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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Loras pulls off the upset, Top 25 showdowns go down to the wire

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December 21, 2022

Welcome back! Pretty exciting day in D3 women’s hoops yesterday, with games from mid-morning until late in the evening. And there were several that you couldn’t help but be on the edge of your seat as you watched the final quarter unfold. Here are a few of my thoughts from watching yesterday’s action, along with a big-time game to be looking ahead to today…

  • All these holiday tournaments make for some very early tip-off times, such as TCNJ’s battle in Puerto Rico with Susquehanna yesterday morning that began at 9 a.m. here in the central time zone. It was a nice win for TCNJ, who I think could be a viable contender in the NJAC, especially with NJ City struggling quite a bit at this point.
  • A game that I thought might have had the chance to turn out close between Loras and #9 Babson turned out to be nothing of the sort. Instead, Loras ran away with it, taking down a previously undefeated Babson team, 73-52. Loras has been on my watch list for a couple weeks now, and if you remember, this is not the first time the DuHawks have come up with a big win. They also took down UW-Eau Claire two weeks ago, which remains UWEC’s only loss of the season. Loras seems to have the right mix of guards and forwards who each contribute on both ends of the floor. Both Sami Martin and Silvana Scarsella had 20+ points in yesterday’s win. With that win, I’d think Loras has to enter the Top 25 conversation.
  • The first matchup involving two Top 25 teams came in #20 Puget Sound’s 59-58 win over #16 Mary Hardin-Baylor. Played on a neutral court, this had the feel of an NCAA Tournament game, and was back-and-forth in nature the whole way. UMHB led 59-58 with under 20 seconds to go, but PS inbounded the ball, dribbled around, and eventually found Grace Pytynia-Hillier, who drove to the free-throw line, and put up the game-winning shot with a tenth of a second left on the clock. Her shot won the game for PS, while UMHB lost its second straight. Regardless of the outcome in today’s game for PS against Trinity, this was a big-time resume-building win for the NWC title favorite.
  • The second matchup came on the west coast, as #18 UC Santa Cruz hosted #21 UW-Whitewater. There was a lot on the line for both teams, as I mentioned in yesterday’s write-up, and both teams played like it, with Whitewater pulling out a 61-60 victory. I thought a few too many fouls were called on plays that were borderline questionable, but hey, what do I know? Whitewater erased a two-point deficit and took a two-point lead in the span of less than 30 seconds, as Yssa Sto. Domingo came up with all four points. UCSC did a good job on the offensive end to get back into it after falling behind early, and shot 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the game. But down the stretch, with All-American Kaylee Murphy having fouled out for UCSC, Whitewater found a way to score at the right times.
  • Wartburg bounced back from a really rough showing against Scranton Monday and battled #10 Trine extremely well in Florida. But Trine emerged with a 60-56 win, keeping its win streak, now at six games, alive. Defining stat in this one was the rebounding totals: Trine outrebounded Wartburg 44-29, which is a huge margin for a four-point game. A few more offensive boards, and Wartburg could’ve been in a different position. What I will say though is that Wartburg gave up 13 offensive rebounds, but Trine scored just six points on those. Not a bad defensive showing. Still trying to figure out where Trine stacks up with the Top 15 or so in the nation.
  • Cortland beat Dickinson in what could actually be a win over a regionally-ranked opponent for Cortland, depending on how things shake out once regional rankings are released in February. Dickinson is a solid team, 4-1 right now in the Centennial Conference, but Cortland is also playing very well, at 9-2. The 63-54 win saw Cortland shoot 47% from 3-point range, and they held off an 18-9 run from Dickinson to close the game. Cortland is certainly in the national conversation, with its only losses coming to Ithaca and CNU, along with notable wins over Hamilton and SUNY Geneseo.
  • Key game today: #20 Puget Sound at #3 Trinity, 4 pm EST: This is a big one, and undoubtedly a result we will still be talking about come Selection Monday in March. PS has momentum after beating UMHB less than 24 hours ago on that game-winner, while Trinity has had a day to prepare and rest, not to mention playing on its home court. Both teams run a full-court press, so this will either be a game in which multiple players go for 20+ points, or a game where we see both sides turn the ball over about 20 times. It’s really a 50-50, and I think whoever executes better defensively comes out with the win. Massey matchup tool has Trinity winning 72-70…you don’t want to miss this one! Brian Yancelson has the call (and does a great job) on Trinity’s Tiger Network: https://www.youtube.com/@trinityuniversity/streams

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

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It’s that time of the week! The new Top 25 poll is set to drop sometime this evening, and though several teams were not in action at all over the last seven days, I do expect some slight changes as voters shuffle their ballot around. Though I don’t anticipate many new teams, if any, we should see the order of teams changed from last week’s poll after a handful of notable results, particularly Trine’s win at Hope and Chicago’s win at Whitewater. As I do every week, for the sake of transparency, and for fun, I have broken down my ballot. So here we go…

  1. NYU: Hope’s home loss to Trine on Saturday wasn’t terrible at all, but it was enough for me to move undefeated NYU into the #1 spot. NYU has played a relatively weak schedule thus far, though the Violets looked really good in their win over Tufts on the road, which gives me confidence in them moving into UAA play. 
  2. Hope: While the loss to Trine is disappointing, let us not forget that Hope still has wins over UW-Eau Claire and Calvin. Wins over IWU and Wisconsin Lutheran were notable early on, but with neither of those teams looking very sharp at this point, the strength of those wins diminishes a bit. 
  3. Transylvania: Transylvania stays #3 in my ballot and took care of business on the road at John Carroll on Saturday. We still haven’t seen the Pioneers truly tested in my opinion, and probably won’t until we reach NCAA Tournament time. 
  4. Trinity (TX): The Tigers have a showdown with #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor tonight in San Antonio in a game that will have concluded before this poll is released. But the game will be played after our voting deadline, so that result will factor into next week’s poll. Regardless, Trinity has looked strong throughout this entire year, and has two notable wins over Hardin-Simmons, one of which came on the road. I don’t see anyone, except maybe Schreiner, challenging Trinity all that much in SCAC play. 
  5. Christopher Newport: CNU dominated against Colorado College in Puerto Rico on Sunday, forcing 30 turnovers. CNU looks sharp once again this year, and with UCSC playing great basketball, and Mary Washington also in the mix, the C2C Tournament should be fairly exciting later this year. CNU hasn’t wavered yet, though we will see how the Captains fare against Cortland today on a neutral court. 
  6. Baldwin-Wallace: The 2OT win over Trine is looking especially good now that Trine beat Hope, and that win, along with victories over Wilmington and at Marietta, boost BW’s resume. The Yellow Jackets stay at No. 6 for me. 
  7. Scranton: Scranton’s win over Ithaca seems to be the one that really jumps out, though we’ll see them play Wartburg later today. Again, a lot of key games will be played late today, so we may see some movement come next week as a result of the results from today and tomorrow. Overall, Scranton has looked sharp to me, despite playing a relatively weak non-conference schedule. 
  8. Amherst: The Top 10 didn’t change much for me, as there were few results to go on. Amherst is looking true to its typical form, playing suffocating defense and relying on that to win games. So far, it’s led to a 7-0 record, though the SOS is lacking. Amherst holds just one notable win over Springfield, and that came by four points back on Nov, 15. 
  9. Babson: Babson gets a really nice test against an underrated Loras team tomorrow in Florida, but didn’t play at all this past week. Still, Babson stays at #9 for me this week, still undefeated, with a 7-0 record. 
  10. UW-Eau Claire: I brought UWEC back to No. 10 as I evaluated them further. The SOS number of the Blugolds of UWEC is a lot better (#8 in Massey SOS) compared to a lot of other Top 15 teams. Now, two losses are on their resume, but those were against Hope and Loras, both on the road. Not to mention wins over Wartburg, River Falls and La Crosse, all Top 40 Massey teams (Wartburg and La Crosse are both Top 20). I’ve seen enough to convince me that UWEC is still the WIAC’s best team right now. 
  11. Trine: Taking down #1 on its home court is huge. And that win for the Thunder will be well-rewarded in this poll. I moved them from #18 to #11, and if they continue playing to the level that they did Saturday, they’ll crack the Top 10 soon enough for me. Why aren’t they Top 10 right now? As I mentioned above, I look at this ballot more from a “total body of work” standpoint than a week-to-week standpoint, if that makes sense. Trine’s win over Hope is super impressive, considering I’ve had Hope at #1 this entire year. But, you can’t forget about the losses to Baldwin-Wallace and Ohio Northern, neither of which are bad losses at all, but in my opinion, are worse losses than UWEC’s. Again, this is one voter’s approach, so I have no problem if you don’t agree with my opinion on this. You could make a case for either UWEC or Trine at #10. 
  12. Springfield: At 9-1, Springfield’s only loss remains to Amherst. The Pride took down a solid Albertus Magnus team by 14 this past week, and I like the direction they are headed. Key matchup to look ahead to will be the Dec. 30 duel with Trinity (CT). Very excited for that one. 
  13. DeSales: Still undefeated, but with only one win on a Massey Top 50 team, DeSales is a program I’m paying close attention to. They looked sharp against Messiah back on Nov. 28, but I don’t know when we’ll see them really tested again. I’m a big believer in rewarding strong SOS as compared to just the W/L record, so putting DeSales 13 makes me somewhat uneasy. Time will tell. 
  14. Smith: Smith has the loss to Framingham State, but wins over Trinity (CT) and Bowdoin that look really good on their resume. I slid them up on spot from last week in my ballot, though I figure they’ll likely be ranked a couple spots higher. 
  15. UW-Whitewater: I went back and forth on putting Whitewater ahead of Chicago or not because Whitewater and Chicago have such similar resumes, though Chicago beat UWW on Wednesday behind a fourth quarter comeback. I tend to avoid placing too much emphasis on the head-to-head wins, because I feel you get a better perspective of a team by looking at their complete resume, rather than just one or two games when they really found a rhythm. Still, it helps a lot in these kinds of situations. Chicago’s best wins have come over Carroll (#42), Wheaton (#50), Whitewater (#11), and Wisconsin Lutheran (#86). Whitewater’s best wins are over Millikin (#21), IL Wesleyan (#30), UW-La Crosse (#16), and Augustana (#51). I don’t think the margin between the two is that large, but for now, Whitewater’s best wins more than make up for the two losses in my opinion. 
  16. Chicago: Reference my thoughts above…
  17. Mary Hardin-Baylor: As some of you know, I run the website True To The Cru, covering UMHB athletics, so I’m essentially a beat writer for Crusader sports, and have had several opportunities to see this team in action. I really think they are a Top 15 team, but felt Chicago deserved to move up which bumped UMHB down. However, a good showing in San Antonio tonight and tomorrow, and UMHB might just leap four or five spots up in my ballot since Trinity and Puget Sound are both Top 20 teams. For now, though, SOS-wise, and all things considering with the other teams in my ballot, UMHB is #17. 
  18. Rochester: With Chicago moving up, Rochester, like UMHB, slides back a little bit. I am excited for UAA play to begin, because I think we will have more clarity on both Rochester and Emory by that point. Rochester has some solid wins, having beat Messiah, St. John Fisher, and Ithaca, which gives me a lot of confidence as to how they will perform in a very deep UAA this season. They’re a clear Top 20 team for me.
  19. Puget Sound: The only blemish to Puget Sound’s record is a home loss to Wheaton, who is proving to be a very good team, and the more I watch them play, the more I am convinced PS can win in the NCAA Tournament. They lack strong defense, but can score in bunches and beat Coast Guard by 20 in their lone game of this past week. 
  20. UC Santa Cruz: UCSC moves up three spots in my ballot after shooting the ball very well against Cal Lutheran yesterday in a 75-54 win. The Banana Slugs are set to battle UW-Whitewater tomorrow in what will be a pivotal matchup for us as voters. For now, UCSC is No. 20, but a win tomorrow will put them much higher in my ballot. 
  21. Tufts: Let me make this clear: sliding Tufts down this far won’t be something every voter is doing. Tufts is certainly a quality team. But here’s what concerns me. When Maggie Russell is not on the floor, Tufts tends to struggle in a big way. But from a resume standpoint, I just don’t know. They’ve beaten three Massey Top 100 teams, but zero Top 50 teams, and didn’t look good against Emory or NYU. 
  22. Ithaca: Not much of an update on Ithaca. They don’t play again until January 2. Slightly concerning as that is a long break from their most recent game on Dec. 7. For now, Ithaca stays in my Top 25. We’ll see what the new year brings. 
  23. Hardin-Simmons: HSU drops a little bit in my poll, but not a lot, as the Cowgirls have rolled through their American Southwest Conference schedule. They’ll play Bates on Dec. 29 in Puerto Rico which should be a good resume boost and as I’ve said before, the consecutive losses to Trinity (TX) don’t look great, but I applaud Coach Kendra Whitehead for scheduling that. Her team is certainly better because of it and with PG Paris Kiser back on the floor, HSU is looking sharp. 
  24. Gustavus Adolphus: The Gusties have risen to #6 in Massey’s Ratings, but did not make last week’s Top 25. I’m keeping them at #24, and while Simpson’s continued fall hurts the SOS number a bit, wins over Augsburg, UW-Stout, and St. Benedict look really good right now. I honestly don’t know who in the MIAC will contend with Gustavus Adolphus this season. They’re playing great basketball right now. 
  25. Calvin: Calvin stays in my ballot at #25, though this was a tough one since Millikin, Bowdoin, and even UW-La Crosse are all knocking on the door. But considering Calvin’s two losses are to Hope and Trine, and the Knights have wins over Whitewater and Wisconsin Lutheran (though the latter result isn’t as good now as it was a month ago), there is reason enough for me to say Calvin most certainly deserves a spot in my ballot. 

So there you have it. Some great basketball has been played so far, with a handful of upsets already. And the day is far from over, with a solid slate tonight. Plus, stay tuned for the release of the new Top 25 on D3hoops.com. As always, send your thoughts/comments/questions in, either by commenting below or emailing me at rileyzayas@gmail.com.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December 18, 2022: Reacting to the weekend that was

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Hope this edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops finds you well on this Sunday night. We’re exactly one week away from Christmas, and plenty of teams played their final games before the holiday over the course of this weekend. There were a few upsets, some especially notable performances, and plenty of action overall, from Hawaii to the midwest United States, and all the way to Puerto Rico. So I’m going to put my reactions to these games below, including thoughts on where certain teams may fall in the Top 25, set to be released tomorrow.

I’ll try to keep these thoughts short. After all, a breakdown of my Top 25 ballot will be hitting your inboxes tomorrow around noon (so be sure you’re subscribed…it’s free!)…so here goes…

Saturday

#16 Trine, 76 @ #1 Hope, 64: The consensus #1 fell for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon, as Trine put together a near-perfect performance at DeVos Fieldhouse. It is very hard to win at DeVos, but as my colleague Scott Peterson wrote on Twitter yesterday, of Hope’s last seven seasons, the Flying Dutch have lost just seven times, five of those coming to Trine. It was Trine who ended Hope’s record win streak a year ago as well. So it goes without saying that the Thunder know how to win against Hope. To me, the key for Trine seemed to be its patience on offensive possessions, even against what was a high-pressure Hope defense for much of the contest. By staying patient and not turning the ball over as much as teams typically do against Hope, the Thunder found the open shooter time and time again. And when Hope’s defense finally seemed to slow Trine, it was just too late. Sidney Wagner was super impressive for Trine, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Hope will be fine coming out of this. Look what happened after last year’s loss to Trine; they won a national title. Though I don’t think they’ll be #1 come tomorrow’s poll.

And for Trine, I think we can officially say the Thunder are back on track. This win puts them in a good position in MIAA play, and I have little doubt Trine will find its way into the Top 13 (possibly even Top 10). More on this tomorrow.

Carroll, 57, Millikin, 72: I’ll be honest. After Millkin lost three times in five games early in the season, I wasn’t all too sure about where they stood heading into CCIW play. But since then, it’s been nothing but success for Olivia Lett’s squad, who is on a five-game win-streak and sits atop the CCIW at 4-0. Elyse Knudson had 31 in the win, but it seems like more players around her are stepping up on the offensive end, which in my opinion, is the major difference between the Millikin team we’re watching now, and the one that took those losses early on.

#3 Transylvania, 82, John Carroll, 39: Why am I bringing up a 43-point game? Because coming into it, several of us in the D3 WBB media circle thought this might be the long-awaited test for Transy that we had been hoping for. It’s hard to correctly slot a team in one’s Top 25 ballot, when that team is a proven tournament contender, but has zero wins against Massey Top 70 teams. But JCU didn’t put up much of a fight, and Transylvania was well-prepared, outscoring the Blue Streaks 25-5 in the second quarter. Very convincing performance from the Pioneers.

Greenville, 79, WashU, 70: WashU has been on my watch list pretty much since Week 1, and just hadn’t broken into my ballot yet. This loss will set the Bears back a good deal, considering Greenville was #191 according to Massey heading into that contest. I took a look at the box score from this one, trying to figure out what Greenville did so well on WashU’s home court. One of the major components was the free-throw shooting. Greenville went to the line 26 times, and made 23, while WashU was 15-of-23 on free-throws. That’s huge.

Ripon, 62, UW-Stevens Point, 51: With wins over Millikin, Carroll, Platteville, and Luther, UWSP seemed very much on the rise and had broken into the national conversation. But a loss to a Ripon team below .500 entering the game hurts UWSP’s ranking. Ripon shot a lot better, especially in the second half, and I was fairly impressed with how Ripon attacked UWSP in the paint. Those 30 paint points proved key in allowing Ripon to pull away.

Schreiner, 66, St. Mary’s (TX), 62: No, St. Mary’s is not a D-III program. It’s a D-II. And Schreiner went on the road and beat the Rattlers, who were 5-4 entering the contest and had beaten D-I Sam Houston State in an exhibition earlier this year. This won’t have much of an impact on Schreiner’s tournament resume as it’s a non-D3 result, but Schreiner is a program people need to start paying attention to. With a solid pressing defense, and several fleet-footed guards, the Mountaineers are very much on the rise. I’ve been very impressed by Schreiner’s performance so far this season.

Sunday

Luther, 89, Lake Forest, 95: This might go down as one of the best comebacks of the season. Luther led 45-20 at halftime, which was what I had expected, considering Luther was 7-3 and LFC was just 1-5. But LFC HC Tamlyn Tills must have given one fantastic halftime speech, because the small crowd in Hilo, Hawaii witnessed a dramatic rally, as the Foresters outscored Luther by 25 to send the game into overtime, where they won it. It was one of those pay-per-view-type livestreams, so I had to follow the live stats, but it seemed like Luther lost its focus late, and gave up several turnovers that led to layups for LFC. And the improved defense helped as well, as Luther made just one field goal in the final five minutes. Never say never.

Cal Lutheran, 54, #19 UC Santa Cruz, 75: I liked what I saw from UCSC today…they shot the ball with a lot of confidence (29-of-58), had a pair of 20-point scorers in Ashley Kowack (24) and Amanda Inserra (20), and had 24 assists to Cal Lu’s 13. This looks like a team ready to battle UW-Whitewater in a couple of days.

#5 Christopher Newport, 79, Colorado College, 45: Played in Puerto Rico on a neutral court, CNU dominated, with 35 points off 30 forced turnovers. CNU never trailed, and against CC, who had been playing decent basketball as of late (and scored 108 a couple nights ago), that is a notable result. CNU is built like a Final Four team this year, and I like the offensive balance the Captains bring to the table.

Well…that’s a look at a few of the games that piqued my interest over this weekend. We’ll see how the new Top 25 poll reacts to some of these results, and I’m looking forward to some of the matchups set to come in the next couple weeks, with several teams traveling out-of-region. As always, feel free to drop your comments below or email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com. Also, I often mention Scott Peterson in these posts…his rankings are now online and I’d encourage you to check them out! He has a model that ranks D3 WBB teams and if anything, it’s always nice to have another perspective, especially from a numbers standpoint. That is linked below.

https://scottdev.hashnode.dev/division-iii-womens-basketball-rankings

Enjoy the start to the week!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December, 17, 2022: Here’s 5 games you should be watching today

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Good morning! Welcome to this weekend edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops. There is a fantastic slate of games set for today, exactly a week before Christmas Eve (this month continues to fly by!), and with that, rather than selecting a “Game of the Day”, I’m going to quickly touch on the top five games you should be tuning into this afternoon and evening. The list starts with a big one…

#16 Trine @ #1 Hope, 3 pm EST: This rivalry played out twice in last year’s regular season, in the MIAA championship game, and in the Final Four, so these teams know each other well. Trine has rebounded from a pair of losses early on with three straight wins, but winning at DeVos Fieldhouse is awfully hard, and Hope continues to meet every test and challenge thrown its way.

Carroll @ Millikin, 3 pm EST: Millikin is 7-3, having won four straight since the loss to WashU and Carroll is 5-4, but with a very impressive SOS. Both teams are in the Top 40 in Massey’s rankings, and the lone two undefeated teams in CCIW play. Of course, only one will still be holding that one honor when the final buzzer sounds this afternoon in what should be a contest dominated by strong guard play.

#3 Transylvania @ John Carroll, 4 pm EST: I’m somewhat unsure about this one, as JCU did not look sharp at all in last night’s 81-60 loss to Marietta. The Blue Streaks have now dropped two straight by significant margins (the other loss coming to Capital), and while I was optimistic we would be able to use this matchup to grade Transylvania as voters, I have my doubts now. But still, JCU is on its home floor, and I know for a fact that head coach Beth Andrews will have her team well-prepared. This is a complete wild card in my opinion.

Wheaton @ Illinois Wesleyan, 3 pm EST: Another CCIW duel, this will be very competitive between two Top 70 Massey teams. IWU needs to build back some confidence after falling by 18 to Carroll last Saturday, while Wheaton has continued putting together a solid resume. These opponents share on common factor in that they both scheduled very tough in non-conference, which makes for great in-conference matchups, as both teams are battle-tested. Plus, in what I project to be a two (or dare I say, three) bid conference this year, these kind of matchups matter in a big way. IWU is currently tied for fourth in the league, and Wheaton is fifth.

Sul Ross State @ #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 2 pm EST: UMHB looked strong against Howard Payne Thursday, but SRSU, led by women’s basketball legend E.J. Lee Smith, in her first year as head coach, is on another level. The Lobos are 3-1 in the ASC, tied with UMHB for second place, and boast wins over Schreiner and Concordia-Chicago. UMHB beats you with depth, so the question is if SRSU can withstand the constant defensive pressure of the Cru, and do so for four quarters. I’ll be in Belton covering this one live. Just the second home game for UMHB this season.

Check out today’s full slate here! https://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/women/2022-23/schedule

A couple quick notes on yesterday’s games:

  • #19 UC Santa Cruz looked really strong in its first game in 12 days, taking down Linfield handily, 72-43. Tess Oakley Stilson had 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, as she drove to the lane and earned a number of scoring opportunities at the rim. Kaylee Murphy had 11 rebounds, 6 offensive, and UCSC is one of those teams where, if just a few players get going, they can quickly run away with it. Can’t wait for the Dec. 20 duel with UW-Whitewater.
  • UW-Stout is now 9-1 after rolling past Cornell last night, 64-46. The Blue Devils have won four straight on the road and hold wins over Oshkosh, Stevens Point, and Luther (all Massey Top 100 teams). Once again, Raegan Sorensen came off the bench to lead the team in points (19). It feels like one of those things where Stout head coach Hannah Quilling-Iverson puts five starters on the floor, and once the opponent subs in a few reserves midway through the first quarter to rest the starters, Sorensen is inserted.
  • #20 Puget Sound had little trouble in a 76-59 win over Redlands, shooting 43 percent and outscoring Redlands 42-26 in the second half. Really liked the balance I saw from PS on the offensive end…three starters finished in double figures in points, with Katie Minnehan and Sophie Nilsson scoring 17 apiece.

That’s all for today…tomorrow will be a sort of recap article/look ahead to Monday’s slate (which is going to be even better than today’s!) and then Monday will be my Top 25 breakdown. Not expecting a lot of Top 25 changes, though there will be some. And who knows what will happen today. Saturdays are traditionally a day for big upsets! Enjoy the day and this Christmas season!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December 15, 2022: What clicked for Chicago in its massive comeback?

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Last night gave way to a huge win for #21 Chicago. Not only did the Maroons back up their 8-0 record with a victory over #13 Wisconsin-Whitewater, but it was also Chicago’s first “big” win of the year. Coming into the matchup, their most notable win was a road defeat of Carroll, 70-61.

It seemed for the first three quarters that, despite what Chicago did defensively, the Maroons could not find a rhythm offensively, a testament to Whitewater’s defensive effort. Defense kept Chicago in the fight entering the fourth quarter, but still, trailing 45-35 with 10 minutes left, it seemed the Maroons’ first loss of the year might come in the very near future. In fact, Whitewater hit a three 1:30 into the fourth, taking an 11-point lead.

Then the comeback began.

A 9-2 Chicago run in the span of about three minutes cut the deficit to four, 50-46. Sophia North then took charge, scoring the Maroon’s next 7 points, the final two of which took the lead, 53-52. And Chicago never looked back. The hosts walked away with a 63-58 win, and an incredible resume boost in the process.

But what went so well for Chicago in that final quarter? What did the Maroons do right? I tried to answer a few of these questions as reflected on the victory this morning. Here’s a few of my thoughts…

For one thing, Sophia North got the ball in space, able to score with remarkable ease. She had been Chicago’s main source of offense all evening, with 15 through three quarters. But once the 4th began, perhaps due to the score, perhaps due to Whitewater’s defense seeming more spread out, North put 11 on the board. That included the seven-point span with under five minutes left that eventually gave the Maroons the lead. She was 4-of-6 from the field, and 2-of-2 at the FT line in the 4th.

Chicago NEVER sent Whitewater to the free-throw line in the fourth, a rare occurrence in tight games. Especially from a team who needed to play aggressive defense down the stretch in order to have a chance at victory. But Chicago was incredibly disciplined on that end of the floor in the final quarter, and forced the Warhawks to shoot the ball, rather than attempt to draw fouls. That might be the most impressive statistic, in my opinion.

Speaking of the free-throw line, the Maroons made plenty of trips there throughout the fourth, finishing 10-of-12 at the line. Six of those attempts came in the final 20 seconds, when Whitewater had no choice but to intentionally foul and hope Chicago missed. But the Maroons did not, and the ability to convert at the line down the stretch will serve Chicago well in UAA play, where I anticipate a lot of single-digit results this season.

Another factor was how well Chicago matched up with Whitewater in the post. Aleah Grundahl had a total of five points in the contest, and was held scoreless on three shots in the five minutes she played in the fourth. Whitewater’s go-to offensive weapon in the paint, Chicago made it tough on her to find open looks, which forced more three-point attempts from the Warhawks.

Those are four takeaways I had from that fourth quarter. If you have others, please drop them below. Everyone sees the game from a different perspective, which is one of the things I enjoy so much about sports across the board.

Getting to some other results from last night, here’s a few thoughts I had as I scrolled through the D3hoops.com scoreboard and checked in on various games…

Albertus Magnus actually did give Springfield a good test, and kept it closer than I had anticipated, considering the final was 79-65. Springfield only led 21-19 at the end of the first quarter, but outscoring Albertus Magnus by a combined 38-27 in the second and third quarters was the difference. Strong showing from Springfield’s Kayla Madden, who had 27 points, on 10-of-21 shooting, and was 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

The NACC is going to be a fun conference to follow this year. And the preseason “favorite” is not even in the top 4 in the standings right now! Concordia-Chicago is 5-0 in NACC play, St. Nobert is 4-0, Concordia (WI) is 4-1, and Aurora is 3-1. Aurora looked impressive in its eighth win of the year last night, trouncing Eureka (who admittedly is not a team in the national conversation at just 2-6), 98-63. Still, the offense from Aurora has been stellar. The Spartans have scored 90 points three times already this year.

Keep an eye on UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC. Matt Hockett has his team off to an 8-2 start, with notable wins at Millikin and Carroll, along with a victory over UW-Platteville that looks really good right now. The two losses to UW-Stout and St. Nobert aren’t bad either. Stevens Point is now ranked No. 40 by Massey, and has a matchup against Wheaton (#64 by Massey) on Dec. 29 that could be another resume builder. That said, 2-5 St. Mary’s (MN) gave UWSP a real fight last night, though UWSP came out with an 81-79 OT win. Alexa Thomson’s layup gave the Pointers the lead with 59 seconds left, and UWSP held St. Mary’s scoreless for the final minute.

Amongst the biggest jumps forward in Massey’s ratings was Capital, who took down Olivet, 48-38, last night at home. Capital, now 8-2, rose 11 spots to #89 according to Massey, with the victory.

We will see what happens in tonight’s action. No particularly notable matchups, though I am interested to see if Greensboro moves to 5-0 in USAC play with a win over Ferrum tonight. Greensboro has looked fairly good this season, though the schedule that they’ve played hasn’t been particularly impressive. Still, if they keep playing well in the USAC, an automatic bid could be coming their way. Enjoy the evening!