WBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Just scores today, folks.  Sorry. 

Allegheny 92, OWU 82 -- Both teams move into a three-way tie for 2nd place (with Kenyon)
Denison 65, Hiram 49 -- Denison moves out to a 3-game lead
Oberlin 67, Wittenberg 64 -- Oberlin's first win over the Tigers in (exactly) 11 years
Kenyon 66, Wooster 54 -- At least Wooster has been competitive lately

Updated standings at the season's midpoint:
Denison 8-0
Allegheny 5-3
Kenyon 5-3
Ohio Wesleyan 5-3
Wittenberg 4-4
Hiram 3-5
Oberlin 2-6
Wooster 0-8

[kiltedbryan]

Denison moves up to #15 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll...  ..where they are now one spot ahead of DePauw. 

Talk about throwing down the gauntlet!

It'll be fun when this becomes the insta-rivalry next year, yes?

I hope so.  DePauw is a national power and has been for some time.  Denison is a newcomer to the upper echelon of D3 hoops, and will be losing two key seniors in Shaina Kaiser and Haley Dahlgard.  Ever since the announcement that DPU is joining our conference, I've been hoping that the effect will be of the proverbial rising tide lifting all boats.  Not only Denison but OWU, Wittenberg, Kenyon, and/or Allegheny could take that extra step and be competitive with DePauw and, by extension, the elite teams in D3.  Let's hope that happens.

It would be nice to see, indeed...especially since this is a conference where a major part of the chartering/formation of the conference was rooted in elevating women's sports to equal status with men's sports.

[David Collinge]

Denison inches up to #14, gaining 36 poll points as then-#12 Rochester drops past them to #18.  DU barely held off #15 DePauw, which closed to within 3 points of the Big Red.

[David Collinge]

Nice piece on Denison in the Columbus Dispatch today.

[David Collinge]

With Denison, Hiram, and Wittenberg closed today due to their not being located in sunny California snow, tomorrow's schedule is entirely at risk of postponement:

OWU at Denison, 6pm -- video and live stats -- Game 1 of a doubleheader, men vs. Wabash to follow
Wooster at Hiram, 6pm -- live stats -- Game 1 of a W/M doubleheader
Kenyon at Wittenberg, 6pm -- video, audio, and live stats -- Game 1 of a W/M doubleheader
Oberlin at Allegheny, ~8pm -- live stats -- Game 2 of a M/W doubleheader

UPDATE: Wabash at Denison has been postponed.  If the OWU at Denison game is still on, I expect it will be moved to a 7:30pm tip.  I'll update as events warrant.

[David Collinge]

All of tonight's games have now been postponed, and almost every campus is closed today (somehow, it seems that Allegheny is still open).  Everything is pushed back to Thursday, and be prepared to see at least some games postponed again to Monday.

OWU at Denison, 5:30pm -- video and live stats -- Game 1 of a doubleheader, men vs. Wabash to follow
Wooster at Hiram, 6pm -- live stats -- Game 1 of a W/M doubleheader
Kenyon at Wittenberg, 6pm -- video, audio, and live stats -- Game 1 of a W/M doubleheader -- Postponed to 5pm Friday 2/4
Oberlin at Allegheny, ~8pm -- live stats -- Game 2 of a M/W doubleheader

Note the new tip time for OWU/Denison.  I haven't verified that all of the coverages listed will still be in effect.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

First Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/category/ncaa-stuff/regional-rankings/

[David Collinge]

So Denison, who by the way is now #9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, starts out as #2 in the Great Lakes regional ranking, trailing only national #1 Thomas More.  This augurs well for a possible Granville regional, should the Big Red continue their unbeaten ways.  It also should give DU fans hope that a Pool C bid might be available, should the Big Red stumble in the conference tournament. 

[David Collinge]

Tonight's re-scheduled Kenyon at Wittenberg game has once again been rescheduled, this time for Friday at 5pm.  Everything else, at least as of now, is still on.  See the schedule and coverages above.

[David Collinge]

Congratulations to all-conference performers Shaina Kaiser (Denison) and Kayla Gordon (OWU), each named today to the Academic All-District Third Team for District IV by CoSIDA.  Each carries a high GPA in a double major, standout performers both on the court and in the classroom.  Way to go, Shaina and Kayla!

Release (pdf)

[David Collinge]

Denison 75, OWU 45 -- Can you say "statement game?"  The league-leaders led from the outset and never led by less than 20 after making the first basket of the second half.  DU shot 45% on the night while holding their guests to 31% overall and a miserable 5 for 23 in the second half.  DU was also +10 on the boards (and +5 on second-chance points) and +9 on turnovers (and +10 on points off turnovers).  Shaina Kaiser had 20 points and six assists.  OWU's Tyler Cordell led all scorers with 24.

Allegheny 80, Oberlin 37 -- With just over 10 minutes elapsed in the first half, the Gators enjoyed a 23-0 lead, as the Yeowomen missed their first 14 field goal attempts.  That was enough, but 'Gheny proceeded to outscore their guests by 20 more points over the last three quarters.  Oberlin finished the game hitting just 20% of their shots, turning the ball over on as many possessions as they made a basket (and the turnover total, 14, was modest, given the score.)  Allegheny, by contrast, shot a blistering 63% in the first half, and although they cooled off dramatically in the second (28%), they'd already banked more than enough points in 20 minutes (50) to secure the win.  First-year Erica Restich had 18 points and ten boards to lead the victors.  Allison Anderson was held to 4 points on a miserable 1-for-22 night, although she did kick in seven assists on Oberlin's 14 baskets.

Hiram 64, Wooster 60 -- Hiram completes the season sweep, moving two games ahead of Oberlin and potentially tying Wittenberg for 5th place (should the Tigers lose to Kenyon tomorrow).  The Terriers won this game by taking better care of the ball than their guests, committing just six turnovers to the Scots' 16 and realizing a +9 margin in points off turnovers.  Wooster actually outshot the Pups, 38% to 30%, and also narrowly won the rebounding battle, 39-37.  Wooster, who was led by Taylor Keegan's 18 points on five treys, is getting closer to that first NCAC victory under coach Ashley Reid.  Hiram had better balance, putting four scorers in double figures, with honors going to Chelsea Kovach, who had 13 points and nine boards.

Updated standings, pending tomorrow's Wittenberg/Kenyon game:
Denison 9-0
Allegheny 6-3
Kenyon 5-3
Ohio Wesleyan 5-4
Wittenberg 4-4
Hiram 4-5
Oberlin 2-7
Wooster 0-9

[David Collinge]

Wittenberg 61, Kenyon 51 -- Witt led by 11 at the end of an ugly first half, but Kenyon used its trademark defense to pull back into a tie.  From there forward, Witt used its own defense plus some excellent work on the offensive glass to pull away for the victory.  The Tigers got another huge game from Katherine Hueter, who notched 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.  Morgan Korinek also had a double-double, with 10 pts. and 13 boards, but she was just 4/13 from the floor, part of an overall 27% shooting effort by the Ladies.

Updated standings:
Denison 9-0
Allegheny 6-3
Kenyon 5-4
Ohio Wesleyan 5-4
Wittenberg 5-4
Hiram 4-5
Oberlin 2-7
Wooster 0-9

[David Collinge]

Saturday's games:

Denison at Wooster, noon -- live stats -- Game 1 of a doubleheader, men vs. Wabash to follow
Hiram at OWU, 1pm -- live stats -- Game 1 of a W/M doubleheader
Allegheny at Wittenberg, 4pm -- video, audio, and live stats -- Game 1 of a W/M doubleheader
Kenyon at Oberlin, 4pm -- video and live stats

[David Collinge]

Denison 61, Wooster 46 -- This game was played more or less evenly for 27 minutes, but it's a 40-minute game.  In a 13 minute stretch of the first half (from 14:58 to 1:55), Denison outscored the Scots 22-3, leading to a 32-15 halftime lead and a second half played on cruise control.  DU shot a pedestrian 36% on the afternoon, but controlled the boards (+10), grabbing nearly half of the rebounds available at their own end.  Shaina Kaiser again led the way for the Big Red with 18 points and seven boards.  Kristin Schwartz notched 14 for the Scots, playing just 16 minutes.

OWU 78, Hiram 50 -- This one got away in the first half, when Tyler Cordell made twice as many baskets (6) as the entire Hiram team.  Hiram ended the half with a 10% shooting effort and a 22-point deficit, and, like Denison before them, OWU was able to play the final 20 minutes as a glorified practice.  Cordell finished with 25, one of four Bishops in double figures, which also included a double-double (12 & 10) from Kayla Gordon.

Allegheny 79, Wittenberg 75 -- Allegheny used a 15-0 run early in the game to take control, and never trailed again, withstanding another big Witt comeback down the stretch.  Trailing by 12 with about 10 minutes left, the Tigers chipped away at the lead little by little, eventually drawing even with 1:38 left on a triple by Katharine Hueter.  After an exchange of baskets, the Gators went 4-for-4 from the line while Witt was misfiring on two treys.  Both teams appear to have been both hot and sloppy; Allegheny connected on 53% of their shots, but committed 20 turnovers, while Witt hit on 49% and had 19 TOs.  Numerically, the game was decided beyond the arc, where AC was 7 of 16 while WU was just 2 of 9.  Each team had four scorers in double figures, with overall honors going to 'Gheny's Heidi Goeller with 22.

Kenyon 70, Oberlin 60 -- Kenyon led wire to wire in this one, extending the lead to 27 at the 9:40 mark of the second period.  Oberlin outscored their road-weary guests 23-6 the rest of the way, but it was too little, too late--the final score was as close as the Yeo would get.  KC's Andrea Pohly had a blistering 17 points in 16 minutes, pouring in five of six from long distance.  OC's Allison Anderson recovered from her miserable Thursday with a 16-point, six-assist outing.

Updated standings:
Denison 10-0
Allegheny 7-3
Kenyon 6-4
Ohio Wesleyan 6-4
Wittenberg 5-5
Hiram 4-6
Oberlin 2-8
Wooster 0-10

[David Collinge]

Four doubleheaders today!  Get thee to a gymnasium!  All links are valid for both games, except for the Wooster audio link (men only).

Hiram at Allegheny: women 6pm, men ~8pm -- live stats
Denison at Kenyon: men 6pm, women ~8pm -- video, audio, and live stats
Wooster at Oberlin: men 6pm, women ~8pm -- video and live stats; audio (W; men only)
Wittenberg at Ohio Wesleyan: women 6pm, men ~8pm -- video and live stats; audio (W)

Oops!  Got the tip times mixed up at Gambier.  Just to clarify, the men play first at Kenyon and Oberlin, while the women play first at Allegheny and OWU.