WBB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[jekelish]

Tough start to the year for the 'Roos, but they played as well as they have all season in that game against Trinity. It was definitely closer than the final margin; Trinity just had too much firepower for AC to keep things going but they're clearly getting better with the season going on.

And watching them on the stream against Dallas right now, they just look like a completely different team than they did against Howard Payne last weekend. Whatever they did in practice following that OT loss, it worked based on how much better they played against TU and now again today (so far, at least).

[Riley Zayas]

Thoughts + Analysis on last night's 88-71 non-conference win for UMHB women's basketball over Schreiner:

-Both teams struggled to find their rhythm early in the first quarter, but all of a sudden, things began to click on the offensive end. A combined 21 points were scored in the final 6:40 of the first quarter.

-The second quarter was where UMHB took charge, as Kaitlyn Kollmorgen opened the quarter with three consecutive made shots. Kollmorgen is a sophomore who had four years of eligibility entering this year (Covid year last year) and is establishing herself as one of the ASC's better post players. 8.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG for the Houston native. There was a difference in Schreiner's ability to drive to the lane when she was on the floor, as compared to when she wasn't.

-Schreiner's ball movement to get the ball into the paint was extremely good throughout the game. 32 points in the paint for the Mountaineers. Individually, Aazayleah Pirtle was outstanding. She handled the ball when and made the most of her opportunities. She was 5-of-9 from the field, but also shot 12 free throws, nine of which she made, for a total of 19 points.

-Speaking of free throws...wow. 74 total free throws were shot, and in my opinion, that is way too high of a number. But either way, 27 of UMHB's points came at the line, as compared to 24 of Schreiner's.

-Next up for the Crusaders is an ASC duel with Concordia on Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Belton. SU hosts St. Thomas (TX) on Dec. 31 at 4:00 p.m. in Kerrville.

For more on the game, read our full game story: https://truetothecru.com/2021/12/21/umhb-womens-basketball-extends-win-streak-to-seven-in-88-71-win-over-schreiner/

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity's long-awaited (by me, at least - LOL) home opener yesterday against Worchester St. was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.  The school website says "[p]otential make-up scheduling is underway" and both schools' respective websites now show the game scheduled for this afternoon at 3PM CST.   It will be interesting to see who is on the floor for the Tigers.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity (7-2) gets by Worchester State (5-6) 76-69 despite missing their top three scorers (Ashlyn Milton, Maggie Shipley, Carly Leong), presumably due to COVID-19 protocols.  Oddly, though, Trinity seemed to miss their rebounding (12.6 rpg) more than their scoring (39.6 ppg) as the visitors outrebounded Trinity 50-35.   They also turned the ball over 23 times to 13 by the homestanding Tigers, and the Lancers also missed 10 of the 13 free throws they were awarded.

Hailey Coleman led the way with 21 points and 10 boards for Trinity, who were up 46-35 at the break.  Ava Limoncello stepped into the starting lineup and had her best game as a Tiger, more than tripling her season average with 17 points.  Worchester State got 18 points and 12 boards from Gigi Lemay (on 9-12 shooting) and 17 from Erin Gallella.

In addition to the three starters, a number of bench players who normally see playing time for Trinity did not see action today as only eight players saw court time.  With LeTourneau coming to town on Thursday it is yet to be seen if any of those out today will see action tomorrow. 

[Ron Boerger]

After a slow start that saw them trail by one at the half, Trinity, still without three starters and other players due to COVID protocols turned it on in the second half to ease past a solid LeTourneau (7-4, 4-2 ASC) side, 75-57.  Once again, Hailey Coleman led the way for the homestanding Tigers, scoring 23 points on 11-15 from the floor and pulling down 12 boards as Trinity won the rebounding battle 43-35.  Maggie Robbins was the only other starter in double figures with 10 (including some really sweet drives to the basket).  First-year Bailey Timmons had the best game of her career with 13 points in 21 minutes off the bench.  Keauna Whitfield had 21 and 14 to lead the Yellow Jackets playing virtually the entire game (38 minutes).  Ajanae Thomas, with 13, was the only other LeTourneau player in double figures as second-leading scorer Allaira Jones did not play.  Trinity had a 21-6 scoring advantage off the bench despite having to go down the roster due to COVID absences.

Next up for Trinity, their final non-conference game of the season Saturday against Howard Payne, whose three wins (against eight losses) include wins over St. Thomas and Austin, with losses to Schreiner and Southwestern on the other side of the ledger.  With luck the players in COVID protocols this week will return in time for SCAC play next Friday against U Dallas. 

[Ron Boerger]

Today's Trinity-HPU game has been "postponed, its status subject to change" due to continuing COVID-19 protocol on the Trinity side.

[Ron Boerger]

I was going to recap where the SCAC teams stood heading into 2022 and one thing is apparent:  Trinity is far from the only team impacted by the dreaded "COVID-19 protocol" issue.  Unfortunately, it has not been a great start to the season for much of the conference, even taking the impact of the virus into account.

Trinity (8-2/2-0 SCAC, on a seven game winning streak) is far and away the leader heading into conference play.  Their best wins of the season were probably at Pacific (8-3, the only home loss for the Boxers) and UMHB (8-2, also the only home loss for the Cru).  They also had quality losses to ranked ETBU (9-2), in OT, and by 2 at ranked HSU (9-2).  After managing two wins absent at least four players last week, COVID forced yesterday's game to be postponed indefinitely.  Sophomore G Maggie Shipley and junior F Ashlyn Milton lead scoring with 14.1 points per game, and senior C/F Hailey Coleman grabs nearly nine boards per game.  Up this week (virus willing):  Dallas and TLU.

The only other team over .500, somewhat surprisingly, is Southwestern (5-4/1-0 SCAC) who after a 2-4 start have won their last three, including what may be their best win of the season, 71-69 over Colorado College in mid-December.  Unfortunately, that was the last game the Pirates have been able to play as three other games since have been either postponed (against St. Thomas and Centenary) or cancelled due to you-know-what.  Senior G Lauren Fulenwider and first-year F Jada Hollie lead the team with just over 12 points per game each; Sophomore F/C Princess Roberts is pulling down a conference-best 11+ boards per contest.  The Pirates have the make-up with St. Thomas on Tuesday, then a home/away set with Schreiner this weekend.

Another team probably better than its record might indicate is TLU (5-5, 2-0 SCAC).  The Bulldogs posted a decent result in an opening season loss vs. HSU, and three of their four other losses are to non-D3 teams.  An 84-41 blowout over Concordia (TX) at the end of November is probably their best win to date.  The Bulldogs have a balanced scoring attack with no player in double figures; first-year G Kailee Mulkey leads the team with 9.7 ppg.  Sophomore F Tanyse Moehrig averages 6 boards to lead that category.  TLU plays at Trinity and Schreiner this weekend.

After these three teams, SCAC WBB is struggling.  Dallas (2-3 SCAC) and Colorado (2-2 SCAC) are both 4-8 on the young season, but in their most recent outing, the Tigers, whose two losses in SCAC play were by a combined four points, put the hammer down on the Crusaders in a 40 point win.  Colorado has also played the toughest schedule in the SCAC with losses to then-#2 Whitman  (10-1) and UC-Santa Cruz (8-2), the only team to defeat Whitworth Whitman this season.  They also posted a home win over UMHB and lost by one at home to HSU. Leading the way for the Tigers is sophomore G Audrey Bayston with 15.7 points and 7.4 boards; junior G Anna Fanelli, still playing almost every minute (36.8 mpg), adds 10.8 ppg.  Colorado has been quite good at home early on (3-1) but not so good away (1-1 neutral, 0-6 away).  Dallas is led by first-year G Canai McPherson, with the 5'3" sparkplug averaging a conference-best 19.3 points per game, and by sophomore F Imani Hardin's 10 rebounds.

Schreiner (3-7/0-1), Centenary (3-8/1-2), St. Thomas (2-6/0-2), and Austin (2-8/1-1) bring up the rear with conference play getting underway in earnest this week.

[jekelish]

Good breakdown, Ron, though I'd argue Austin College's schedule has been about as tough as anyone's. They've played Whitman, UT-Dallas, ETBU, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, all of whom have been ranked in the top 15 at some point this season, as well as Trinity, who has also been ranked by the WBCA if I'm not mistaken, and Calvin (who beat Eau Claire last week) and Rhodes. Rhodes has been RV, and I have to imagine Calvin will get a couple votes, having knocked off a top 10 team last week in Eau Claire and boasting a solid record against a good schedule. Brutal schedule for the 'Roos this year.

[Ron Boerger]

It looks like COVID issues, this time in the TLU program, have caused today's game at Trinity to be postponed.

Next week will be busy for the Tiger women.  Howard Payne is now scheduled to play at Trinity Monday, Dallas comes to town the next day, then on Thursday it's time for a bus ride to Houston to play St. Thomas and two days later at Colorado College.   That last game wlll be a bear as the St. Thomas game won't be over until around 10pm, putting the team back into town around 1-2AM Friday, then they'll have to get to the airport and hope that their flight doesn't have issues like so many are right now. 

[TroyP]

Trinity is rolling right, plug and play, missing some key players and still get great production from the team. Super excited to see my kid drop 17 points. I think what she impressed me the most is the fact that Monday she went 0-7, went and got some extra work in and made adjustments and then went 6-9 with 5 of 7 being three pointers. She didn't let a bad game affect her in the next. Keep rolling tonight Tigers!

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity is rolling right, plug and play, missing some key players and still get great production from the team. Super excited to see my kid drop 17 points. I think what she impressed me the most is the fact that Monday she went 0-7, went and got some extra work in and made adjustments and then went 6-9 with 5 of 7 being three pointers. She didn't let a bad game affect her in the next. Keep rolling tonight Tigers!

What's nice is seeing the players who don't get a lot of PT  normally (like #33, nice game last night!) stepping up and getting it done.  Eight out against UD, I hope we see some back tonight or Saturday in that Colorado thin air.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity ended their COVID makeup week 4-0 but Colorado, lacking two starters, definitely made them work for it, leading most of the way before a spirited comeback left them on the short end of a 70-66 maroon Tiger victory. 

After escaping the first quarter with a one-point lead despite a dreadful 1-11 performance from beyond the arc, Trinity shot even worse in the second quarter with a 4-22, 0-7 from three effort that made Colorado Springs bricklayers jealous as the stress of playing three games in four days in three different cities in two states made itself known.  Benefiting from a 13-2 advantage at the line (you don't get many foul calls throwing up three after three) the home Tigers took a nine point lead into the locker room. 

Coming out of the locker room, Trinity worked the ball inside more, but turnovers and a continuing 7-0 advantage at the line kept Colorado on top for the entire third quarter and into the fourth when Healy Bledsoe's only basket on the day gave CC their largest lead of the game at 12 with a layup a minute into the final period.  From there Trinity turned up the defensive pressure, Colorado would lose the ball on five of the next eight possessions.  Two threes from Ashlyn Milton and several layups from Hailey Coleman made it a three point game at the 5:16 mark.  Trinity (9 steals in the quarter) would keep making the CC offense's life difficult, but could not take full advantage until Maggie Shipley's layup for the last of her game-high 22 resulted in a 64-62 Trinity lead with 2:25 to play.  Laura Strenk's three brought the home Tigers even at 66 with under a minute remaining, and when Rosie Braley rebounded a miss with 11 seconds left it looked as if the home team might pull off the upset.  It was not to be, as Ashlyn Milton's fifth steal of the game with 4 seconds left and a timeout with 2.5 on the clock would set up the game winning play.  Inbounding from midcourt, Maggie Shipley would find a wide-open Hailey Coleman (12 points) driving to the basket, and her layup with half a second left put Trinity up by two (see the 1:58 mark of the CC video).  Colorado called timeout immediately but had none remaining, resulting in a technical foul.  Milton (19 points) hit the resulting free throws for the final margin of victory.

Audrey Bayston had 17 to lead Colorado College, Rosie Braly and Tedy Reed both had 15 as Colorado dominated the boards 46-34.  Laura Strenk had 13 points, but playing 39 minutes turned the ball over 13 times.  Shipley, Milton, and Coleman were the only Trinity players in double figures. 

The two teams will meet again a week from today in San Antonio. 

[TroyP]

What a finish to the game, I bet they were and are exhausted after that 4 game stretch and ending it in the high altitude of Colorado Springs! Good to see them fight from behind as a team. No quit in them.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Hoopsville is live on the air tonight starting at 7:00 PM ET. There might be a guest on the show this conference would be interested in.

We will have the following guests:

• Todd McGuinness, No. 24 Case Western Reserve men's coach
• Margaret White, Marymount women's coach
• Top 25 Women's Double-Take with Brendan Gulick and Scott Peterson
• Jason Leone, No. 25 Oswego State men's coach
• Rich Murphy, Redlands women's coach

Plus the latest from the NCAA Convention and much more.

It is a jam packed show! Tune in starting at 7:00 PM ET here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2021-22/jan20 - the show will be available on demand and the audio podcast will be available shortly after the show as well.

[Ron Boerger]

Two wins in as many games keeps Trinity at the top of the conference standings, though they have some unexpected company as we start to head down the final stretch before next month's championships.

On Friday the Tigers entertained St. Thomas and the result was much like it was last week in a 79-51 win.  The Celts kept it close for the first nearly seven minutes with some decent three-point shooting, but Trinity started taking the ball inside for which the Celts had no answer to lead by eight after one.  The Tigers would not score for over five minutes to start the second, but St. Thomas couldn't take advantage, only closing to within four before Ashlyn Milton (20 points to lead all scorers) would finally break the drought with a three with 4:41 remaining.  A 10-2 run from there would increase the lead to 15 at the half and the Celts would never threaten again.  Maggie Shipley added 16 points and Kelly Simmons 12 boards for the Tigers.  St. Thomas got 10 points each from Olivia Anga and Alexya Castillo. 

Colorado College was a different story.  One difference:  Cameron Hill, who had left the St. Thomas game at halftime for reasons unknown, was not on the floor and it would be long-time assistant Joe Shotland leading the team (for the first time in his career, I think).  The heated rivals would battle in the first half before Trinity would pull away for a 72-57 win.  It was all black-and-gold early on as CC would have little difficulty with Trinity's press and ease out to a 16-7 lead at the 2:55 mark.  Trinity would close to six at the end of the period after a Kelly Simmons steal led to a Maggie Shipley layup late.  The home side would go on a 21-12 run culminating in a Hailey Coleman layup with 2:25 remaining for their largest lead of the game so far; Colorado would pull the lead back before Shipley would make another layup with 3 seconds left to send the teams into the locker room all tied up.

Just as it was in the men's game earlier, the second half would be a different story.  Colorado had survived Trinity's pressure in the first half, only turning over the ball twice, but Trinity would adjust their scheme to get in the visitor passing lanes, resulting in five Colorado turnovers in the third quarter which helped Trinity take a five point lead going into the final stanza.  The turnovers would accelerate in that stanza, as CC would have more turnovers (seven) than made shots (four) - Trinity would get plenty of easy baskets off the turnovers to pull away, 72-57.  Colorado got a career-high 16 from Laura Strenk, matched by Rosey Braley who added a game high ten boards.  Audrey Bayston, normally deadly from beyond the arc, suffered through a 1-10 performance, missing nine straight after hitting her first.  She was effective driving to the basket (5-10) on her way to 13 total points.  Maggie Shipley had 17 points, mostly in the paint, to lead all scorers, and Hailey Coleman added 17 points and 8 boards.  Next up for Trinity, their first effort of the season against Southwestern, in Georgetown on Tuesday.

The unexpected company at the top of the SCAC?  None other than TLU, who despite a 3-5 non-conference record have won five straight in conference play, including two wins over third-place Schreiner(5-3).  The Lady Bulldogs are 5-0 after squeaking past Dallas 70-68 on Friday.  The two will play in Seguin on Saturday before meeting again in San Antonio two weeks later.  Coach Patterson would have to be considered a strong CoTY candidate with this kind of performance despite the team's COVID struggles earlier this season.