clear: sliding Tufts down this far won’t be something every voter is doing. Tufts is certainly a quality team. But here’s what concerns me. When Maggie Russell is not on the floor, Tufts tends to struggle in a big way. But from a resume standpoint, I just don’t know. They’ve beaten three Massey Top 100 teams, but zero Top 50 teams, and didn’t look good against Emory or NYU. 
  22. Ithaca: Not much of an update on Ithaca. They don’t play again until January 2. Slightly concerning as that is a long break from their most recent game on Dec. 7. For now, Ithaca stays in my Top 25. We’ll see what the new year brings. 
  23. Hardin-Simmons: HSU drops a little bit in my poll, but not a lot, as the Cowgirls have rolled through their American Southwest Conference schedule. They’ll play Bates on Dec. 29 in Puerto Rico which should be a good resume boost and as I’ve said before, the consecutive losses to Trinity (TX) don’t look great, but I applaud Coach Kendra Whitehead for scheduling that. Her team is certainly better because of it and with PG Paris Kiser back on the floor, HSU is looking sharp. 
  24. Gustavus Adolphus: The Gusties have risen to #6 in Massey’s Ratings, but did not make last week’s Top 25. I’m keeping them at #24, and while Simpson’s continued fall hurts the SOS number a bit, wins over Augsburg, UW-Stout, and St. Benedict look really good right now. I honestly don’t know who in the MIAC will contend with Gustavus Adolphus this season. They’re playing great basketball right now. 
  25. Calvin: Calvin stays in my ballot at #25, though this was a tough one since Millikin, Bowdoin, and even UW-La Crosse are all knocking on the door. But considering Calvin’s two losses are to Hope and Trine, and the Knights have wins over Whitewater and Wisconsin Lutheran (though the latter result isn’t as good now as it was a month ago), there is reason enough for me to say Calvin most certainly deserves a spot in my ballot. 

So there you have it. Some great basketball has been played so far, with a handful of upsets already. And the day is far from over, with a solid slate tonight. Plus, stay tuned for the release of the new Top 25 on D3hoops.com. As always, send your thoughts/comments/questions in, either by commenting below or emailing me at rileyzayas@gmail.com.