Tag Archives: Albion

post

Wednesday’s Winners: Albion stuns Hope, Schleusner claims another D-III career record

Posted on by

By Riley Zayas | Jan. 29, 2026

The postgame scene inside Kresge Gymnasium Wednesday night said all you needed to know. When the final buzzer went off on Albion’s 60-54 overtime upset of No. 9 Hope, a massive celebration broke out. The Britons’ entire bench rushed onto the floor to embrace their five teammates who had put the finishing touches on Albion’s dramatic home win. The students themselves—the “Kresge Krazies”, as they’re called—poured out of the stands to join in the excitement at mid-court, having helped create a truly hostile road atmosphere that didn’t help Hope’s offensive struggles any one bit.

It was indeed a memorable night for an Albion team that has now won four in a row and beaten Hope and Calvin in the same season for the first time since 2003-04.

“I think playing in Kresge for some teams is mental, so it was great to beat them here,” Albion head coach Doreen Carden said postgame in a story on gobrits.com. “I think we’ve grown a ton since day one, and we’re only getting better. I’m happy for our kids.

“I can’t even put it into words.”

But the stats can. Hope shot just 29.9%, its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season, and Albion got six more attempts at the free throw line, where the Britons made seven more FTs than the Flying Dutch. Only two of those came with under 30 seconds left, as the free throw shooting turned out to play a sizable role in the eventual six-point victory. Albion shot 72.7% (16/22), while Hope finished at 56.3% (9/16).

Three of Albion’s five starters—Meghan Trewhella, Ava Guilford, and Payton Baker—played at least 44 minutes while Hope’s Maddie Petroelje and Anna Richards were on the floor for 41 and 39 minutes, respectively. Those big minutes proved immensely important for Albion down the stretch, as each made plays that helped to engineer the upset.

With 58 seconds left in regulation, Trewhella drew a foul and made a pair of free throws, cutting Hope’s lead to one. On Albion next’s trip to the offensive end, Guilford was the one who earned free throws, missing the first, but making the second to tie it up at 52 apiece. She sent the game into OT just moments later, blocking Terin Maynard’s go-ahead layup on Hope’s final possession. In OT, Baker gave Albion a brief lead on a free throw, then grabbed a timely defensive rebound with under 30 seconds left. That came right after Guilford dished an assist to Anna Honnen, who made it a two-possession game with 34 seconds to go.

Albion’s upset was certainly one of the biggest stories of the night, but plenty more happened across the country. Here are five more “big winners” that stood out to me.

No. 3 UW-Oshkosh (at No. 11 UW-Whitewater, 55-43)

In a battle of the WIAC’s two highest-ranked squads, Oshkosh added another feather to its cap, and did so on the road, taking down the Warhawks by double-digits. The last single-digit game involving Oshkosh? Jan. 7, when La Crosse played within seven. No margin of victory has been fewer than 12 since, which is pretty incredible. What else is incredible about Oshkosh? The Titans have played at home just four times this year…in 19 games. They’re 15-0 when playing outside the Kolf Sports Center, and just continue rolling on, looking even stronger than they did a year ago as an eventual Final Four team. A 23-9 third-quarter run was the deciding point last night, as the Titans erased Whitewater’s five-point halftime lead, pulling ahead by nine. Paige Seckar was outstanding yet again with a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, and so was Sarah Hardwick, who blocked six shots and grabbed 12 boards. The Seckar-Hardwick duo in the post continues to be near-unbeatable.

Gettysburg (at McDaniel, 65-60)

The Bullets gave head coach Nate Davis his 300th career win on the same night they scored a major road win in Centennial Conference play. After some early struggles, Gettysburg is very much trending up, having risen seven spots in NPI (to #32) with the victory over a McDaniel squad that had leading scorer Alaina Beckett back on the floor. Despite trailing by seven at halftime, Gettysburg turned it on in the second half, outscored McDaniel, 19-13, in each of the last two quarters. Olivia Jones stepped up big-time off the bench, with 18 points in 24 minutes, including four of Gettysburg’s last five points. It was a two-point game with 1:02 to go, but a defensive rebound and subsequent jumper from Jones took away McDaniel’s last true opportunity at the win. The Green Terror never again had the ball in a one-possession game, as Jones twice extended the Gettysburg advantage to four in the last 20 seconds. Keep an eye on the Bullets; they’re very much in the at-large bid conversation.

UW-La Crosse (vs UW-River Falls, 78-65)

UWL has now won five in a row in the WIAC, a win streak so difficult to pull off in such a deep league. But the Eagles have done it decisively, and now find themselves in sole possession of second place in the conference title race coming off the 13-point victory. A 20-9 first quarter run set the tone and UWL never let UWRF find a rhythm from 3. The defensive effort, combined with shooting 44.1% from the field and 85.0% at the FT line, stood out in a big way for the Eagles, who are now up to No. 25 in NPI. And there’s room to keep climbing, as UWL gets Whitewater at home coming off a full week of rest next Wednesday (all WIAC teams are off on Saturday).

Cal Lutheran (at Whittier, 58-44)

Out West, the Regals entered the fourth quarter with a 3-point lead but took over in the final 10 minutes, storming past a tough Whittier squad in a 22-9 game-closing run. CLU got 28 points from Kaiya Mack, who shot a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 14 more from Janna Holley. The win is a big one for CLU, in large part because of the implications with it. CMS losing to Pomona-Pitzer on Monday, combined with CLU’s four-game win streak, has pulled the Regals within a single game of the first-place Athenas as the rematch between the two is set for next Wednesday. CLU needed a strong road win to build momentum heading into its most crucial two-game stretch of the regular season, hosting Redlands on Saturday afternoon and CMS next Wednesday night. On top of that, CLU climbed three spots in NPI with last night’s win, and now sits at No. 41 (#22 in the Pool C order, which would make CLU the first team out if the season ended today).

Washington & Lee (vs Roanoke, 69-47)

This isn’t about the win itself so much as yet another NCAA record going down at the hands of Mary Schleusner. A week after setting a new D-III career-rebounding record, W&L’s National Player of the Year candidate claimed the division’s record for career double-doubles, tallying the 84th of her four seasons in Lexington. Schleusner scored 17 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, her third-straight performance of at least 20 boards. The senior forward passed Swarthmore alum Kathryn Stockbower and Randolph-Macon alum Kelly Williams in the record-breaking performance, moving up to No. 9 all-time amongst all NCAA divisions.

Believe it or not, there’s still a few records left on the books for Schleusner to break! She is just nine blocks shy of the ODAC career record (329), set by Eastern Mennonite’s Laurie Miller in 1998. Her 184 career steals are just 14 shy of breaking Bethany Dannelly’s W&L program record of 197. And with 2,193 points in her career, she is 178 shy of Megan Silva’s ODAC record. Averaging 21.6 PPG, Schleusner could become the league’s all-time leading scorer before the NCAA Tournament even begins. (Note: A thank-you to the W&L Sports Information staff for providing many of these notes this season, as Schleusner has pursued and claimed numerous W&L, ODAC, and NCAA records).

What’s on tap for today? Well, due to a postponement yesterday, we’ve got a big-time ODAC duel between Shenandoah and Bridgewater highlighting a relatively light Thursday slate. Bridgewater sits in second place in the ODAC, Shenandoah is in third, and the two are separated by just one game, making this a decisive contest looking ahead at ODAC Tournament seeding. Perhaps even more importantly, both of these teams are currently well inside the at-large bid conversation (which they’ll likely need with W&L as the projected ODAC AQ), with Shenandoah currently No. 6 in Pool C and Bridgewater No. 15, adding pressure to capitalize on this opportunity today. And for Shenandoah especially, even with the upset loss to Randolph last week, there’s still a path to hosting in the national tournament. But to get there, they almost certainly need to win today in the lone meeting of the regular season between these two. Scott Peterson has Bridgewater as a narrow favorite at home, with a 55.2% win probability. Tip-off at 7 p.m. ET on FloCollege for that one.

We’ll also see Hardin-Simmons travel to Mary Hardin-Baylor this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET in an American Southwest Conference showdown. Free livestream for that one on cruathletics.com, as HSU looks to win its 10th straight road game this season.

post

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: January 15, 2023: Surprises in the MIAA, WIAC, and NESCAC

Posted on by

By Riley Zayas

Welcome back to this Sunday morning edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops. Wow, is it tough to remember the last time Hope lost to a team not named Trine. But here we are…let’s get into it and what unfolded in yesterday’s action!

  • I tend to always lead off the most surprising result of the day (in my opinion of course), and yesterday it seemed there was no bigger upset than Albion’s 69-53 win over fifth-ranked Hope. What gets me is the margin of victory…16 points! Albion has been near the top of the MIAA with a 6-1 record, but certainly wasn’t on my radar when I looked through yesterday’s slate of games. The defense was outstanding for Abion, holding Hope to just six points in the second quarter and a shooting percentage of 27.3% for the game. Hope did all it could to pull back into it as the second half progressed, but the damage had been done. Another stat that is notable is the assist numbers for both teams; Hope had just six, while Abion had 14. Albion seemed to be moving the ball better, which created higher-percentage shots as the first half progressed, allowing the Britons to gain a massive 31-18 lead at the half. I think Hope stays in the Top 10, though maybe ends up at #9 or #10. They’ll take a hit for sure in the Top 25 tomorrow.
  • But that wasn’t the only surprise yesterday. In the ever-competitive WIAC, UW-Stout took down #13 UW-Whitewater in a thriller, 72-65. It was a one-possession game for all but the final minute of the fourth quarter, and turned out to be perhaps the most competitive game of the afternoon. Stout came up with points on the offensive end time and time again, as the opponents exchanged scores. Stout raced out of the gates in their most impressive quarter, taking a 21-10 lead after the first. Whitewater outscored the Blue Devils by five in each of the next two quarters, before Stout pulled it out in the fourth. I was most impressed by the level of intensity shown from Stout, as there was no panic, and only confidence coming from that entire sideline, even as Whitewater hung in the game, taking the lead midway through the final quarter. The final team stats were relatively even, and Whitewater even shot 92% at the FT line. But Stout came up with a few more shots and a handful of key stops in the final minutes, not to mention going 6-for-6 at the FT line in the final minute. Miss one or two of those and it could’ve been a completely different result with the number of shooters the Warhawks have. Amanda Giesen was fantastic for Stout, scoring 19 points.
  • Sticking with the topic of the WIAC, UW-Oshkosh pulled out a massive 61-53 win over UW-La Crosse, a team I voted at #25 in this past week’s poll. I was responsible for 7 of UWO’s 10 points received in the poll (I had them at #19), and this is why. Though the sub-.500 WIAC record has turned some people off, I believe UWO is just as battle-tested as anyone in the conference (maybe minus Whitewater), and yesterday displayed that, with the Titans fending off the Eagles, even when the lead got down to three midway through the fourth. Oshkosh was so balanced offensively, and the three-point shooting made up for any size disadvantage in the post. UWO was 10-of-26 from beyond the arc, while UWL won the rebounding battle, 31-23. We’ll see where both go from here. Oshkosh, believe it or not, is likely still in the Pool C conversation, but every game is key at this point. UWO travels to UWSP on Wednesday while UWL hosts UWRF.
  • Yesterday I focused a lot on the NESCAC…and I can’t help but bring up the NESCAC again. Because two of the league’s three undefeated teams fell on Saturday, leaving Trinity (CT) alone atop the standings.
  •      Middlebury, after shocking Amherst and Bowdoin in consecutive games, fell by four, 63-59, at Colby, a sub-.500 team. Colby was much better offensively, and frankly, I wonder if Middlebury was just tired from having run up and down with Bowdoin less than 24 hours before. That NESCAC schedule can be rough on your stamina, especially when you have a small rotation.
  •     Tufts was the other one to fall, previously 2-0 in the league, as Hamilton, a team I’ve been high on for a good part of this season, won 59-43. Talk about stamina. Hamilton beat Bates in OT Friday, then came back with a huge home win yesterday. Hamilton is in the midst of one of the toughest stretches of the season for any team in the nation, having played at Ithaca, at Middlebury, at Williams, vs Smith before this weekend. And the Continentals travel to Babson tomorrow. Hamilton dominated Tufts defensively, holding Tufts before 10 points in each of the first two quarters, and Maggie Russell to just six points. Four Hamilton players finished above 10 points in scoring, but the key was getting it done on the defensive end. Hamilton has played so many high quality offenses already that the Continentals were already well prepared for the offensive threat Tufts posed.
  • S/O to my #1, Trinity (TX), who set a program record for points in a quarter, beating Southwestern, 125-89, in Georgetown. Yes, the game was over before it even began as the Tigers put 42 on the board in the opening quarter, shooting 69.6% from the field. Trinity connected on 20 three-pointers, and continues to be a very impressive shooting team. The Tigers are so deep, and play incredibly hard. The national championship game is in Dallas this year, just sayin’…it’d be pretty cool for an in-state team to make it, as Wabash did making the men’s final four last year.
  • Also, S/O to Luther, who could very well be one of those “deep dive” teams we typically talk about on Hoopsville. Sure, the Norse probably won’t end up ranked, but after beating Loras, are certainly in the A-R-C title race at this point. The blowout losses to Simpson and Gustavus Adolphus don’t look great, but they played Stout close early in the year, and have beaten both UW-Platteville and Loras. Luther pulled out an 94-89 double-overtime win in an offensive-dominated duel. Each team had a 32-point scorer, with Kailey Jones putting 32 on the board for Luther, and Kelsea Hurley scoring 32 for Central. Both teams shot above 40% and Jones’ jumper made it a three-point game with 24 seconds left. After missing on the other end, Central was forced to foul and that just about sealed the win for Luther, now 5-2 in the A-R-C.
  • Schreiner won its fourth straight game on the road on Saturday, beating Texas Lutheran in a tight one, 78-71. I’ve said it before, but Schreiner has something special going, and while nobody in the SCAC is competing to the level Trinity is right now, Schreiner is an up-and-coming team that could get the SCAC two tournament bids, maybe not this year, but next. DeMauria Miles had one of the best offensive performances of the day, putting 33 points on the board on 11-of-20 shooting. Also pay attention to TLU. They gave Trinity a bit of a run in the second half of Friday’s game. Another up-and-coming program that isn’t quite there, but on its way.

Alright, going to shift my attention to the UAA and my Top 25 ballot, which I hope to have out much earlier tomorrow than I did last week (we’ll see…). I can tell you Trinity (TX) will stay as my #1 (I know, no big surprise there), but after that, it will be interesting. Until tomorrow’s post, have a great rest of your weekend, enjoy the NFL playoffs, and God Bless.