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| Jada Garner had a team-high 20 as Hope took over the top spot in the MIAA. Hope athletics photo |
Hope and Emory won close games, while Smith rallied to win in double overtime, Middlebury knocked off previously perfect Amherst, and UW-Stout lost at home.
The rivalry between Hope and Trine isn't ever going to have the same weight as The Rivalry, the one between Hope and Calvin. But Hope and Trine have been the conference's big hitters in women's basketball for several years and the rivalry is a competitive one. And that was no less true on Saturday afternoon, as No. 9 Hope edged the Thunder, 75-74 in front of 1,838 fans as DeVos Fieldhouse. The win is the 698th in the career of Hope women's basketball coach Brian Morehouse. Hope (13-1, 5-0 MIAA) led by 12 at the half, but had to hold on as Trine chipped away at the lead. Jada Garner and Terin Maynard each hit a pair of free throws late in the game to seal the win, and Sierra Hinds hit a 3-pointer as time expired for Trine (10-4, 4-1) to make the margin closer. Hope made 27 of its 30 free throws (90%) while Garner had a team-high 20 points in just 26 minutes.
No. 7 Emory scored the first 20 points of the game and held on to win at Rochester, 75-69. Rochester (5-7, 0-1 UAA) opened the second quarter by scoring the first eight points, and 15 of the first 17, but Emory regained its composure, running off 16 consecutive points in the third quarter and leading by as many as 18 before settling for the road win. Claire Brock scored a team-high 23 points in the victory.
No. 16 Hardin-Simmons managed a larger margin of victory but was also pushed to the limit by McMurry before beating the War Hawks, 87-81. Paris Parmer scored a career-high 29 points and HSU (12-2, 5-1 ASC) closed the game on a 7-0 run.
Augusta Dixon put up a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds as Middlebury knocked off No. 10 Amherst 76-67. The Panthers led by 14 points, 57-43, early in the fourth quarter, and Alexa Mustafaj went 5-for-6 from the foul line in the final minute to seal the win. It's the second consecutive win for Middlebury in the series, one which the Mammoths lead 26-7.
No. 18 Smith overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit, to win 72-71 in double overtime at Springfield. The Pride led 59-49 with just over 6 minutes left in regulation but Springfield missed its next six shots and a pair of free throws. The contest got to overtime when Smith's Jessie Ruffner drained a fadeaway baseline jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 61-all. Leary came up with Springfield's first field goal in more than 15 minutes when she knocked down a step back with 1:16 on the clock to tie the game up at 69 in the second overtime, but Ally Yamada converted a three-point play to put Smith up for good. Ruffner finished with 29 points and eight rebounds.
Ruffner and Jane Loo played 47 of the 50 minutes, Sofia Rosa played 48, and Yamada played 43. The teams will meet again on Jan. 24 for the game that counts in the conference standings.
Angelina Nardolillo scored 10 points and hauled in eight rebounds as No. 3 Rhode Island College defeated Plymouth State, 72-25 in Little East Conference action. The 25 points scored by Plymouth State was the fewest allowed by RIC all season, as the Anchorwomen improved to 14-0, 5-0 in league play. Sophia Guerrier led the way for RIC with 14 points.
Four Titans scored in double figures as UW-Oshkosh defeated No. 17 UW-Stout 63-58 in Menomonie. The Blue Devils scored the last 12 points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 42-37, setting up a back-and-forth fourth quarter in which Stout got within two with seven and a half minutes remaining. But UW-Oshkosh (10-3, 1-1 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Atletic Conference0 pushed the lead back out to seven and hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Raegan Sorensen led all scorers with a 18-point, 13-rebound double-double for Stout, while Bridget Froehlke had 16 for UW-Oshkosh.
Washington U. erupted for 29 points in the fourth quarter and surged past Chicago, 79-69. The Bears (8-4, 1-0 UAA) got 25 points combined off the bench from Sidney Rogers and Jordan Rich.
No. 17 Bowdoin opened its conference season a day late because of weather, but the Polar Bears looked sharp in downing Trinity (Conn.), 65-50. Bowdoin (12-1, 1-0 NESCAC) led wire-to-wire behind Sydney Jones’ strong all-around performance. She finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
Baldwin Wallace started a pivotal two-game stretch with a low-scoring win over OAC title contender Marietta, 59-53. Both teams struggled offensively and shot under 32 percent from the field, but Baldwin Wallace (10-3, 6-0 OAC) outscored the Pioneers 18-6 from three. On Wednesday, the Yellow Jackets will face Ohio Northern, which is also unbeaten in the conference after topping Muskingum, 57-47.
The only team in Division III women’s basketball without a loss or a point in the Top 25 poll stayed perfect as Houghton took care of Hartwick at home, 77-57. Kayla Camacho led the Highlanders (13-0, 4-0 Empire 8) who will play defending champions St. John Fisher next Friday night.
Lyon ran away with a 144-53 win against Blackburn, as the Scots, a Division III provisional member in Arkansas playing a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule, reached triple digits for the sixth time on the season. Lyon (9-3, 4-1 SLIAC) forced 48 Blackburn turnovers. Samantha Taylor had 22 points and 10 steals, while Allison Byars scored 22 points and had seven assists as part of a team which had seven players score in double figures. Lyon was 9-for-22 from 3-point range but shot 59% from the floor in the win.