Women's wrap: Road bites hard

More news about: Augsburg | Luther | UW-River Falls
Jan 13, 2016
The Falcons improved to 12-2, 3-0 in the WIAC.
 UW-River Falls athletics file photo by Kathy M Helgeson

The road bug bit hard Wednesday night, claiming victims in UW-Whitewater, Wartburg and Bethel, among others, in a big night of conference play in Division III women's basketball. Meanwhile, UW-Stevens Point coach Shirley Egner picked up her 500th career win, also in a road game.

Kate Theisen scored a game-high 22 points to lead four scorers in double figures as UW-River Falls knocked off No. 8 UW-Whitewater 74-69 in River Falls.

The Falcons (11-2, 2-0 WIAC) built up a 16-point halftime lead and led by 13 going into the fourth quarter before a Kelsey Frey 3-pointer capped a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to 70-68. Theisen answered with a layup 30 seconds later, however, and scored again with 1:59 left to put the game away. UW-Whitewater fell to 12-1, 1-1.

Wartburg picked up its first loss of the young IIAC season as well, as Tayler Jenks and Kylie Romeo scored 19 points apiece to lift Luther to a 78-68 win vs. its 13th-ranked archrival. The Knights (12-2, 2-1 IIAC) cut a 17-point deficit to seven with two minutes to go but could get no closer. Luther improved to 11-3 and 3-0.

Jessica Lillquist hit a layup with five seconds left and Bethel followed up its road blowout win vs. St. Thomas with a 58-56 loss to Augsburg. They were the only five seconds in which the Auggies (8-6, 3-4 MIAC) led. Maria Loughlin scored a game-high 23 points for Augsburg, which held Bethel's Rachel Parupsky to seven points. Photo gallery.

No. 14 UW-Stevens Point led from start to finish to earn Egner's 500th career victory with a 67-48 road win over UW-Platteville. Joann Wolfenberg and Lexi Roland each had season-high point totals for UW-Stevens Point (12-2, 3-0 WIAC), which earned its ninth consecutive victory. The win made Egner the 17th Division III women's basketball head coach with 500 career wins, as she now boasts a career record of 500-214 (.700).

Albion had a stellar night from beyond the arc but turned the ball over 18 times and got outrebounded 44-31 as No. 5 Hope defeated the Britons 66-54. Angelique Gaddy led the Flying Dutch (14-0, 6-0 MIAA) with 18 points, a career high, and added a career-high nine assists. 

Rowan went on a 17-5 run in the third quarter and outscored William Paterson 20-8 in the fourth in an 81-59 win. The Profs (14-1, 8-0 NJAC) are off to their best start since 1999-00. Anyssa Sanchez scored 14 points and had seven rebounds, while Melissa Lake added 13 points and eight boards. Montclair State lost for the fourth time in six games, falling 65-54 at Stockton. The Red Hawks, who averaged 29 wins the past three seasons, stand at 10-5, 6-2 in the NJAC.

No. 18 Calvin rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit and scored 58 points in the second half to defeat Adrian 91-81. Antoinea McElroy registered a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs, but Calvin harrassed her into 13 turnovers as well. Ali Spayde scored a game-high 26 points for the Knights (11-3, 6-0 MIAA). "Tonight showed we have a lot of character in this program," said Calvin coach John Ross. "To respond after we struggled a bit and Adrian came out incredibly well, it just shows the heart of our players. We talked about our heart and having to play harder in the locker room at halftime and I was really proud with how we responded."

Olivia Murphy reached 1,000 career rebounds and the Beacons needed every one of them as Mass-Boston slipped past Plymouth State 57-56. But the last rebound came from Raven Kelsey, who corralled a misssed shot on Plymouth State's final possession to seal the win.

Christopher Newport scored 40 of his 58 points in the second half as the Captains handed Mary Washington its first CAC loss of the season, 58-48. CNU went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter, led by freshman forward Jessica Daguilh, who scored seven of her nine points in the second half.

St. Mary's (Minn.) improved to 13-1, 7-0 in the MIAC, with a 61-55 win vs. Concordia-Moorhead. Bridget Pethke and Brandi Blattner scored 17 points apiece. The Cardinals have a two-game lead on St. Thomas and Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC standings.