| Jocelyn Goldstein scored 22 points, and Johns Hopkins won its 25th consecutive regular season game by beating Gettysburg on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Marty Corcoran |
No. 5 Johns Hopkins and No. 6 Washington and Lee stayed undefeated with convincing wins over conference title contenders, while No. 1 NYU and No. 4 Smith also remain unbeaten after winning their conference openers in Saturday’s Division III women’s basketball action.
Multi-time All-American Mary Schleusner had another impressive performance, and Washington and Lee took down No. 23 Shenandoah, 69-52. Schleusner posted 36 points in 36 minutes and grabbed 17 rebounds, leaving her less than 100 short of the Division III record held by former Denison star Jordan Holmes. Schleusner’s 36 points is the seventh highest in W&L history and the third time she’s hit that mark.
Johns Hopkins overpowered Gettysburg, 67-46, in the first of two meetings between the Centennial Conference rivals. The Blue Jays opened the game with a 13-2 run and led the rest of the way, thanks to 22 points from Jocelyn Goldstein and 17 more from Macie Feldman. Johns Hopkins (13-0, 4-0 Centennial) outrebounded the Bullets, 52-39, and picked up their largest margin of victory against Gettysburg since 2004. The teams will play again in early February at Gettysburg.
Smith had more turnovers (22) than field goals (20), but the Bears were solid from the free throw line and fended off Springfield, 62-54. Smith went 7 for 8 from the line and held the Pride to eight points in the fourth quarter, and Uta Nakamura finished with 16 points for Smith (12-0, 1-0 NEWMAC).
No. 1 New York University had its closest game to date, which was still a 30-point win, as the Violets opened conference play with a 79-49 victory at Brandeis. The Judges held NYU to its lowest offensive output of the season, but the Violets put the game away by scoring the first 14 points of the second half, giving them a 58-29 lead. Caroline Peper scored 37 points on 28 shots for NYU (12-0, 1-0 UAA), which has won 73 straight.
The Top 25 matchup between UAA’s Midwest travel partners was also surprisingly lopsided, with No. 14 Washington U. rolling over No. 15 Chicago, 68-39. Lexy Harris and Alyssa Hughes scored 19 points apiece for the Bears (10-2, 1-0 UAA), and WashU held the Maroons to their lowest output in five seasons.
No. 9 Emory topped Rochester, 65-49, and Case Western bested Carnegie Mellon, 63-48, giving the road teams a 4-0 sweep on opening weekend in the UAA.
After winning its first two conference games on the road, No. 3 UW-Oshkosh looked at sharp at home in a 64-41 victory over UW-Stevens Point. The Titans (14-0, 3-0 WIAC) shot 50 percent from three (10 for 20) and had a 25-11 bench scoring advantage.
No. 24 UW-Eau Claire concluded a rough week with a 72-70 overtime loss at UW-Stout. The Blugolds, which lost to UW-Platteville on Wednesday, held a 63-60 lead in the final minute of regulation. Eleice Dahl hit a three for the Blue Devils (10-4, 1-2 WIAC) to send the game to overtime, and then Addy Verhagen scored five of her team-high 20 points in the extra period to secure Stout’s win.
Platteville is poised to take their conference rival’s place in the Top 25 after beating UW-La Crosse on the road, 66-63. With the Pioneers leading by one in the closing minute, Ella Mackiewicz stole the ball, got fouled and hit two free throws to nail down the victory. The Pioneers (13-1, 3-0 WIAC) have won nine straight and host Oshkosh on Wednesday night.