WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[GoPerry]

   
As Greg said earlier, Wheaton squeaks by Elmhurst 63-60.

Slow / cold start and slow finish for the Thunder.  But they were able to pull it out vs a great Elmhurst effort.  Hannah Frazier carried the team on her back with 25 pts, 5 rebs.  Kirsten Madsen added 12 while Jill Berg led with 8 rebs adding 7 pts.  Hannah Swider had zero points but scored the last 7 pts of the game for  her team, a three and 4 straight free throws to secure the win.

The BlueJays really hung tough and refused to die.  They had a chance to tie and send the game to OT with 7 secs left but couldn't convert.

The NPU loss gives both Wheaton and IWU some hope and the schedule is really getting interesting.  For the Thunder, a critical stretch of 3 games upcoming @ Augie, @ NPU.  And then after a bye, a home date vs IWU.  For the Titans and Vikings, playing @ Millikin is no pushover.  Ditto for NPU finishing out the regular season @ Augie.

[lmitzel]

I did notice that we had a correspondent on the scene, who may tell us what that was when a fan got to midcourt to presumably complain about something. I think Illinois has a state law specifically protecting refs. It was extremely stupid of that person (she?) to advance onto the court.

It was truly bizarre. I've never seen anything like that before. Incidentally, that gray-haired woman who went out onto the floor and yelled at the ref? Never seen her before.
[/quote]

I'll echo that it's probably the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. I managed to get in shortly before she walked onto the floor when a timeout was called, and I saw Clark Teuscher get right on top of that. She wasn't ejected as far as I could tell, but from what I overheard I guess she said she was on her way out. I did see later NCC campus safety officers talking to her (meaning she really wasn't truly "on her way out.") But beyond that, I don't know exactly what happened.

But between listening to the game on WONC on my drive over, to talking with my dad who got there just before halftime and one or two other people, sounds like both sides were less than pleased with the crew in stripes.

[iwu70]

Good win for IWU tonight with all starters in double figures . . . the pink zone game raising money for the local cancer center.

The race tightens . . . 

IWU'70

[Peter Nicholson]

I watched some of the NP-NC webcast, but more of the Millikin at Augie game. Greg, did NP test NC's ballhandling with some fullcourt defense at all? I was expecting that, but didn't see it.
I did notice that we had a correspondent on the scene, who may tell us what that was when a fan got to midcourt to presumably complain about something. I think Illinois has a state law specifically protecting refs. It was extremely stupid of that person (she?) to advance onto the court.

I was at the NP-NCC game.  The fan in question is one of the parents of North Park's Josie Summerville, visiting from Adairsville, GA.  She was vocally displeased with the officials for most of the game before entering the court to complain in person, as it were.  I thought Rhonda Mont, the official directly concerned, showed great restraint in neither asking that Mary Summerville be ejected from the arena, nor assessing North Park an Administrative Technical Foul (2 FT, resume play at point of interruption).  As Lucas has posted, NCC Police were summoned and had a chat with Mary subsequently.  She was still in the building after the game and was allowed(?) to visit with her daughter, albeit with the Police watching.  I don't know what happened after that.

The officials otherwise had a busy night, calling 43 fouls (28 on NP; 15 on NCC) and administering 51 free throws (35 by NCC).  In fact, NP won the game from the field by 5 points and it was the free throw disparity that provided the winning margin for NCC, though the Cardinals shot only 57% from the line.

[RogK]

Thinking about all-conference :

I think we'd all concur that Jayla Johnson, Hannah Frazier, Kendall Sosa and Alexis Jones are complete "locks" for 1st team.

Autumn Kalis and Sammie Woodward are all-conf, at least one on 1st team.

Sydney Shanks and Riley Brovelli are very likely for all-CCIW.

Not sure Elmhurst gets an 1st teamer, but for 2nd maybe Kelly Weyhrich (one of my faves to watch in the entire CCIW). Kween Jean is in a slump, but has excelled several times. Many Bluejays have had fine games, but not always.

Zakiya Newsome is probably my next selection from NP.

Allison Pearson has come on strong and is NC's most likely honoree.

I'm not sure who's next in line from Wheaton and North Park; so many have done well here and there.

Also not sure about Carroll. Others from Augie? Let's see who excels down the stretch run.

Jordan Hildebrand and Abby Ratsch are very appropriate choices from Millikin, I think.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm not sure who's next in line from Wheaton and North Park; so many have done well here and there.

I'm not sure that NPU gets a third player on besides Johnson and Newsome. But if the unofficial quota system demands a third Viking besides Jayla and Zakiya, I suppose that Emily Czuhajewski would get the nod for a spot on the second team. She's still a work in progress in terms of her overall game, but there's no denying that her shooting from beyond the arc has been a difference-maker in several games for NPU this season.

[RogK]

I like your thinking, Greg. Any team would be better with an E Czuhajewski, or four of her!
I abbreviate her first name because it's just too difficult to spell.

[RogK]

I'm favoring Jayla Johnson by a slim margin over Hannah Frazier for Player of the Week.

[GoPerry]

I'm favoring Jayla Johnson by a slim margin over Hannah Frazier for Player of the Week.

JJ nudges out HF on stats:  24 ppg vs 22 ppg, 7 reb/g vs 6 reb/g... asst, stls, blks, to's kind of wash.  Wheaton's 2-0 week vs NPU 1-1 might tip it to HF.
 

[Gregory Sager]

I'm favoring Jayla Johnson by a slim margin over Hannah Frazier for Player of the Week.

JJ nudges out HF on stats:  24 ppg vs 22 ppg, 7 reb/g vs 6 reb/g... asst, stls, blks, to's kind of wash.  Wheaton's 2-0 week vs NPU 1-1 might tip it to HF.

I was about to echo your response by saying that Frazier would probably edge out Johnson due to the fact that NPU lost last week -- usually a killer to a player's POW hopes -- and WC swept its pair of games.

Then I clicked on the CCIW site and saw this:

https://cciw.org/news/2020/2/3/untitled-story.aspx

Shows what I know. Congrats to Jayla Johnson!

(I suspect that Jayla might've edged out Hannah F. for POW because of the magnitude of last Wednesday's NPU win over Illinois Wesleyan in the crackerbox. Or maybe it's a make-up call for Week Five, when Johnson clearly deserved the award but it was given instead to Jordan Hildebrand, in spite of the fact that Millikin only played one game that week and NPU played two.)

[Gregory Sager]

POW awards are as close as we can come to reading the tea leaves in terms of MOP. Hannah Frazier, Jayla Johnson, and Kendall Sosa have now won it three times each, with Jordan Hildebrand, Alexis Jones, and Sammie Woodward each winning it once.

I don't see any clear front-runner between Frazier, Johnson, and Sosa. I think that the fact that Frazier is a senior works in her favor, while Johnson's sophomore status works against her. But the final standings could be a determining factor as well, and at the moment the standings favor Johnson.

I think that we'll have to wait and see if any of the three of them climbs to a higher level or falls back over the final three weeks, because right now I don't think that it can be sorted out as to whether Frazier, Johnson, or Sosa is likely to win the award.

[GoPerry]

POW awards are as close as we can come to reading the tea leaves in terms of MOP. Hannah Frazier, Jayla Johnson, and Kendall Sosa have now won it three times each, with Jordan Hildebrand, Alexis Jones, and Sammie Woodward each winning it once.

I don't see any clear front-runner between Frazier, Johnson, and Sosa. I think that the fact that Frazier is a senior works in her favor, while Johnson's sophomore status works against her. But the final standings could be a determining factor as well, and at the moment the standings favor Johnson.

I think that we'll have to wait and see if any of the three of them climbs to a higher level or falls back over the final three weeks, because right now I don't think that it can be sorted out as to whether Frazier, Johnson, or Sosa is likely to win the award.

Totally agree with that assessment - although I would say that Kendall Sosa is probably a close third.  (Hold on '70, Ypsi!)  Sosa is leading or among the leaders in the scoring categories and maybe that's all that's needed.  But Frazier and Johnson also rank highly offensively but are also among the leaders in rebounding and some of the defensive and other stats.  It really might come down to whoever wins the league which favors Johnson > Frazier > Sosa  . . . as things stand right now.

[iwu70]

Thanks for all the assessment, views on MOP.  I'm willing to wait for the final 5-7 games to see who rises to the top for MOP.  All three players mentioned very outstanding this season, deserving of the award.  Of course, I'm hoping Kendall Sosa has several huge games in upcoming weeks, esp. if the TITANS get to the AQ game in the CCIW tourney.  It's been a fun season . . . with MU and NPU now clearly coming up strongly.  WC and IWU maintaining their strong standing and programs.  IWU has the edge going forward as only losing Shanks.  Some great young players in the league now.  Of course, IWU will be glad to see Frazier exit via graduation!     

All best from an empty, closed and on-edge campus and city.  My beloved CUHK campus now a kind of quasi-quarantine zone, self-imposed, hoping to avoid a "community outbreak" of the coronavirus.  We are closed, doing all teaching and advising at distance, online, until at least March 2nd.  Hong Kong in a bizarre and surreal time . . .

'70

[Mr. Ypsi]

New poll is up, and conference shutout again.  After beating IWU on Wednesday, I thought NPU would get a few votes - then they immediately lost to NCC.  National recognition is sacrificed when a conference goes and gets some parity!

[RogK]

iwu70, best wishes to you and everyone on that side of the Pacific. Hopefully, the relevant scientists can solve the coronavirus peril. And, hopefully, governments will implement wise policies.