|
| Delaney Williams made four of Wittenberg's 11 three-pointers in the Tigers' upset win over No. 16 DePauw. Wittenberg athletics file photo |
Wittenberg dealt No. 16 DePauw its first conference loss of the year and just its second in two-plus seasons while King's jumbled the MAC Freedom race, Wartburg shut down Loras and Transylvania avoided a trap heading into its big game on Saturday.
Wittenberg shot 50 percent from three and emerged as the surprise winner over DePauw, 65-61, in the NCAC's battle of the Tigers. Wittenberg hit four of its five shots from behind the arc in the third period and built an 8-point advantage headed into the final quarter. DePauw's Sydney Kopp scored five points in 25 seconds to pull the Tigers of DePauw within one of Wittenberg, 53-52, but Delaney Williams answered with a three to push the lead back to four for the Tigers of Wittenberg. Alex Kiess followed with three on Wittenberg's next possession and the Tigers made made all six of its free throws in the final minute to seal the upset victory.
Williams and Kiess each scored double figures with four 3-pointers a piece and Kristie Kalis added a double-double for Wittenberg (12-7, 6-4 NCAC). Kopp scored 25 points for DePauw (15-4, 9-1 NCAC) which is 40-2 in conference during the regular season since 2015-16.
No. 24 Misericordia became the latest team to follow its Top 25 debut with a loss, as King's knocked off previously unbeaten Cougars, 80-70. Rebecca Prociak filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocks and Alexis Steeber scored 21 points for the Monarchs (11-7, 5-2 MAC Freedom). Manhattanville lost its third game in four tries, stumbling at FDU-Florham 62-57, while No. 21 DeSales stayed above the fray with a 73-44 victory at home against Eastern.
Misericordia's loss leaves four undefeated teams in Division III women's basketball. The only one in action on Wednesday night was No. 3 Scranton, which won at Drew 56-44. No. 1 Bowdoin, No. 2 Thomas More and No. 11 St. Joseph's (Maine) were idle.
The WIAC standings also got messier on Wednesday night following wins by Oshkosh and Stevens Point. No. 12 Oshkosh held Eau Claire to 10 points in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 58-43 road victory. The Titans (16-2, 6-1 WIAC) have held all but one of their opponents below 60 points and haven't allowed a 50-point game since the conference opener. The Pointers kept their conference playoff hopes alive with a 77-69 victory over Stout and pushed the Devils into a three-way tie for third with Eau Claire and Whitewater, which defeated Platteville 71-55.
Wartburg dominated Loras 68-49 in the battle for first place in the American Rivers Conference, holding the Duhawks to their lowest offensive output of the season. Loras had just 18 field goals against the Knights (16-3, 9-1 ARC), who swept the teams' regular season series. Adrienne Boettger paced Wartburg with 20 points and six rebounds.
Transylvania's Ashton Woodard (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Hanover's Alexis Nall (19 points, 15 rebounds) posted similar stat lines but Woodard got more help and the 25th-ranked Pioneers defeated Hanover, 78-70. Three other Transy starters scored double figures and the Pioneers (16-2, 10-1 HCAC) avoided a slip-up heading into Saturday's game against fellow HCAC front-runner Rose-Hulman.
No. 5 St. Thomas tied its own record for the longest in-conference winning streak in the MIAC, easing past Concordia-Moorhead 80-41 for the Tommies' 65 straight win against a MIAC foe. No. 9 Hope used a balanced attack to beat Albion 65-51 and stay a game back of No. 10 Trine in the MIAA. Four Hope starters scored double figures, led by Olivia Voskuil and Sydney Muller with 14 points apiece. Brandi Dawson scored 24 points in Trine's 72-56 win over Calvin.
Outside the Top 25 Rowan protected its perch atop the NJAC by edging TCNJ, 47-46. Rowan had the ball down by one with less than a minute to play when Dominique Peters was fouled by TCNJ. She missed both free throws but grabbed her own offensive rebound, giving the Profs second life. Olivia Rulon was then fouled by TCNJ with 20 seconds left and she made both free throws. Ayanna Johnson blocked TCNJ's potential game-winning layup with two seconds left. The Profs sit 1.5 games ahead of TCNJ, Montclair State and Rutgers-Newark in the NJAC.
Mass-Dartmouth stayed a half-game in front of the pack in the tight Little East Conference race with a 70-60 win at Southern Maine. The Corsairs (15-3, 8-1 Little East) won despite committing 29 turnovers and shooting 3-for-14 from three.
Washington and Jefferson upped its winning streak to 11 games with a 56-43 home win over Geneva. The Presidents (13-5, 9-1 PAC) are tied for first in their conference with St. Vincent following Monday night's dramatic 59-58 win over the Bearcats. The teams split the regular season series with each winning on the road.
Southern Virginia missed a chance to beat Mary Washington in regulation but got the job done in overtime, 66-58, behind another monster performance by Katie Garrish. Garrish just missed a triple-double, tallying 13 points, 10 rebounds, nine steals and six blocks in 39 minutes before fouling out.
Taylor Blevins led the way for Emory and Henry as the Wasps avenged their loss earlier this season to Washington and Lee, 88-73. Blevins had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for Emory and Henry. Guilford remains the leader in the ODAC following an ugly 46-27 win over Ferrum.