Tag Archives: The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 13, 2022: Hope dominates, the WIAC’s banner day

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It was an excellent Saturday for D3 hoops fans as we saw so many incredible finishes and matchups play out across the country. Those in WIAC had an especially good day, going 6-1 in a some competitive matchups. It will be a pretty light schedule today, at least in comparison to yesterday, but here’s a look at what I think will be the Game of the Day…

Game of the Day: Rowan @ #9 Amherst, 1 p.m. EST

Rowan kept the score close against #16 Springfield yesterday, falling by five. Meanwhile Amherst only beat Springfield by four, when the two played Friday. Not big on the comparative results thing, but this could create an interesting matchup. Both teams rebound it well and plays tenacious defense, so I’m expecting to see a low-scoring duel and possibly Rowan make a charge at a Top 10 upset.

Thoughts from around the division…

  • I got to see UC-Santa Cruz in action for the first time in a 78-60 win over Cal Tech. They have one of the better one-two punches in the country in my opinion, with Kaylee Murphy and Ashley Kowack. But it’s the players around those two that will make UCSC a Top 25 team this season, because as teams are forced to pay attention to the other three players on the floor from a scoring threat standpoint, it will also open up more opportunities for Kowack and Murphy.
  • Also saw #4 UW-Whitewater come away with its 79-69 win over #14 Millikin. Elyce Knudsen had 25 for Millikin and was a challenge for UWW to guard all evening, but UWW was stronger inside. The Warhawks continued working the ball into the paint and more often than not, found a good shot at close range. Aleah Grundahl was a huge contributor on plays like those, with 25 points. And as I mentioned yesterday, after Millikin’s loss to UWSP, nobody should be freaking out…Bailey Coffman is a huge part of Millikin’s post play, and did not play in either of these games.
  • It was a banner day for the WIAC, as UW-Eau Claire edged out Bethel, UW-Oshkosh took down Wartburg by 13, UW-River Falls dominated against Crown, UW-La Crosse won by 30 over Lawrence, and UW-Stevens Point edged out a Carroll team that gave UWW a scare on Friday. The WIAC might be the place to be for women’s hoops this season, we’ll see…
  • Hope is showing no signs of weakness here in the early goings of this season. Illinois Wesleyan, as a more perimeter-based team, struggled to find shots early on, as the Flying Dutch went up 33-7 at the end of the first quarter. And IWU will contend for the CCIW title this season. Once again, Hope is making the voters’ jobs easy, because Brian Morehouse’s team has laid claim to that No. 1 spot. Hope won 99-73 with four of the five starters finishing with double figures in scoring. Hope’s next real test is likely not going to come until that Dec. 17 showdown against Trine.

Kept it short on this Sunday morning. For a more comprehensive recap of yesterday’s action, head over to D3hoops.com. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 12, 2022: Welcome to weekend basketball!

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Welcome to weekend basketball! We have games tipping off at 12 pm EST, and going all the way until 7 pm EST tip-offs tonight…and the best part of it is there are going to be competitive matchups throughout the day. Yesterday saw a Top 25 upset, a couple of near-upsets, and a couple of absolutely stellar offensive showings. I’ll get to that in a second, but first, take a look at the Game of the Day…

Game of the Day: #14 Millikin @ #4 UW-Whitewater, 5 pm EST

This will be an interesting matchup for a couple reasons. One, both teams were on the court less than 24 hours ago, as part of the UWW Tournament. Two, neither looked extremely strong, which means there will likely be some added motivation on both sides to put together a strong effort. Plus, a win here would significantly boost either team’s resume, and considering how tough the WIAC and CCIW can be, you can never have enough wins like these on your resume heading into Selection Monday.

Keep an eye on…

Illinois Wesleyan @ #1 Hope, 3 pm EST

#11 Tufts @ Bates, 4 pm EST

UT-Dallas @ Johns Hopkins, 1 pm EST

Additional thoughts from around the division…

  • Wow. That’s all I could say when the Baldwin Wallace/Trine game finally came to a close…after over 2 hours and 2 overtimes. It was about as balanced as you could get statistically, but Baldwin Wallace, perhaps aided by its very large home crowd, found a way to pull it out down the stretch, outscoring Trine 14-9 in the second overtime for a 75-70 win. BW is currently ranked #12, but this win alone, with Trine at #8, should give the Yellow Jackets a very good chance to crack the Top 10, as long as they take of business in their next three. Credit to Trine. It looked like BW would win after the first OT, but Sierra Hinds stepped up with back-to-back 3-pointers in the span of about 10 seconds, the second one at the buzzer, to send it into a second OT. I thought BW was just a little bit better from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, and in both overtimes, taking advantage of uncontested shots that really do not come often against a disciplined defense like Trine’s.
  • Was scrolling through the D3hoops.com scoreboard when I saw Carroll trailing #4 UW-Whitewater by just three. Watching the final minutes of that one, Carroll came extremely close to pulling off what would’ve been the upset of the day. But UWW is ranked #4 for a reason, as they executed down the stretch, made their free throws, and forced a few missed shots as they survived on their home court with a 56-52 win.
  • #14 Millikin wasn’t as lucky in Whitewater yesterday afternoon. I really like the team that Olivia Lett has this season, and they nearly shocked D-I Eastern Illinois in an exhibition a couple weeks ago, losing by just four. But UW-Stevens Point outscored Millikin 24-12 in the third quarter, taking a 9-point lead, and the Big Blue just did not have enough time to rally back, as UWSP pulled off the Top 25 upset, 64-61. But forward Bailey Coffman, who had 21 points in that exhibition for Millikin, did not play. When she returns, Millikin will be the team to beat in the CCIW, just watch. Also, plenty of credit to UWSP, who outrebounded Millikin 44-29, no doubt a contributing factor in the win.
  • I had to see it to believe it, so I turned on the Hope/Geneva game…and yep, the D3hoops.com scoreboard was completely accurate. The nation’s #1 team left no doubt about its firepower in the season opener, leading 110-37 at the end of the THIRD quarter. Hope isn’t going anywhere. The Flying Dutch won 143-57, shooting 63% from the field! Update: Have been told that Hope set the all-time record for D-III points in a game. Wow.
  • Trinity joined the 140-point club as well, dominating on the offensive end against Birmingham-Southern in a 140-87 win. The Tigers had 30-plus points in all four quarters, and take a look at this stat line for senior guard Addie Putnam: 26 points, 11-of-11 shooting, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals in…13 minutes!?! Trinity is No. 5 in the nation right now, and a title contender in my opinion.
  • After noticing that Texas Lutheran was leading No. 18 Hardin-Simmons 14-12 after the first quarter, I tuned into that one…and HSU backed up being picked No. 1 in the ASC Preseason Poll. The ASC is going to be very deep this year; I wouldn’t count HSU, ETBU, UMHB or UT-Dallas out as a possible conference champion. HSU went from trailing by 2 to leading by 19 by halftime, looking sharp in transition, and running away (literally) from the TLU defense. They play so fast, and that will be a challenge for opponents this year. Paris Kiser was a major offseason addition, a transfer who was the starting point guard at UTD, and as a pass-first type of guard, she fits well into the offense, with Parris Parmer taking a high percentage of the shots, most of the time from three-point range. HSU’s three-point shooting ability makes them dangerous, considering they can hit a few in a row, and be right back in a game they were trailing in by double digits even a couple minutes prior.

That’s what I’ll leave you with on this Saturday morning. Games tip off in just a couple of hours and it should be an excellent weekend of basketball.