Women: Here to stay

More news about: Capital | Stevenson | UW-Whitewater
Dec 02, 2015
Andrea Olson came off the bench to score 21 points in UW-Whitewater's win over Elmhurst.
 Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

After entering the national rankings on Monday, UW-Whitewater and Capital showed they may stick around a while by registering impressive victories on Wednesday.

After a close first half in Wisconsin, Elmhurst posted a 7-0 run midway through the third quarter to take a 46-44 lead over No. 20 UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks cranked up their defense and forced turnovers in four of the Bluejays' next five possessions. Meanwhile Whitewater put together a 10-0 run to seize control of the game. The Warhawks outscored Elmhurst by 14 in the second half and went on to win, 81-65. Box score

Whitewater shot 49 percent from the field, including 56 percent from three, and outscored the Bluejays 52-34 in the paint. Andrea Olson led the Warhawks with 21 points in 28 minutes while Kaela Jones scored 18 points in 19 minutes for Elmhurst. Photo gallery

No. 17 Capital showed why it was the preseason favorite in the OAC by holding Wilmington to four assists on 23 turnovers in a 67-45 victory. Kristen Thompson paced the Crusaders' balanced attack with 17 points and eight rebounds. Box score

Two other teams who entered the Top 25 poll this week had less success outside of Division III. No. 19 Trinity (Texas) hung with Division I Houston Baptist for a while before the Cougars pulled away, 60-46. No. 23 Carthage picked up its first loss of the season 63-61 against NAIA foe Clarke.

A few Top 25 teams found tougher sledding than usual in their conference openers, but still posted victories. No. 7 Hope needed a dominant fourth quarter at home to shake off Trine, 64-50. No. 14 FDU-Florham built a 22-point halftime lead and then withstood Misericordia's rally for a 62-54 win. Concordia-Moorehead closed within two points of No. 9 St. Thomas in the closing minutes, but the Tommies hung on for a 52-47 victory.

Waynesburg hung with No. 1 Thomas More for a quarter before the Saints blew the Comets away, 93-68. 

Outside the Top 25, Stevenson put its slow start to the season further behind them by beating Messiah, 63-49. The Mustangs shot 50 percent from the field and held the Falcons to 32 percent shooting. Rowan beat Rutgers-Camden 69-58 to stay perfect. The Profs are the only unbeaten team in the NJAC at 6-0.

Jennifer Fabian returned to her hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania one more time and scored a career-high 27 points in King's 85-74 win over Delaware Valley. Bethany picked up its first win over St. Vincent since 2009 by holding the Bearcats to six points in the first quarter.