Author Archives: rzayas

post

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: NESCAC tips off+ A few “upset watch” games on the Saturday slate

Posted on by

January 7, 2023

By Riley Zayas

The NESCAC always delivers. Conference play opened for one of the nation’s best leagues on Friday night, and though Trinity, Bowdoin, and Tufts all won by double-digit margins, the battle between #15 Amherst and Williams certainly was the sort of #NESCACtion we are used to.

  • Amherst survived, but only narrowly, winning 60-57, after having dropped two of their previous three. Honestly, Williams was very impressive in my opinion, and led 31-30 at the half. Credit Amherst for an improved second-half defensive effort, because in the first two quarters, Williams kept finding open shots, particularly from beyond the arc and near the baselines. Neither head coach went to the bench much at all. In fact, AnLing Vera and Kori Barach played a full 40 minutes for Amherst, and Devin Biesbrock was in for all 40 for Williams. Amherst played just six, Williams, seven. In many ways, it was like a chess match back and forth, with Williams head coach Pat Manning and Amherst’s J.P. Gromacki both known as exceptional strategists. To me, the pivotal point came with under 30 seconds left, as Williams had the ball, trailing by two, but turned it over. Amherst made its free throws, going up by four, and though Williams hit a three and actually had a chance to tie it with five seconds left, it felt like the momentum Amherst gained off of that turnover was enough for the Mammoths to pull it out. Still, I was super impressed by what I saw from Williams.
  • The other notable NESCAC duel (and really the only other nationally-relevant score that wasn’t a one-sided result) was Middlebury’s 64-56 win over Hamilton. Those of you who have read me throughout this year know that I really like the product Hamilton has been putting on the floor, especially with a young group. I think they have a chance to make some noise after watching how closely they played Baldwin-Wallac, Ithaca, Rochester, just to name a few. But Middlebury proved to be the better team last night, shooting 41% compared to Hamilton’s 28%. The fact that Hamilton was 19-of-66 from the field and 2-of-18 from beyond the arc, and still was in contention in the game’s final minutes is crazy. Typically, especially after trailing by 18 at the half, a team will not get much closer. But with 3:36 left, it was a five-point game, a testament to Hamilton’s resilience. That said, Middlebury’s first half was nothing short of remarkable, as the Panthers were successful in virtually every facet of the contest. Solid, consistent, halfcourt defense can take you a long way.

Those were couple of games that caught my eye But the slate I woke up this morning thinking about was the one set for today. As of yesterday, Scott Peterson (check out his analytical work on D3 WBB here) had 24 games for today where the average Massey rating of the opponent was less than 80. Here are a few how of my thoughts on those highly-anticipated showdowns…

  • There are several contenders for the “Game of the Day”, but I really want to see how the matchup between #25 Bowdoin and #22 Trinity (CT) turns out. At this point, these might be the two best teams in the NESCAC. Trinity is so good at getting the ball into Reilly Campbell and others in the post, which has led to a league-leading field goal percentage of 44.5%. Bowdoin isn’t far behind at 40.8%. Where Bowdoin really hurt Springfield, in my opinion, was when shots started falling from beyond the arc. Bowdoin shoots a conference-best 33.6% from three-point range, and they will need to take advantage of that to win on the road today. Also notable, these are two top rebounding teams in the league, so the battle on the boards will be one you’ll want to be paying attention to. 3 pm EST tip…watch here:
  • Once the final buzzer sounds in Connecticut, you will have a few minutes before the final “big game” of the night starts in Wisconsin. #17 UW-Whitewater travels to #9 UW-Eau Claire in a highly-anticipated WIAC battle. The WIAC is so deep that it would be an exaggeration to say this is the conference regular season title on the line, but…it will still play a role in who gets ranked ahead of who in the regional rankings, and for Whitewater, a team with a few more losses on its resume than UWEC, winning here would be huge. Right now, UWEC has the best offense in the WIAC to go along with the No. 8 defense in a conference of eight teams. Whitewater hasn’t been great defensively either, but has converted shots at a consistent rate. I’d like to see a better performance from the Warhawks than what we saw against UWSP on Wednesday, and it is going to take a top-level defensive performance to slow Jessie Ruden and this Blugold offense. The game will probably hinge on that matchup.
  • UAA play begins today, and two great matchups are in the schedule. Both would be games in which I can see a clear favorite, but would not rule an upset out of the question to any degree. #10 Chicago visits WashU and #12 Rochester goes to Emory. Regardless of how good you are, as we saw on Wednesday of this week, winning conference games on the road is tough. Earlier this week, there were seven Massey teams who entered their games ahead of the opponent by at least 100 spots in Massey ratings, but ended up winning by only seven points or less. All were playing on the road. For Emory and Rochester, Claire Brock cannot carry the weight of having to “be” Emory’s offense. By this point, teams are keying in on her, and it’s good to see some other shooters stepping up around her. The Eagles will have to stop Katie Titus in the paint, which is not an easy task. I see a high-scoring duel playing out in Atlanta. Chicago will not have it easy either, because of the way WashU matches up with teams in the post. Maya Arnott and Nailah McBeth are forces for the Bears on both ends of the floor, which may mean Chicago shoots more threes in this game than its average. I see at least one of these being decided by single digits.
  • And speaking of going on the road, after the way Williams played Amherst so closely last night, I’ll be interested to see how the Mammoths fair against a talented Middlebury team on the road for the second straight day. As I mentioned, Middlebury played Babson tough last week and beat a talented Hamilton team last night. An upset is not out of the question here either, especially if Alexa Mustafaj can parlay here 21-point performance into another strong showing this afternoon.
  • If you’re looking for more of an under-the-radar matchup, tune into the battle of the Concordias in NACC action. Concordia (WI) visits Concordia-Chicago in what could be a pretty interesting duel. Concordia-Chicago, led by Kate Benes (25.5 PPG) is 6-0 in league play, and Concordia (WI), a longtime power in the conference, is 4-2. Still, don’t count Concordia (WI) out here. The first meeting between these two was won by Chicago, 67-63. And Benes is on track to be an All-America selection, which is reason enough to watch for a least a few minutes, with a 5:15 p.m. EST tip. She shoots the ball so well and is versatile as a guard; it’s incredible to watch.

I’m going to stop there, but be sure to head over to D3hoops.com’s scoreboard for all the latest updates. Follow me on Twitter as well (@ZayasRiley). I’ll do my best to tweet score updates and notables as the day progresses. And of course, I’ll recap my thoughts on today in a post tomorrow so come back for that! Have a great day! God Bless.

post

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Luther upsets Loras, Bowdoin wins big at Springfield in thrilling day of action

Posted on by

On New Year’s Eve, I said that the Dec. 30 slate may have been the best we would see until March. As we go along, I’m starting to think that statement was a little presumptive! Because just last night, there were quite a few contests that went down to the wire involving nationally-ranked teams, and it won’t be the last time we have a day like that with conference action just getting started. So here’s a few of my thoughts as I went back and reflected on some of the more notable results in last night’s schedule…

  • The first big upset came in a game that I was already going to be paying close attention to as #19 Loras traveled to Luther in ARC play. Luther was 8-3, but after beating UW-Eau Claire, Babson, Calvin, and UW-Stevens Point, Loras was certainly the favorite. Credit to Luther, the Norse came to play, and performed exceptionally well on their home floor, shooting 49 percent from the field and outrebounding the Duhawks by a whopping margin of +21 (47-28) in a 68-62 win. Luther’s big run came in the form of a 7-2 run that opened the fourth quarter and gave the Norse a 9-point lead. Three-point attempts wouldn’t fall for Loras late, and Megan Miller stepped up with some key shots in the final minutes that helped Luther hold onto the lead, even after Loras cut the deficit back down to two.
  • I’d had Gustavus Adolphus in my Top 20 for the last two weeks, and in my Top 25 for the last three. But that will be changing, because Bethel (MN) is playing awfully good basketball right now (6-1 in the MIAC!) and took down the Gusties, 70-66, Wednesday night. That came on the heels of a three-point loss to UW-Whitewater on Dec. 30 and Bethel held nothing back, despite trailing 37-30 at halftime. I was very impressed by the second-half defensive effort from the Royals, who completely locked down on that end of the floor over the final two quarters. That gave way to scoring opportunities, holding the Gusties at bay as Bethel took the lead for the final time with 51 seconds left. Sophomore guard Courtney Nuest is a name you need to remember: averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and had 20 points last night, including some very critical free throws at the end.
  • UW-Stevens Point nearly shocked #17 UW-Whitewater at Whitewater but was a play or two short in the end, as the Warhawks won 55-52. Still, it was very impressive to see UWSP hanging in on the road, and I’m not sure if this is more indicative of where Whitewater is right now or where UWSP is. UWSP actually shot better than the Warhawks (37% FG compared to 32.7% FG), but Whitewater had eight more offensive rebounds leading to 19 second-chance points compared to just six for the Pointers. And though Whitewater got just one more free throw opportunity, the Warhawks converted on four more at the line than UWSP. It was hands-down the best game of the night in the WIAC.
  • That said, #9 UW-Eau Claire was challenged on the road by UW-Oshkosh, and trailed 28-25 at the half. But the Blugolds came out of the locker room and outscored UWO 18-12 in the third quarter, and took back the lead. UWEC shot very well once again (40.7% FG), and Jessie Ruden (19 pts, 36 min) and Tyra Boettcher (17 pts, 38 min) led that offensive charge. I continue to be really impressed by the way the Blugolds execute on the offensive end.
  • Didn’t get a chance to watch this game, but #7 Baldwin Wallace was challenged on the road by Mount Union, and barely pulled out an overtime victory, 75-73. MU actually held a three-point lead with five seconds left by Caely Ressler connected on a three as the clock wound down, tying the game and sending it into OT. Ressler came up with some big free throws in OT, shot 6-of-10 from the field, and had 23 points in 34 minutes. She is averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds pr game.
  • #25 Bowdoin looked really sharp at #18 Springfield in a midday Top 25 duel yesterday. Springfield is very close to falling out of my Top 25, and Bowdoin is going to be included in my next ballot. They kept the momentum drawn from playing NYU so closely a week ago, and essentially never trailed. A road win of this caliber is huge for Bowdoin’s resume and standing within the national conversation, and a key factor that may go unnoticed for most was that Sydney Jones and Jess Giorgio did not dominate in the way they had in previous notable matchups. Instead it was a very balanced scoring effort, led by Sela Kay’s 13 points. Springfield’s biggest problem was it’s turnovers; the Pride turned the ball over 22 times leading to 25 points for Bowdoin.
  • Rounding out my thoughts on last night’s action, #20 Ohio Northern was taken into double overtime against Otterbein, escaping with a 75-70 win. I’m thinking the OAC may be following along the lines of the WIAC in terms of incredible parity throughout the league. Otterbein did a nice job of moving the ball around the perimeter, but just could not keep ONU out of the paint.

If I had one big takeaway, it is that playing on the road in conference play is extremely difficult, no matter who you are. Baldwin Wallace, ONU, UW-Eau Claire, Gustavus Adolphus, and Loras all found that out, some coming out with wins, others taking disappointing losses. But the fact that we’re even seeing unranked teams regularly beating ranked teams is a good sign for D-III women’s hoops. There’s more good teams now than ever before, so it’s a great time to be following this division. Only one Top 25 team is in action tonight, with #24 UMHB battling Ozarks on the road. We’ll see the NESCAC tip off on Friday, which is always fun. Until tomorrow, have a great day and keep supporting D3 WBB!

post

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

Posted on by

January 4, 2023

By Riley Zayas

Publishing this on this Wednesday morning, as we turned in our ballots yesterday afternoon, but here is my Top 25 ballot for D3hoops.com as I accounted for all the results over the past week (and there were a lot of them!). I ranked out to #30, and will have thoughts on the new Top 25 soon. Hope the new year is treating you well!

  1. Trinity (TX): The Tigers are 13-0 having picked up a solid SCAC win over Colorado College on Monday afternoon, aided by 19 points off the bench from Maggie Shipley. Shipley’s presence, following an injury that kept her out for nearly a month, will help the Tigers tremendously through conference play. Interestingly, the Tigers are seventh in Massey ratings, but having watched them play multiple times, this is a team on a national title quest. They are experienced, deep, and have plenty of shooters, which spreads the opposing defense out, creating three-point shots on a number of possessions.
  2. NYU: That said, NYU is a very close second. And with a strong back half of the regular season schedule, including a matchup at Chicago on Jan. 13, the Violets will have plenty of chances to improve an already strong resume over the next two months. Bowdoin gave NYU all it could handle this past Friday, but credit to NYU for pulling it out late. The 78-75 win was in part due to an impressive 49.2% mark from the field.
  3. Christopher Newport: The Captains are playing phenomenal basketball, and amongst the nation’s best this year, I feel the margin is extremely thin. CNU looked good in both games in Puerto Rico before Christmas against Cortland and Colorado College, and returned to the States with a 33-point win over Rowan. Washington & Lee (8-3 overall) is CNU’s next big test, in a game set for Jan. 8.
  4. Hope: I value Carnegie Mellon as a fairly competitive opponent on the national scale, and the way Hope played in an 85-66 win over CMU on Dec. 29 was pretty impressive. The Flying Dutch got to the free throw line and forced turnovers, along with hitting 12 three-pointers (41.4% from beyond the arc), which seemed to be the keys in that victory. For a program like Hope, the loss to Trine back on Dec. 19 could be the spark that propels them to another Final Four. We saw it happen a year ago…
  5. Transylvania: Transylvania is 12-0, rolling through its schedule, and added wins over Wisconsin Lutheran and Berea at home on the final weekend of 2022. Both were quality opponents, but the experience and defense of the Pioneers continues to reign supreme. It has been a major element in their victories this season, as they have allowed above 50 points just twice, which is incredibly impressive.
  6. Baldwin Wallace: BW was challenged by a good Hamilton team at home, and actually entered the fourth quarter trailing by a point. The Yellow Jackets remain undefeated and have the big win over Trine, which has boosted their resume in a big way. The victory over Marietta back on Dec. 10 also helps. Late-game execution is certainly a strength of this team. Watching the overtime against Trine and seeing how they handled the fourth quarter against Hamilton were really indicative of the sort of poise and ability to perform under pressure that will serve BW well come tournament time.
  7. Scranton:12-0 this season, I was really interested to see how Scranton would handle its matchup against Tufts on Dec. 30, quite possibly their biggest test since battling Ithaca on Nov. 29. Coming away with a 68-59 win solidifies the Lady Royals’ spot at #7, which is where I had them in my Week 4 2.0 Top 25 a week ago. They’ll get another great matchup at Catholic, who is 10-2, this Saturday.
  8. UW-Eau Claire: Similar to Scranton, UWEC had a huge test over the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s, traveling to Trine for a Top 15 contest. The Blugolds came away with a 75-68 victory, overcoming an eight-point deficit at the end of the first quarter to take a 36-29 lead at the half. Their performance in the second and third quarters were the reason they came away with the win, and the experience on this roster continues to give UWEC an advantage. Led by Jessie Ruden, there are five seniors on the roster. UWEC also beat DePauw by 14 a day after taking down Trine.
  9. DeSales: DeSales also broke into my Top 10 with a 12-0 record, and held the distinction for the largest margin of victory over this past week, defeating CCNY 82-18. A 70-53 win over a solid St. Joe’s (CT) team improves their resume in my opinion. I still worry about the lack of quality opponents, but the Bulldogs are due to travel to Stevens on Jan. 18 in what will probably decide the top spot in the MACF.
  10. Smith: Though I was initially weary of voting Smith high (and to some extent I still am) the win over Trinity (CT) is looking better and better, since it was on the road, and Trinity took down another Top 25 opponent in Springfield this past week. Before that win, Smith beat Bowdoin 59-54, who nearly took down NYU on the road a week ago. The Pioneers do not lack quality opponents, and should do very well on the regional rankings because of that. At 10-1, they’ll get another test in Saturday’s game against Springfield (10-2 overall), and will also face Hamilton, Tufts, and Babson before the regular season is over.
  11. UW-Whitewater: Whitewater has slid up due to some losses ahead of them, but the Warhawks also beat UC Santa Cruz on the road, which I consider to be a high-quality victory, especially having come just before Christmas. A 17-point win over a Bethel team that is 5-1 in the MIAC on Dec. 30 only adds to an extremely strong resume for the defending WIAC champions. I’ll be very interested to see how Saturday’s duel with UW-Eau Claire goes (on a side note…I’m mentioning Saturday a lot…might want to clear out some time in your day for D3 hoops…the slate will be stacked!).
  12. Chicago: Ah, yes. The great challenge of Whitewater and Chicago. They look pretty similar when you dive into the numbers, and have similar resumes. I still feel like Whitewater is the better team out of these two, but the results do not lie. I venture to guess this is the final week (for now) I’ll have to decide between putting Whitewater ahead of Chicago or vice versa. Chicago plays WashU in a key UAA matchup on Saturday. WashU has been unpredictable as of late. Chicago is looking to move to 12-0 in that contest.
  13. Trine: Losing to UWEC drops Trine back from #9 to #13, and it was a respectable loss, but still a loss. Honestly, I feel like Whitewater, Chicago, and Trine are very close right now. Any order would certainly be explainable at this point. Trine is strong, and actually outrebounded UWEC by 10 in the game last week. The Thunder really rely on the post play, and do it well.
  14. Amherst: Amherst was #6 entering the week for me, but a pair of losses on the West Coast drops the Mammoths back by eight spots in my ballot. That said, Chapman and Concordia-Moorhead are both good teams, and playing unique styles coming off a holiday break is not easy, so I did not think dropping Amherst below the Top 15 was warranted. We will see how NESCAC play progresses for the Mammoths, who will need to rebound well to stay in the Pool C conversation.
  15. Rochester: Admittedly, Rochester might be too high on my ballot, but there have been times when this squad has shown plenty of potential for a deep tournament run. Katie Titus is certainly in the All-American conversation by this point, averaging 20.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. No new results for Rochester in this voting period, as the Yellowjackets haven’t played since Dec. 13.
  16. Puget Sound: As I said last week, going to San Antonio and taking down Mary Hardin-Baylor before giving Trinity (TX) a really strong run rises Puget Sound’s stock in my ballot. This is a team that runs a full-court press and can make things happen in transition. If the Loggers find a way to limit the number of times the opponent breaks the press and ends up with an easy layup on the offensive end, this is a team that we will be talking about come Selection Monday.
  17. Babson: The loss to Loras down in Florida dropped Babson quite a bit in my ballot, and though the Beavers have since rebounded with wins over Hanover and Middlebury (neither of which were dominant victories by any means), I haven’t seen reason to put Babson ahead of Rochester or Puget Sound for the time being. But they’ll have plenty of great opportunities in the NEWMAC, and could end up in the Top 15 once again in the span of just a week or two.
  18. Loras: Loras was #25 in my Top 25 a week ago, and jumps up to #18 after two outstanding wins over Calvin and UW-Stevens Point. Loras is putting together an incredible resume, with victories over Coe, UW-Eau Claire, Babson, and now, Calvin and UWSP. It’s hard to think UW-Platteville and Augustana beat them earlier in the year. Sami Martin is a tremendous forward, and has been one of the better forwards I’ve seen play this season.
  19. Gustavus Adolphus: Here’s the thing with the Gusties. If UW-Stout ends up faltering in WIAC play, their resume could take a hit. Still, Gusty passes the eye test for me, shoots the ball with confidence, and right now, has five players averaging eight points or more. The victory over St. Benedict still looks really good, as they won that one by 17, and Bethel is next on the schedule tomorrow. Bethel is a solid program that seems to be clicking at the right time, despite a 5-4 overall record.
  20. Mary Hardin-Baylor: UMHB looked out of sorts against Trinity and Puget Sound prior to Christmas, but back on their home floor, the Crusaders were exceptional against both Piedmont and UC Santa Cruz. It was the latter of those two wins that caused me to move them up from #23 to #20. The second half performance against UCSC was key in the Cru’s Top 25 win, and the way UMHB has been executing defensively as of late has been vastly different from what we saw a couple weeks back.
  21. Springfield: Springfield fell to a Trinity (CT) that will quite possibly make its way into my ballot next week or the week after, with the way the Bantams have been playing. But for Springfield, the 58-45 loss on Dec. 30 hurts because outside of beating Williams and Middlebury, Springfield does not have another Top 100 Massey win. That concerns me a bit, as I have liked what I’ve seen watching Springfield live, but they’ve been unable to emerge victorious in their two biggest games thus far, against Amherst and Trinity. The Jan. 7 game at Smith will be key for their ranking and tournament resume.
  22. Hardin-Simmons: HSU is another solid team with experienced talent, but has not put up any outstanding wins from my perspective. Again, that is just one element of things, but it is hard to rave about a team who has just one victory over a team with nine or more wins at this point (ETBU). That said, I still think HSU is a top contender for the ASC title along with UMHB and ETBU, and as result, certainly deserves a Top 25 ranking. The Cowgirls played well against Adrian and SUNY Geneseo in Puerto Rico on Dec. 29-30, which was a cool experience for the team I’m sure, despite some schedule adjustments with the travel craziness we all witnessed across the nation a week ago.
  23. Ohio Northern: ONU is 10-1, and I’m convinced Ohio Wesleyan caught the Polar Bears on a bad day, because besides that performance, ONU has been unstoppable. Two wins over sub-.500 teams got them to 10 wins last week, and OAC play resumes against Otterbein and John Carroll on the road in the week ahead.
  24. UC Santa Cruz: UCSC took a pair of rough losses in Texas (though today’s loss to ETBU doesn’t count towards our voting), and has now dropped three straight. Chances are, UCSC needs to win the C2C Tournament now in order to get into the NCAA Tournament. But regardless, this is a talented squad, with some of the best inside-outside presence in the nation, in my opinion. Tess Oakley-Stilson, Aubrey Wagner, Amanda Inserra, Ashley Kowack, and Kaylee Murphy can play with the best, and I feel like it’s only a matter of time before we see them pull off a big-time win.
  25. Tufts: Tufts takes the coveted No. 25 spot in my ballot, and it was a hard decision, since Trinity (CT), Millikin, Bowdoin, and several others were in strong consideration for my ballot. But I need to see Tufts play against Babson on Saturday before determining whether I should drop Tufts out completely. The Jumbos are led by one of the nation’s most prolific scorers in Maggie Russell, and I believe as much in contention for the NESCAC title as anyone at this point. The wins at WPI and Stevens remain their most impressive victories.
  26. Trinity (CT)
  27. Bowdoin
  28. Ithaca
  29. Millikin
  30. UW-La Crosse
post

January 2, 2023: Recapping the weekend in D3 women’s hoops

Posted on by

2023 is officially upon us! Hope you had a great final day of 2022 on Saturday. 2022 D3hoops.com National Player of the Year Kenedy Shelton (formerly Schoonveld) made the comment Saturday on Instagram that the year feels like it went in two parts for her, as the national championship run for Hope feels quite long ago, actually. It’s easy to forget that even as we discuss all the ups and downs in this first half of the current season, we witnessed a thrilling month of February and the NCAA Tournament that followed back in March. 2022 was a year filled with so many memories. Let’s hope 2023 has the same in store.

So on the final day of 2022 and the first day of 2023, what stood out to me? Here’s a few thoughts…

  • DeSales is almost a lock for my Top 10 at this point, but the Bulldogs put a performance on the floor yesterday against CCNY that was nothing short of remarkable. It’s also one of the most lopsided scores I’ve seen this season. DeSales trounced CCNY, 82-18. Yes, you read that right. A 64-point victory for the nation’s #12 team. Everyone who played scored for DeSales and interestingly enough, the stats were not all that eye-popping on the offensive end. They shot a respectable 42.7% from the field, struggled from beyond the arc (1-of-19 on three-pointers), and were just 55% at the free throw line on 20 attempts. But defensively, CCNY had just one scorer with multiple made shots, as they were just 7-of-40 shooting. CCNY turned the ball over 37 times, and scored just two points in the entire fourth quarter.
  • #6 Amherst lost its second game of the week, a very uncharacteristic showing from a team that is normally very consistent defensively. After falling to Concordia-Moorhead on Thursday, the Mammoths fell to Chapman, 69-64, on Sunday. Chapman turned the ball over just six times, which is impressive against a defense of Amherst’s caliber, and though the Mammoths had the lead entering the fourth quarter, Chapman put 18 points on the board in the final quarter. Amherst had just 12. We’ll see how Amherst begins conference play against Williams on Friday. The tough thing about the NESCAC schedule is you play on back-to-back days every week, so your game prep and the way you go about keeping your roster healthy is different than teams in other top conferences where a Wednesday/Saturday or Thursday/Saturday schedule is typical. I’ve always wondered whether playing consecutive days during conference play (SCAC often does it too) is more of a benefit or a challenge.
  • Eastern Connecticut is somewhat on my radar, not necessarily as a Top 25 candidate, but as the likely favorite to win the Little East Conference. The Warriors are 9-3, 3-0 in LEC play, and those three losses have come to Babson, Trinity (CT), and Smith. Not bad. They took down Middlebury in double overtime on Saturday for their fifth straight victory. Anna Barry might end up being the LEC Player of the Year, and put up a very strong stat line on Saturday, with 16 points and 22 rebounds in 48 minutes. Talk about a career day. She added three steals and three blocks.
  • I was actually a little bit surprised by the 67-49 road win for Colorado College over Schreiner on Saturday. Maybe CC caught Schreiner on a bad day, but this was a Schreiner team that took down a respectable D-II program just before Christmas. The offensive rhythm was not there at all for the Mountaineers, who had just eight points in the fourth quarter. I really liked how CC attacked the boards, outrebounding Schreiner 55-29. Still, Schreiner managed to force 22 turnovers, a handful coming from the Mountaineers’ full-court press, which is very well run. CC just broke the press enough times that it didn’t play as big of a factor as it had in previous games for Schreiner.
  • I know I’ve already said this, but keep an eye on UW-River Falls in the WIAC. Under interim head coach Shelby Lyman, the Falcons are 11-2, having turned the corner in the big three-point win over UW-Whitewater back in December. Now, beating UW-Superior as they did Saturday is not the same as beating a WIAC power, but the way that UWRF is playing is eye-opening. When you watch them, there is a great balance between the posts and the guards, which really spreads the defense out. Macy Nilsen has to be in the WIAC Player of the Year discussion, She’s averaging 14.2 PPG, and 6.4 RPG averaging around 24 minutes per game. Then there’s Julia Siedel, who had 11 points, and Zoey Buchan, who had 13, in Saturday’s 16-point win over UW-Superior. UWRF has so much depth on the roster, it really plays to their advantage.
  • Admittedly, I dropped Millikin out of my ballot fairly quickly (though I left them in for a week longer than most voters) when the Big Blue struggled in the early part of the season. Now, you look, and think, how are they not ranked? Give it another week, and I think we’ll be seeing Millikin receiving significant votes again. The Big Blue is 10-3, 4-0 in CCIW play. Bailey Coffman is back after a horrific jaw break a day after a big-time performance in an exhibition against E. Illinois in early November. It was nice to see her back on the floor, and she can really give Millikin an advantage in the post. Coffman played 16 minutes in Saturday’s 81-63 win over Greenville, scoring eight points.
  • Looking ahead to today’s action, I think the game of the day is in Belton, where #16 Mary Hardin-Baylor faces #18 UC Santa Cruz at 3 pm EST. Now, because we haven’t voted since before Christmas, it’s likely both teams would be in the 20-25 range right now, but ranked nonetheless. These are two talented squads, who both need this game for regional ranking purposes. It took a lot to keep this game on the schedule, with all the flight craziness late last week. Initially, this contest was scheduled for Friday, but instead it was moved to Monday, making it the game to watch this afternoon. The guard play will be huge. Arieona Rosborough, Payton Hicks, Lauren Baker, and Jaycie Brisco are all guards who can score and get to the lane quickly. Tess Oakley-Stilson and Aubrey Wagner are UCSC’s top guards. The Banana Slugs have the advantage in the post, so I’ll be interested to see how UMHB defends that. Plus, UCSC is so experienced, this group has developed a cohesion that UMHB is working on forming, but just hasn’t had as much time.
  • But don’t forget about the showdown in Ithaca, where #24 Ithaca battles Hamilton in what should be a really good game. Tipping at 2 p.m. EST , this pits Ithaca, who hasn’t played a game since Dec. 7, against Hamilton, who had #8 Baldwin Wallace on the ropes this past Friday on the road. Ithaca needs to find its rhythm early, as you don’t want to fall behind by too much to a team like Hamilton. Hamilton is one of those teams who could potentially end the year outside of the Top 25, just because there is so much parity, but could absolutely become the Cinderella team of the NCAA Tournament. There are just so many playmakers on that roster, if the defense is a little better than it was against BW in the second half, Hamilton should have a good chance to win some big games down the stretch this season. Winning today would be big for Hamilton especially, since the Continentals play in a very deep NESCAC and RRO wins will come in handy once tournament time rolls around. Not to mention, a few key victories, such as one today, could put Hamilton into the Top 25.

If you’re wondering where my Top 25 ballot is, which I typically publish on here every Monday, the voting has been delayed by a day due to New Year’s, so I’ll have that tomorrow. Games from today will be accounted into that ballot (I would think), so I’m waiting on a few results (ref. above) before making my final ballot. There’s going to be so much movement between the last poll and this one. Anyway, enjoy your day as we move into 2023 and keep supporting D3 women’s hoops!

If you know someone who you think might enjoy this blog, feel free to share it! As always, your comments are always welcome, and you can also email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com. Have a great day!

post

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

Posted on by

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!