| Regan Freeland and Simpson had an eye-opening performance against No. 5 Wartburg on Saturday afternoon. Simpson University athletics file photo |
No. 12 Simpson and Stevens used fast starts to surge to victory while Mary Hardin-Baylor finished strong and No. 10 DePauw fended off Oberlin in Saturday's women's action.
- Saturday men's scoreboard
- Saturday women's scoreboard
- Saturday men: Hardin-Simmons, Wheaton beat the unbeaten
- Hoopsville: Feeling fine at 25
- More headlines: Men | Women
The only Top 25 matchup of the day turned into a rout. No. 12 Simpson shot 51 percent from the field, tallied 32 assists and built a 30-point lead on its way to an eventual 90-74 win over visiting Wartburg. The Storm set the tone early, hitting five 3-pointer in the first five minutes and opening up an 18-3 lead. Sophomore Regan Freeland took over in the third quarter, scoring eight points in seven minutes, including two more triples. Simpson (7-0, 3-0 A-R-C) led by 27 when it removed its starters during the fourth period.
Freland led all scorers with 23 points, and she had plenty of help. Kia Rasmussen, Anna Wanek and Cassie Nash scored 15 points each and All-American Jenna Taylor finished one point shy of a double-double. Hannah Anderson scored 13 points for Wartburg (7-1, 2-1 A-R-C), which will host the rematch in late January.
Fast starts in both halves lifted Stevens to a 63-53 win at home over No. 19 Scranton. The Ducks scored the first eight points of the game and led 18-6 with a couple minutes left in the first period. The Lady Royals scratched back to trail by just one at the half and took the lead, 29-27, on Abby Anderson’s three-pointer to open the third quarter. But Stevens scored the next 15 points and led 42-29 after back-to-back threes from Allie Moss and Vanessa Elliott. The Ducks led by two-plus possessions the rest of the way.
Moss led Stevens (8-2) with 17 points and Jess Broad added a double-double for the Ducks. Anderson and Bridget Monaghan combined for 34 points for Scranton (6-2).
Mary Hardin-Baylor stayed perfect in the ASC with an impressive fourth quarter that propelled the Crusaders to a 64-52 win at No. 14 Hardin Simmons. The Cru outscored the Cowgirls 24-10 and held HSU to 4-for-17 shooting in the final period. Mary Hardin-Baylor (5-2, 3-0 ASC) got 10 points off the bench, including seven in the fourth period, from YuYu Adeleke. Paris Parmer notched 19 points and 11 rebounds for Hardin-Simmons (8-3, 3-2 ASC).
Mallory and Grace Stephens combined for 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and No. 17 East Texas Baptist sent LeTourneau to its first conference loss, 75-63.
Illinois Wesleyan lost four of its first five games, but the Titans showed they will still be a factor in the CCIW race by handling No. 16 Wheaton (Ill.), 81-62. Illinois Wesleyan (4-4, 2-0 CCIW) used its press defense to generate 14 turnovers and outscored the Thunder 23-7 in the fast break. Hannah Swider scored 23 for Wheaton (9-2, 2-2 CCIW).
Oberlin hung tough with No. 10 DePauw before the Tigers pulled out a 55-50 victory over the Yeowomen. Oberlin (8-1, 3-1 NCAC) led 25-23 at the half and had the game tied at 48 with six minutes to play. DePauw took the lead on Grace Kinsey’s layup with 3:40 left and then held Oberlin to just two points the rest of the way. DePauw (9-0, 4-0 NCAC) will travel to Oberlin for the rematch in February.
No. 1 Hope tuned up for next week's showdown with Trine by trouncing Kalamazoo, 112-31. The Flying Dutch (9-0, 2-0 MIAA) posted a season-high 31 assists and allowed just nine points in the second half. No. 7 Trine had a similarly easy time in clobbering Olivet, 78-20. The Thunder (8-1, 3-0 MIAA) used 15 players and 13 of them scored.
No. 15 Tufts didn't start particularly strong, but the Jumbos finished well enough to beat MIT, 81-65. After trailing 38-37 at the half, Tufts outscored the Engineers 46-27. Maggie Russell had her fourth double-double of the season for Tufts (7-1) with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
No. 23 Gettysburg held Haverford to 26 points on 12 for 68 shooting and the Bullets cruised to victory, 50-26. Carly Rice and Mackenzie Tinner scored 12 apiece for Gettysburg (7-1, 5-0 Centennial).
TCNJ B-E-A-T NJCU 64-60 in a back-and-forth battle that had 20 lead changes. The Lions trailed New Jersey City 59-55 in the closing minute until a Julia Setaro three-pointer and Arianna McCleod put-back put TCNJ in front, 60-59. On the Lions' next possession, Setaro hit two free throws to extend the lead to 62-59 and then added two more, giving her a career-high 33 points.
Springfield finished a perfect first semester with a 49-37 road win at Connecticut College. Sam Hourihan posted 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Pride (10-0).