The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 15, 2022: Can RWU stop Tufts and Maggie Russell?

Welcome back to The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! Here’s your daily look at the world of D-III women’s basketball, as we continue to move through the month of November…

Game of the Day: Roger Williams @ #11 Tufts

RWU looked especially strong out of the gates in last Wednesday’s season opener against MIT, taking a 22-9 lead early, and ended up with a 71-47 win. But Tufts is another level up in the relative pyramid of D-III, and is also 1-0 after a 24-point win over Bates. The thing I like about RWU is that the Hawks share the ball so well. It forces the defense to pay attention to all five on the floor, rather than keying in on one or two shooters. But RWU’s defense will be tested in a huge way against Maggie Russell. I’m not sure that very many teams in D-III will find a way to hold her to less than 20 points per game. Yes, she’s that good (had 31 pts and 17 rebs against Bates). It would be an exaggeration to label this as a possible upset, but who knows? RWU will no doubt stay competitive with Tufts through the first half. It will come down to the second half play.

Keep an eye on…

  • #20 Ithaca @ SUNY-Geneseo (Battle of unbeatens), 5:30 pm EST
  • UW-River Falls @ Augsburg, 8:00 pm EST
  • Oglethorpe @ Covenant, 6:00 pm EST

Thoughts on this Tuesday morning…

  • I’m not sure we’ve had a slate of games yet this season with more lopsided scores than yesterday. At least percentage wise. I did the math, 90% of games were decided by 15 points or more, and we had four games with a margin of 40+ points. The only “close” game of the day was also one of the lowest scoring, as Medgar Evers beat SUNY-Old Westbury 38-35. They combined to shoot 19% from the field!
  • I did catch a few minutes of Mitchell’s 68-44 win over CCNY. Granted, you have to factor in for the opponent here, but I was very impressed by Mitchell’s defensive effort early on. CCNY had just two points in the first quarter, as Mitchell kept pressure on the ball, and forced a few turnovers too, turning those in points in transition.
  • Manhattanville might be a team to keep your eye, considering how efficient the Valiants (what a cool team name) are from three-point range. To shoot above 40% from beyond the arc in wins over York (NY) and Pratt is impressive. They were 13-of-31 on threes in yesterday’s 102-21 rout of Pratt.
  • Interim HC Shelby Lyman is looking to keep UW-River Falls undefeated through three games this year, as the Falcons play tonight at Augsburg. It’s been a pretty convincing start from a team that was below .500 a year ago. And Augsburg still hasn’t played a game yet, making them one of the last teams to begin the season, though #15 UMHB won’t play its first game until Saturday.
  • Saw that UW-Whjtewater’s Kacie Carollo was named the tournament MVP of the Whitewater tournament this past weekend. In two wins over Carroll and Millikin, she averaged 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds.

On a side note, Hoopsville, the comprehensive show about D3 men’s and women’s hoops, made its season debut last night. As always, great work by Dave McHugh on the mic. Be sure to check it out! https://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2022-23/nov14