| Jada Jacobs’ triple-double helped William Paterson beat Montclair State and remain several steps ahead of the rest of the NJAC File photo by Larry Levanti Photography |
The calendar has not yet flipped to February, but the conference races in the WIAC, OAC and NJAC are nearly over after UW-Oshkosh, Baldwin Wallace and William Paterson once again downed their closest competitors. Elsewhere, Albion upset No. 9 Hope and Mary Schleusner added another career record to her resume in Wednesday’s Division III women’s basketball action.
No. 11 UW-Whitewater held No. 3 UW-Oshkosh in check for a while before the Titans exerted control and defeated the Warhawks, 55-43.
UW-Whitewater held UW-Oshkosh to 29 percent shooting and just 19 points in the first half, but the Warhawks only managed 24 points themselves. The Titans broke out for 23 points in the third quarter and took a nine-point lead into the fourth that UWO pushed as high as 16.
Paige Seckar posted a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds) for UW-Oshkosh which swept the season series with the Warhawks and now effectively has a four-game lead on UW-Whitewater with six to play. The Titans (19-0, 8-0 WIAC) are trying to become the first WIAC team to go undefeated in conference since UW-Whitewater did it in 2013-14.
William Paterson is in even better shape, thanks to their own dominant third quarter in which the Pioneers outscored Montclair State by 20 on its way to an 87-69 win over the Red Hawks. William Paterson led by just one at the half, but the Pioneers opened the third quarter with a 14-0 run capped by a Patty Walsh jumper. Jada Jacobs had a triple-double for the Pioneers (18-1, 12-0 NJAC) who have already swept the two teams closest to them in the standings.
No. 14 Baldwin Wallace didn’t need a great third quarter to beat Otterbein because the Yellow Jackets led the Cardinals from start to finish in a 67-52 home victory. Baldwin Wallace (17-2, 10-0 OAC) shot 46 percent from the field and 83 percent from the foul line, and now has a three-game lead on second-place Otterbein (13-5, 7-2 OAC) via the season sweep.
No. 9 Hope’s offense went cold on the road, and Albion pulled away from the Flying Dutch for a 60-54 overtime win in front of a boisterous home crowd at Kresge Gymnasium. Albion guard Ava Guilford split a pair of free throws with 29 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 52 and then blocked Hope’s game-winning layup attempt to ensure overtime. Hope’s offense only managed two points with no field goals in the extra period, and the Britons made enough free throws to gradually pull away.
Meghan Trewhella scored 24 points in 44 minutes for Albion (14-5, 7-3 MIAA).
One week after setting Division III career record for rebounds, Mary Schleusner broke the career record for double-doubles, as she tallied 17 points and 20 rebounds in Washington and Lee’s 69-47 win over Roanoke. That performance gives her 84 double-doubles, breaking the record held by Swarthmore’s Kathyrn Stockbower and Randolph-Macon’s Kelly Williams. The fifth-ranked Generals improved to 18-0, 9-0 in the ODAC.
The Captains’ Chaos defense was in full effect, and Christopher Newport converted 30 Southern Virginia turnovers into 33 points, as the Captains topped the Knights, 79-55. Madison McKenzie led five CNU players in double figures with 21 points, and Elizabeth Creed had 12 points and five steals.
Olivia Jones scored 18 points, all in the second half, including two free throws to secure Gettysburg’s 65-60 come-from-behind win at McDaniel. The victory is the 300th of Nate Davis’ career and bolsters the Bullets spot behind No. 4 Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference standings. The Blue Jays remained perfect with a 60-40 win over Dickinson in Baltimore.
In other key conference clashes…
- Concordia-Moorhead got back on track with a 57-53 win at St. Benedict, behind a big game from Maya Metcalf (27 points, 13 rebounds). The Cobbers (15-2, 9-2 MIAC) outscored the Blazers 38-26 in the paint.
- Riley Hevelow led four Lebanon Valley players in double figures with 20 points, and the Flying Dutchmen defeated Stevens 63-50 as the MAC Freedom completed its first round of conference play. Stevens’ loss coupled with DeSales’ 72-69 win at King’s win puts the Bulldogs in first place with a 6-1 record in conference.
- Nazareth bested its Rochester-region rival St. John Fisher, 70-52, in the latest Battle of the Beaks. Katie MacLachlan scored 16 points, including the 1,000th of her career, for the Golden Flyers (14-4, 8-1 Empire 8).
- Washington and Jefferson dealt Chatham its first home loss of the season, and the Presidents swept the regular season series with the Cougars via Wednesday night’s 64-52 victory. Riley DeRubbo scored 17 points for W&J (13-5, 8-1 PAC), which remains tied for first in its conference with St. Vincent.
- Bethany Lutheran extended its lead over Minnesota-Morris in the UMAC to two games, as the Vikings topped the Cougars, 71-63. Kaylee Hunter and Morgan Hulke combined for 35 points for Bethany Lutheran (9-10, 6-0 UMAC) while Maddy Grove poured in 24 points for Minnesota-Morries.