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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Elizabethtown’s big win, Smith makes statement, Millikin falls at NCC

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By Riley Zayas

January 4, 2024

Welcome to D3 WBB Daily, as I will take a look each morning at the biggest storylines, news, and notables in D3 women’s hoops, getting you up-to-date on what happened the day before, and what is upcoming in the day ahead. I’ve split this breakdown into three parts: “Tipping Off” will include 3-4 main storylines that have stuck out to me, “Fast Breaks” will be quick notes on impressive performances, stats, etc., and “Looking ahead” will feature a couple key games that are on my “must-watch” list in the day ahead.

For all the hype around yesterday’s matchups and conference play resuming/starting for programs across the country, last night’s games more than lived up to that. We saw so many competitive contests, especially in the Midwest, where the MIAC, WIAC, ARC, and CCIW each had must-see matchups. Here are some of my thoughts on how everything transpired!

North Central was flying under the radar…but not so much anymore
NCC went 6-18 a year ago. And 9-17 in 2021-22. But this season, the Cardinals have already surpassed last year’s win total, and have shown flashes of considerable success. The string of three road losses in the span of a week to Chicago, Carroll, and Wheaton, put NCC in a tough spot, but we’ve seen the Cardinals battle back. They took highly-regarded Illinois Wesleyan into overtime, and fell to Coe by a single point. But last night they finally got in the win column in one of those “big games”. Everything came together for NCC against 11th-ranked Millikin, and the Cardinals emerged with an 84-78 victory, stunning a Millikin team that seemed near-unstoppable.

In a high-scoring battle, NCC dominated in the second half, outscoring Millikin 51-34 over the final two quarters. Interestingly, Elyce Knudsen, the nation’s leading scorer, still had 24 points. Sophie Darden had 18 as well, and Bailey Coffman added 16. The Big Blue shot 42 percent from the field, but struggled majorly from 3-point range. Millikin struggled with foul trouble through the entire second half, as Knudsen, Matayia Tellis, and Darden each sat for significant lengths of time over those final 20 minutes.

Elle Sutter was a huge key to NCC’s win, as she got into the paint, drew fouls, and scored at a high clip. Also a standout soccer player, Sutter finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, having shot 10-of-12 from the FT line. NCC guarded the dribble-drive exceptionally well, and had a solid defensive gameplan that ended up being well-executed.

NCC may have been under-the-radar because of its record entering Wednesday’s matchup, but not anymore. When you take down the 11th-ranked team in the land, people soon know who you are. And NCC is as much in the CCIW title fight as anyone at this point.

Elizabethtown ends Scranton’s undefeated bid in Landmark Conference battle
After taking two disappointing losses in Puerto Rico and seeing its NCAA Tournament resume take a slight hit, Elizabethtown resumed Landmark Conference play with a vengeance. That’s what it takes to beat the #5 team in the country. Even without the student body in the stands due to winter break, there was plenty of energy in Elizabethtown’s gym on Wednesday evening, as the Blue Jays defeated Scranton, 67-64.

In what was a back-and-forth contest from the opening tip until the final buzzer, Elizabethtown won the rebounding battle by 8, shot 43 percent from the field, and overcame a -6 turnover margin to win the Blue Jays’ biggest game of the year. Summer McNulty had a stellar day for Elizabethtown with 25 points, shooting 8-of-18. The Blue Jays were also 14-of-16 at the FT line, which played a key role in a game decided by such a thin margin. If anything, this just makes the Landmark race a little more interesting. Elizabethtown, Catholic, and Scranton are all in the mix for the title, and each certainly has the capability of beating the other two.

A second-half comeback from Gustavus Adolphus
You almost had to do a double-take when looking at the halftime score. Concordia (MN), on the road in a pivotal MIAC matchup, led the 8th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus Gusties, 36-24, at the intermission. It was a much wider margin than I had expected for a halftime score, especially involving a very talented Gustavus team.

But the Gusties quickly righted the ship and an 11-0 run cut Concordia’s lead to a single point. From there, it was a battle all the way through. The Gusties won the fourth quarter, 18-14, and ended up winning the game by the same four-point margin, 64-60, in a key test within what appears to be a very competitive MIAC this season.

We knew Concordia was good, but last night showed that the Cobbers are right there in contention for the MIAC title, and are certainly a tough defensive squad. Points did not come easily for either team, though both did a good job of getting to the FT line. The biggest stat in my opinion? Gustavus won the battle on the offensive boards, 14-3, and second-chance points, 12-2. That is certain to give you an advantage in just about every game, no matter the opponent.

Smith with a statement
I said on Tuesday that MIT earned the final spot in my Top 25 ballot over Smith and a couple others. Well, the Pioneers of Smith have me rethinking that after the way last night played out in the NEWMAC. Smith completely dominated MIT in an 82-54 victory, winning big as the Pioneers had five scorers in double figures.

The NEWMAC will be a competitive league this year, no doubt, but Smith is certainly the frontrunner at this point. The loss to Dickinson on Sunday hurt their resume, but this win did plenty to improve that. MIT had been very good this year (including a win over Tufts on the road), but Smith’s offense was way too much to defend. The Pioneers finished with 56 points in the paint!

D3 Women’s Basketball Championship Game coverage moving to ESPN in 2025
I didn’t want to make this write-up any longer, but as I was getting ready to publish, I saw some breaking news from the NCAA. About 20 minutes ago, it was announced that the broadcast rights to 40 NCAA Championships have been acquired by ESPN. The agreement begins on Sept. 1, 2024 (which means the first D3 WBB broadcast will be the 2025 NCAA Tournament Final), and includes the D3 women’s basketball national title game, along with the D3 men’s basketball semifinals & championship game, and the D3 volleyball national title game. It is currently unclear if this agreement will affect the scheduling of the championship game, but that is an aspect I will keep a close eye on —> Link to press release

Fast Breaks
» Dubuque challenged #12 Wartburg considerably well in what proved to be a thrilling ARC battle, as the contest went into OT and was eventually won by Wartburg, 53-50. There was certainly an “upset” aspect to it, as Dubuque led late in the 4th, but just overall, exceptional basketball from both sides. The ARC title race is going to be one you’ll want to follow.

» Also, one more Wartburg note. Sara Faber surpassed the 1,000-point mark against Dubuque last night, so congratulations to her! That is a huge accomplishment, and she has been a key part of the Knight’s offensive success for several seasons now.

» Washington & Lee’s Mary Schleusner had yet another huge day for the Generals, with a 24-point, 20-rebound double-double. And she had five steals and three blocks in addition to it! She’s playing at such a high level right now and is so crucial to W&L’s success.

» Talk about great offensive performances. In an impactful 70-45 WIAC victory for UW-Eau Claire over UW-Platteville, UWEC’s Kyla Overskei had 28 points on a 6-of-7 day from 3-point range. She shot 11-of-14 (78.5%) from the field in total. Wow.

» DePauw moved to 2-0 in the NCAC with a big win over Ohio Wesleyan in what was a rematch of last year’s NCAC Semifinal (and was won by OWU). DePauw outscored OWU 24-18 in the third quarter, and won, 64-57, as Riley Mont came through with 19 points.

» Thank you to UW-Stout SID Casey Perrott, who I was told found the date of the last time UW-Stout and UW-Stevens Point faced off as ranked opponents. It took some serious research! Turns out it was Jan. 6, 2007, and three days to the date of that game 17 years later, the two programs battled as ranked opponents once again last night, and Stout won big, 82-53. Raegan Sorensen led the way with 25-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Blue Devils.

Looking Ahead
UMass-Dartmouth at #4 Rhode Island College, 5:30 pm ET

Univ. of New England at Suffolk, 5:30 pm ET

Merchant Marine at Mount St. Vincent, 6 pm ET

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Here’s how I’m currently seeing the Top 25…

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December 28, 2023

By Riley Zayas

Hope everyone had a happy holidays and a Merry Christmas! This is a great time of the year, and we’re now into our final holiday tournaments of the season. The next tournaments on the calendar after this week? Conference tournaments, and of course, the NCAA Tournament soon to follow. That’s hard to believe! We’re halfway through the season, and honestly, this season has gone so fast. I’m excited to see how conference play unfolds across the country, and we will have no shortage of things to talk about as January and February plays out.

I put together a Top 25 ranking this weekend, just to see where I was on several of these teams as we enter a huge week of non-conference matchups. Next week, we’re back to submitting official Top 25 ballots for the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, so expect a new Top 25 next Monday. Until then, here’s how I’m seeing the national landscape of D3 women’s basketball! I kept my thoughts to more of minimum this week, but hopefully some of it provides good insight and reasoning behind why some of these teams are where they are within my Top 25.

  1. NYU: Nothing has changed here. We’ll see how NYU looks coming out of a long break and playing on the West Coast this week against UC-Santa Cruz and UW-Platteville, but the Violets have continually earned the top spot in my ballot. UAA play will be the real test.
  2. Transylvania: A close second, the defending national champions look to be playing the best defense in the entire country. Opponents simply can’t score on the Pioneers. Last week against Bluffton in HCAC play, Transy held the Beavers to four straight single-digit quarters in a 75-29 win. The last time this season that Transy allowed more than 50 points in a game? Nov. 12 against DePauw. And they allowed exactly 50 in that one. Record watch: The D-III record for scoring defense in a season was set by New Rochelle in ‘99…that season, New Rochelle allowed an average of 39.2 points per game. The Pioneers currently sit at 41.3 points per game. I should note that it is much tougher to maintain that average come NCAA tournament time, and yes, postseason games do factor into the final total when it comes to records and such. But it just puts into perspective how strong the Transylvania defense has been so far.
  3. UW-Whitewater: This was a tough selection in terms of keeping Rhode Island College behind UW-Whitewater, but when you look at the numbers and watch the film, I think the Warhawks win out narrowly. RIC came up with a huge win over Gustavus Adolphus last week, but UWW had a really solid win of its own, defeating Messiah 62-36 in Puerto Rico. That came a day after beating Manhattanville, 70-35. Messiah was held to just 13 points in the entire second half of that game, a further sign that UWW’s defense is really coming alive. That is especially timely, with WIAC play tipping off in about a week. This UWW team is Final Four-caliber, no doubt.
  4. Rhode Island College: Based on what I saw from the win over Gustavus Adolphus, I’d say RIC is very much in the conversation for another big run to the Final Four, but this year, the Anchorwomen won’t surprise many. The level RIC has been playing at is incredible, and just watching the film from the neutral court win over Gustavus, RIC’s defensive pressure against an extremely dangerous and balanced Gustie offense really stuck out. And RIC also beat Baldwin Wallace handily while in Florida, which is a great win that adds a little bit to the resume.
  5. Scranton: The Lady Royals have a key test upcoming against Elizabethtown on Jan. 3 and picked up a key road win in overtime against #18 DeSales last week that should prove impactful on Scranton’s resume. Scranton has found different ways to win throughout this season, and that is a valuable attribute. D-I transfer Victoria Toomey continues to be an impact transfer for the Lady Royals and has done a good job of giving Scranton an edge in the post. My Top 6 teams are all undefeated, and the margin between 4-6 is very minimal.
  6. Christopher Newport: Again, the margin between Scranton and CNU is extremely narrow. Grove City challenged the Captains a little more than I would’ve anticipated in the first game of last week’s Music City Classic, but then again, it was the first game of the event, and played not long after a lengthy bus trip to Tennessee. The win over Whitman was especially impressive, considering Whitman looked like the better team for the entire first 10 minutes before CNU turned the momentum and took charge. The 70-61 victory is CNU’s best win to date, and the Captains hold steady at #6.
  7. Illinois Wesleyan: The Titans continue to climb in my rankings, with a seven-game win streak heading into Friday’s matchup at Hendrix. As I’ve said before, the fact that IWU has won (and won convincingly in multiple cases) against good competition without a completely healthy roster is a major point in the Titans’ favor. Once Lauren Huber is back on the floor, this team will only be more dangerous. The offensive schemes are polished, and this is a program that has long taken pride in tenacious defense. We saw that in the win at Chicago, and with the way IWU has performed as of late, I’d put them up against anyone in the country. In my eyes, and with what we’ve seen recently, this is a Top 10 team…no doubt about it.
  8. Gustavus Adolphus: A loss to RIC does not do much to hurt the Gusties’ resume in my opinion. It was a competitive game, and RIC has proven to a Top-5 team consistently so far. Gustavus is still very much in the national title conversation in my opinion, and it won’t surprise me in the slightest if they run the table in the MIAC and go undefeated in league play once again this season.
  9. Hope: The Flying Dutch have proven to be a top-tier team for the better part of this season. Starting with the IWU and UW-Platteville wins in mid-November, and leading up through the big victory over Millikin last Wednesday, Hope continues to impress. The Flying Dutch are 10-1, and I honestly didn’t think I’d have Hope in the Top 10 before New Year’s Day. But here we are.
  10. Wartburg: Whitman took down the Knights by a fairly significant margin at the Music City Classic, and that forced me to move Wartburg down a little bit. But not out of the Top 10. We saw them defeat a fairly strong DePauw team the next day, 89-40, and if anything, that result proved the loss to Whitman was more of a combination of Whitman being better than expected and Wartburg having a tough afternoon. Wartburg is very much a top-caliber team and I’ll be interested to see if we get a Wartburg/WashU matchup in the championship game of the Wartburg Holiday Tournament on Saturday. That’ll be one more great non-conference test for the Knights before ARC play resumes.
  11. Emory: I really like the Eagles’ chances to have a big year in the UAA. Claire Brock and Daniella Aronsky are two of the best players in the league and we shall see how Emory fares against a strong Hardin-Simmons squad in Atlanta later this week. That’ll be a great test, and unlike the CNU game earlier this year, Emory should have Brock available, which will make a difference. UAA play is right around the corner!
  12. Millikin: Losing to Hope in Holland is not going to damage Millikin’s resume all that much. From a Top 25 perspective, Millikin battled through all four quarters, and it was competitive all the way through. Elyce Knudsen is undoubtedly one of the most electrifying players in the country, and what she can do with the ball in her hands is amazing. Bailey Coffman continues to be a force there in the post, and Millikin has plenty of contributors stepping up around those two. The Big Blue is 9-2, and amongst Millikin’s nine victories are wins over DePauw and UW-Platteville, both of which really boost the resume.
  13. UW-Stout: Another team that makes a big jump forwards. At this point, Stout has shown it has all the pieces to compete on a national level, and the guard play we’ve seen from the Blue Devils has been nothing short of incredible. This team is very dangerous from 3-point range, and is efficient on the offensive end, which will yield good results in WIAC play. The Blue Devils battle Augsburg on Saturday before getting into WIAC play. Whether this high ranking holds up or not remains to be seen, but I am very confident in putting Stout at #13, based on the film I’ve watched, and comparing what I’ve seen to the other handful of teams that are realistically of Top 25 caliber.
  14. Smith: 7-1 with a handful of quality victories, Smith hasn’t played since Dec. 9. The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday, and NEWMAC play tips off in early January. That will be the big test for Smith. So far, I think this continues to be a team that has exceeded expectations, and I think a lot of that goes back to how balanced the Pioneers are offensively. They’ve scored 60+ points in all eight games, which is not something always seen amongst top teams in the northeast region of the country.
  15. Hardin-Simmons: As previously mentioned, HSU is prepping for a big test at Emory on Saturday. Overall, the Cowgirls have largely played at the high level we anticipated they would, and in a lot of ways, a tremendous amount of credit should go towards HSU’s strong senior class. Their leadership seems to have been instrumental in the early part of the season, especially coming off the disappointing loss at ETBU. HSU is 10-1, and has won its last five, including a quality win over UT-Dallas at the very beginning of last week. The ASC is going to be an exciting conference race to follow as the rest of the season plays out.
  16. Chicago: The Maroons are 7-2 and they don’t have a bad loss, having come up short in games against UW-Whitewater and Illinois Wesleyan heading into the holiday break. The 74-68 overtime win over Carroll remains Chicago’s “best” result (in my opinion), but the Maroons have a great opportunity at two RRO victories on Friday and Saturday. Their resume could easily skyrocket if they manage to go 2-0 against Johns Hopkins and Bowdoin at another edition of the Music City Classic in Nashville.
  17. Amherst: Amherst is one of the tougher teams to judge and rank, considering the Mammoths haven’t yet played a Top 100 team. But they are 7-0 and playing at the level I expected they would, having brought everyone back from last year’s squad. Kori Barach leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, and is following up well on her stellar sophomore season in 2022-23. Definitely a player to watch once NESCAC play tips off.
  18. Johns Hopkins: The Blue Jays play in a very competitive Centennial Conference and already faced #1 NYU, so JHU knows what playing tough opponents is all about. This matchup against Chicago on Friday is especially timely considering it is a mid-season game, rather than a season-opening weekend contest like NYU was. And in a region that has Scranton, Elizabethtown, Catholic, Gettysburg, and Messiah, JHU needs every potential RRO win that it can get. The Blue Jays are 8-1, having won their last seven, and are coming off a 20-day holiday break. With their body of work so far, including wins over WashU, Marymount, and Gettysburg (along with what I’ve see from an eye test perspective), JHU definitely belongs in the Top 20 for the time being.
  19. Whitman: I was skeptical of Whitman early, but watching the Blues defeat Wartburg how they did, and battle CNU all the way through, my skepticism was clearly a bit presumptuous. The loss to Willamette back on Dec. 2 still doesn’t look great on the resume, but neither does HSU’s loss to ETBU, or Smith’s loss to Mass.-Dartmouth. Whitman holds quality wins over Pacific, Colorado College, and Wartburg at this point, which should yield at least two RRO wins for the Blues. Schematically, Whitman has been very effective when it comes to passing on offense, with good reads and well-timed passes to the post. The Blues have also been pretty consistent with their offensive rebounding, and those second-chance opportunities are huge, especially in tight games.
  20. Bowdoin: A four-point loss to what is a very good Whittier team remains Bowdoin’s only blemish, as the Polar Bears are 8-1 with wins over Springfield, Bates, and Colby. Facing Chicago on Saturday will be Bowdoin’s toughest opponent yet, and I’m excited for that one. This team is led by Sydney Jones, a junior guard who seems to make plays left and right for Bowdoin on both ends of the floor, as she averages 14.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Bowdoin has used the same starting five for all nine games this season, and there is a sense of chemistry and cohesiveness seen when watching the Polar Bears play. I would guess that consistency in the starting lineup has something to do with it.
  21. Trinity (TX): Depth is the concerning aspect of things with Trinity, and it was evident in the Tigers’ two losses in Oregon against Willamette and Puget Sound last week. Injuries certainly factored into that, with Natalie Anderson being unavailable for both games, and Maggie Robbins playing sparingly against Willamette and not at all against Puget Sound. Ava Limoncello played sparingly in both games as she came off an injury suffered against Southwestern on Dec. 2. So the impact of those injuries cannot be overstated. At the end of the day, Trinity is 8-3 with losses to really strong teams, but the performance we saw on the West Coast certainly hurt the Tigers’ Top 25 standing. We’ll see what the D3hoops.com Classic brings, as Trinity faces Ohio Northern and Framingham State on consecutive days.
  22. Trine: The Thunder are 8-2 and much like in past years, it seems the MIAA title will come down to Hope or Trine. Having watched Trine battle UW-Stout so closely, and beat Ohio Northern on the road, the Thunder are clearly playing at a Top 25 level. Early on, that was a little tougher to see, but as the season progresses, Trine is definitely solidifying itself within these rankings. Two challenging non-conference duels are on tap for the Thunder against Carnegie Mellon and Gettysburg later this week.
  23. Mary Hardin-Baylor: The Cru is 11-1 under Katie Novak-Lenoir, in her first year as head coach of the program, and currently holds an 11-game win streak after beating Berry and Millsaps in New York City. Playing with pace and rebounding incredibly well, UMHB is playing at a very high level right now. The Crusaders’ only loss came against Trinity (TX) in the season opener, and was a game that saw UMHB hold a 10-point second-half lead, only for Trinity to mount an incredible comeback and steal the win. Again, keep an eye on the ASC title race. Between UMHB, HSU, and McMurry, it will be an exciting league to watch in Region 10.
  24. DeSales: The Bulldogs continue to win with great defense, as per usual, and taking Scranton into OT was a point in their favor. They slowed down the Scranton scoring attack, and previous to that, beat Messiah by 20 in an impressive victory. DeSales is 7-2 and has a very tough start to MACF play, so keep an eye on these next few weeks for DeSales. The Bulldogs face Arcadia, Lebanon Valley, and Stevens by mid-January. All three have a legitimate shot to be regionally-ranked.
  25. Loras: The Duhawks slid into the #25 spot, and it wasn’t easy. Tufts, Elizabethtown, Webster, Catholic, and Trinity (CT) were all very much in the mix for #25, but Loras ultimately won out. 8-2 overall with a recent win over Elizabethtown in Puerto Rico looks pretty good, and the 51-36 victory over Coe back on Nov. 21 is even stronger now that Coe is off to a 10-2 start. The win over Elizabethtown showcased Loras’ offensive strengths, as the Duhawks shot 50.9 percent from the field, had 36 points in the paint, and Silvana Scarsella scored 30. If Loras can keep that kind of offensive rhythm going into ARC play, the Duhawks will be tough to beat.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Previewing today’s must-see matchups

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December 9, 2023

Riley Zayas

We’ve arrived at the final big-time slate of games until we reach the final couple days of December. A large number of programs will take a break from games for finals and the holidays after this, so this is the last opportunity we have to see several of these top-tier programs in action for a couple of weeks.

Taking a look at the schedule, 19 members of the D3hoops.com Top 25 are in action today, and we have a number of pretty intriguing matchups, even in games involving one ranked team and one unranked team. So here are a few games that stick out to me on today’s slate, with tip-off times listed in eastern time. and rankings from the D3hoops.com Top 25 listed (when applicable) in front of the team’s name.

Messiah at #22 Mary Washington | 1:00 p.m. | Messiah struggled earlier this week against DeSales, but has a great opportunity to get back in the win column against a talented Mary Washington squad. Led by versatile guard/forward Jordan Carpenter, Mary Washington is 7-1, with the only hiccup having come in an overtime loss to Randolph-Macon. Last Saturday’s 67-60 win over Marymount was a notable victory for the Eagles, but perhaps Messiah would end up being a better quality win when this season is all said and done. Mary Washington still doesn’t have a strong win on its resume up to this point, which is one of the reasons I have not had them on my Top 25 ballot. Messiah will certainly be a good test, and Messiah comes into this game with a 5-2 mark. The Falcons will need a solid defensive effort to pick up a road win here, and they are certainly capable of that. Excited for this one.

Univ. of New England at Bates | 1:00 p.m. | Bates has been really impressive out of the gate, as the Bobcats are 7-1. They struggled against Bowdoin on Monday, but bounced back to edge a good Colby team (who has beaten Babson and MIT), 55-54, on Wednesday. UNE is 6-3, and has been inconsistent throughout those first nine games, with some very favorable wins and a couple of not-so-great losses. So I don’t know what to expect from this one. Interesting factoid for you, though…these two teams have played 10 times since the 2009-10 season…and never has one team won consecutive meetings. Bates won in OT, 86-85, the last time they played in 2018-19, so UNE is a due for a win this time around!

Dickinson at Johns Hopkins | 2:00 p.m. | I had JHU in my Top 25 this past week, and have been really impressed by the Blue Jays’ start to the season, with a 7-1 record and wins over WashU, Marymount, and Gettysburg. But Dickinson has also shown some really good stuff in this early part of the schedule, having battled Elizabethtown well in the season opener, and beaten Muhlenberg (who previously beat DeSales) on the road, 51-44. I know Dickinson didn’t look very good against Gettysburg earlier this week, but don’t count the Red Devils out. They have an effective defensive approach that should challenge JHU a little bit, especially in the opening two quarters.

Ithaca at SUNY New Paltz | 2:00 p.m. | Wanted to quickly mention this one, as it is a Region 3 matchup that could have some interesting regional ranking implications. Head-to-head wins in-region are very valuable, and both Ithaca and New Paltz have an opportunity for a H2H win over the other this afternoon. Ithaca is off to a 6-2 start, but really doesn’t have a top-quality win on its resume yet. And New Paltz is 5-1, with a notable win over Vassar (who beat Ithaca, 76-68, not too long after losing to New Paltz).

#16 Tufts at #1 NYU | 3:00 p.m. | NYU has been pretty much everything we expected the Violets to be, with incredible depth, talent, and significant margins of victory. But Tufts is the toughest opponent NYU has faced as of yet. The Violets dispatched MIT and Johns Hopkins fairly convincingly, so they have that in their favor, but Tufts matches up better against NYU in my opinion. Maggie Russell is fantastic, especially on the offensive end, but Samantha Sousa has really stepped up and is averaging 13.3 points per game right now. Sofia Gonzalez is another strong contributor, and between Sousa and Gonzalez at guard and Russell at forward, NYU will have its hands full on the defensive end. NYU certainly has enough depth to beat pretty much anybody in the country, but All-America transfer Morgan Morrison did not play against Connecticut College last Sunday, so keep an eye on her status. She has the ability to completely change a game, and if she is available, the Violets become even more of a favorite to win this matchup. Really excited to see how this one unfolds!

#9 Millikin at Carroll | 3:00 p.m. | The CCIW is a fantastic league this season, and Millikin has been so impressive, especially offensively, thus far. Led by Elyce Knudsen (27.4 PPG), this is a Millikin team that is really tough to slow down considering the depth and efficiency with which they play. But Carroll took Chicago in OT and competed well with UW-Whitewater earlier in the year, and averages 13.7 steals per game on the defensive end. I wouldn’t count the Pioneers out, though I certainly think Millikin is playing at an incredibly high level right now.

MIT at #13 Trinity (CT) | 3:30 p.m. | Trinity took a tough loss on Thursday to Roger Williams, but the Bantams are back on their home court and have a chance to head into their winter break on a high note. MIT really showed us what it could do against another high-level opponent last week, winning 66-63 at Tufts. That was huge for the Engineers’ overall resume at this point, and the question will be if they can carry that momentum with them on the road again, facing another nationally-ranked opponent. MIT entered this season with the potential for a strong year and is 5-2 at this point. A win over Trinity just might put MIT into the Top 25, but Trinity isn’t going to let that happen easily. Head coach Emily Garner will have her squad ready, and with the experience on this roster, the Bantams know how to win big games. I won’t be surprised if this one comes down to the final minute or so.

Colorado College at #23 Whitman | 7:00 p.m. | For Whitman to stay in the Top 25, this is a must-win game. And Colorado College is the toughest opponent the Blues have faced. This is a game on Whitman’s home court, but Colorado College, as one of the most remote schools in D-III (as far as proximity to other D-III programs goes) is no stranger to winning on the road. The only two losses the Tigers have suffered this season came against NYU and Tufts on a trip to the northeast, and I would expect that those matchups have helped CC identify some of its weaknesses and correct those moving forwards. The Tigers have one of the most effective post players in the country in Zoë Tomlinson (16.6 PPG, 12.3 RPG), which should aid in the effort. Whitman looked really sharp against Schreiner last night, winning in commanding fashion, 90-44. We’ll see if they can carry that momentum into tonight’s matchup. The Blues are 6-1 overall and certainly the frontrunner to claim the NWC title in a very competitive league up in the northwest.

As a quick reminder, you can find the complete schedule for today’s contests (along with links to the live stats/livestreams) on D3hoops.com.

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ETBU women’s basketball will be in midst of national spotlight, faces LSU tonight in Tigers’ first game since winning national title

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By Riley Zayas, The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

It was early April, and ETBU head coach Blake Arbogast and his staff found themselves at the 2023 Women’s Final Four in Dallas. LSU stole the show in Sunday’s championship game, taking down Iowa for the D-I national title on Sunday afternoon, winning under the direction of second-year head coach Kim Mulkey.

Of the eight teams in attendance–four from the D-I ranks, and two from the D-II and D-III ranks (the D-II and D-III championship games were played at the D-I Final Four in a unique setup)–LSU was the closest in proximity to the Lone Star State. After all, Baton Rouge sits just four hours and 20 minutes from Marshall, Texas, the home of ETBU.

At this point in the spring, Arbogast and his staff had struck out in pretty much all of their original queries for D-I opponents for the 2023-24 schedule, from Stephen F. Austin to Lamar, due to a variety of factors. Throughout his three-year tenure in Marshall, Arbogast had made it a point to get at least one D-I opponent on the schedule each season, giving his team a unique opportunity to face stiff competition and get the “D-I experience” in an early season exhibition.

So he decided to take a shot at getting the reigning national champions on the slate.

“Me and my staff were out at the Final Four, enjoying it, and LSU wins,” Arbogast said. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to see if they [have a date available for an exhibition].’ So I sent Mulkey an email. I didn’t think much of it.”

It was several weeks before a response found its way into his inbox. He was doubtful initially, as the days turned into weeks. But a reply from Baton Rouge came through, sure enough.

“A couple weeks go by and I originally thought, ‘Oh well, you have to shoot your shot. That’s alright.’ And then on my anniversary with my wife, I got an email from one of Mulkey’s assistants who handles scheduling, saying that they had October 26th open, asking if we could make that work.

“I said, ‘Absolutely,’ and then called my assistant and said, ‘Hey, clear October 26th. Clear whatever we had that day…because we’re going to LSU.’”

The high-level scheduling was initially met with a hint of surprise when Arbogast first mentioned it to his team. After all, per research done by ETBU’s Sports Information Department, this marks the first time in women’s college basketball history dating back to 2000 that a D-III team has faced the reigning D-I national champ to begin the season.

LSU is undoubtedly the biggest brand in women’s college basketball currently, as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, led by a recognizable figure in Mulkey, who previously led the program at Baylor for 21 seasons. And then there’s the roster LSU has put together, with three of the Top 5 NIL earners in women’s college hoops per On3.com. That would be Angel Reese (No. 1), Flau’jae Johnson (No. 2), and Hailey Van Lith, a transfer from Louisville (No. 5). Van Lith was a key contributor to the USA 3-on-3 Women’s National Team that won gold at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup this past summer, and Reese was part of the USA Women’s National Team that finished as runners-up in the FIBA AmeriCup in July.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Arbogast added. “LSU had players who were representing our country this past summer and brought home medals and hardware as the best in the world. So it’s a great opportunity, not only for ETBU and our girls, but for D-III women’s basketball, truthfully.”

That isn’t to say putting together the scouting report has been easy. Not when you’re prepping for the nation’s top-ranked team, with a very experienced roster, who will be playing on its home court for the first time since winning it all in April. But that is a challenge Arbogast and his staff have embraced. If anything, it’s good practice considering three of ETBU’s first four non-conference opponents in the regular season are likely Top 25 teams (Trinity (TX), Elizabethtown, Christopher Newport).

“We’re excited. It’s honestly tricky when we’re doing a scouting report on the best of the best, since you’re trying to find flaws and things like that. So it’s been fun from a coaching perspective too. We’re going to go in there and try to represent the university, ourselves, and D-III the best we can.”

For the players on the ETBU roster, it is a similar feeling of excitement. In several cases, it is an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with players they have been watching on national television for years, and a team that played in front of 20,000 in an NBA arena just over six months ago.

“One of our transfers is actually from Louisiana, and idolizes Hailey Van Lith,” Arbogast said. “So she’s excited to be on the same floor as her. And we have a post player, who, for all of last year, couldn’t stop talking about Angel Reese. So I’m like, ‘Alright, well here you go.’”

When it comes to getting the nation’s No. 1 D-I team on the schedule for a preseason exhibition, or traveling to the home court of last year’s D-III national runner-up, ETBU has not shied away from difficult matchups early in the season. Much of that is a credit to the administration, Arbogast said, who have supported his program well and provided it with opportunities to go up against the best.

“Our administration is great. During that Covid year, they really understood that over 50 percent of our student population is athletes so they let us, within reason, get a full 25-game schedule. We were one of the few able to do that. So our administration does a great job at supporting athletics and having the best chance available and the best experience.

“At the end of the day, you have to play the best to see where you’re at. With the way our conference is, UT-Dallas was the No. 4 seed [in last year’s ASC Tournament] and they go win the tournament. Hardin-Simmons needed to have a good enough strength-of-schedule and resume [to get into the NCAA Tournament]. So it’s good for us to play these teams early.”

The contest will tip off at 7 p.m. CT and be broadcasted on SEC Network Plus. A radio broadcast is also available at lsusports.net/audio. Live stats can be found here.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Mid-October thoughts

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It’s time…the offseason is over. We’ve got games tipping off in less than 30 days and I can’t wait! No more posting once every other week for me, haha. At least not until April. After jumping into this blog/newsletter thing literally as the first games of the year tipped off last season, I feel both more prepared and more confident now as we head into this season. My knowledge base increased tremendously with the help of so many fans, supporters, and coaches, last season, and I truly appreciate each and every one of you for following along as I figured out how all of this worked along the way.

I am extremely excited for what this season is going to bring. I’ll be working on a very fun, insightful D3 basketball project over the course of the next couple years that I’ll write about a bit more as the season draws closer. Long story short, I’ll get to see plenty of games in lots of new places, and that has me pumped, especially as I start to look at the next few months!

But anyway, that’s probably enough of an intro. I don’t plan on changing too much with the setup of this newsletter, especially as we get into the season. I’ll still have a breakdown of my Top 25 each week on Mondays, and thoughts each morning on the previous day’s games/results. Often, I’ll change the format of those daily posts, just to keep it interesting, but all of the same content will still be there. I do my best to highlight all 10 regions and the best individual and team performances on a daily basis, but if I miss anything (because I know I will), please don’t hesitate to reach out with a comment or note. It always helps when someone draws my attention to a 30+ point game from a player or a record-setting performance from a team’s defense. Because let’s face it…there are 428 D-III women’s basketball teams…that’s a lot to follow!

As the season nears, more and more teams have released their rosters, which often gives very helpful clarification on a program’s returning group, any previously unknown transfers, and of course, which players decided to use their Covid year to return for a fifth season.

On that note, Hardin-Simmons was not included in my Early Preseason Top 30. There were too many question marks as to their stellar senior class from last season, and how many, if any, would be back. If you remember, HSU went 24-4 in 2022-23, with three of those losses coming to Trinity (TX) and finished the ASC schedule with a flawless 18-0 mark.

I came across HSU’s new roster a few days ago, and it confirmed what a few sources had previously told me. Point guard Paris Kiser, forward Parris Parmer, and guard Samantha Tatum are all back as graduate students. All three were 500-600 minute players for HSU last season, and were three of the Cowgirls’ top four leading scorers. That is incredible valuable. HSU just vaulted into my Top 25, now that these returners are confirmed. Kiki Gonzales and Kylie Ellsworth will both be back as well after seeing significant playing time (mostly off the bench) last season, and the depth on this roster will be a strength for HSU. I’ll get a chance to see them play in person here in about 22 days when they battle Baylor in an exhibition in Waco.

Let’s continue with the 5th-year discussion a little bit. As if we needed one more thing to make the WIAC interesting, Macy Nilsen is back on the roster for UW-River Falls. She was a First Team All-WIAC honoree last year and averaged 14.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Edna, Minn. native put the team on her back at multiple points last season, and with 71% of last year’s squad back, UWRF will be a tough out for any team in the WIAC. Who knows what will happen in that league from week to week. Very excited to see that conference title race unfold.

Another interesting storyline to follow will be that of Sofia Rosa, who set the Tufts program record for field goal percentage in 2019-20. After playing four years at Tufts, she joined the MIT coaching staff as an assistant last season. But her name has since resurfaced on Smith’s roster as a player! It appears that Rosa is using her 5th year and will add some serious depth in the post to a team that loses WBCA Player of the Year Morgan Morrison, who is playing her 5th year at NYU. Rosa is a 6-foot-2 center who scores well around the rim, and should be a tough matchup for any NEWMAC opponent.

Out on the West Coast, keep an eye on Amanda Inserra to be in for a big year. UC-Santa Cruz isn’t the NCAA Tournament contender they were last year (from a projections standpoint) but Inserra’s return should give the Banana Slugs a bit of a boost. She averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 boards per game last season, and on an 11-player roster, I expect she’ll be on the floor for 30+ minutes per game again. UCSC has some experience on its roster, but last year’s group was unbelievably talented. Losing a Kaylee Murphy, Ashley Kowack, or Tess Oakley-Stilson is tough. Losing all three at the same time to graduation is really difficult.

I will say, UCSC did get a bunch of D3 games, which is good to see considering how tough of a scheduling battle they have. Matchups against Whitworth, Whitman, Pomona-Pitzer, Pacific, Hamilton, NYU, UW-Platteville, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps highlight the schedule. Monica Armstrong will be in her first year as UCSC’s head coach this season. Definitely wish her the best of luck in that new role!

Speaking of the West Coast, the Northwest Conference (NWC) might be one of the more underrated leagues in the country heading into this season. The talent and depth on some of these rosters is impressive, and I believe there are at least three legitimate NWC title contenders. Puget Sound brings back standouts in Kennedy Brown, Sophie Nilsson, and Katie Minnehan who were all very fun to watch throughout last season. They finished 21-5 and seem ready to take a step forward, especially with a non-conference schedule that includes games with UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire, Illinois Wesleyan, Trinity (TX) and possibly John Carroll. Pacific has 99% of its roster back and they had Puget Sound’s number last season. Twice they beat the Loggers in the span of about two weeks, and missed an NCAA Tournament berth by a six-point margin in the NWC title game against Whitman. Whitman is the third contender, and they too, have a bunch of returning talent. With forwards Korin Baker and Lindsay Drango leading the way, Whitman is poised for another strong year. Carly Martin is the top returning guard, and while I think the strength of this team is at the forward/wing position, Whitman should be plenty good in the backcourt too.

As I close this out, I see that Bob Quillman has published his intervew with Transylvania head coach Juli Fulks on his podcast, the Q-Cast. It’s definitely worth a listen. Coach Fulks always has phenomenal insight, and Bob does a nice job with asking unique and insightful questions. Listen here:

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwQRMPL5Ka0

I’ll end here, but updates will be coming much more frequently, especially once we get into preseason exhibitions here in about two weeks. Oct. 22 is the earliest date I have written down for D3 vs. D1 exhibitions/scrimmages as NJCU plays at Wagner. Looking forward to this season as tip off approaches! Have a great weekend.