WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[duckfan41]

NPU vs. WC.  A good game, a good test of how good NPU will be this year.  I expect WC to win, but it could be a close game if NPU brings their best effort, their "A" game.

IWU'70

Wheaton leads 49-25 at the half and are doing just about whatever they want on both ends of the floor.

[Gregory Sager]

NPU didn't show up at all in that first half. The Vikings went seven scoreless minutes in the second quarter. They look extremely bothered by Wheaton's length and the hedging of the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance, but they also threw away several passes for unforced turnovers. Meanwhile, at the other end of the floor, the hosts are doing a good job of exploiting mismatches underneath and getting lots of easy buckets.

If NPU doesn't get it going in the first five minutes or so of the second half, this is going to turn into an epic rout the wrong way, a la the U of C game.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton 87
North Park 56

Alicia Arnold: 18 pts, 3 stls
Zakiya Newsome: 15 pts

Hannah Frazier: 16 pts, 3 stls
Devin Kyler: 11 pts, 10 rebs

An ugly game for NPU, as the Vikings were never in it. They were badly outshot by a Wheaton team that couldn't seem to miss (53% to 28%), outrebounded by 12, and turned the ball over 19 times. They never looked ready for prime time, while Wheaton just went about its business at both ends of the floor with aplomb.

The lone bright spots were Zakiya Newsome's free-throw shooting (12-12) and the second straight big scoring game for Alicia Arnold, who is starting to come into her own here in the middle of her junior season.

[iwu70]

Congrats to Mia Smith on her 200th CCIW win.  Titans finally playing at home, first game @The Shirk since 12/16.

IWU over EC 87-61.  Never really in doubt.  Titans on cruise control again.

Titan scoring:  15, 11, 11, 8, 8, 7, 6, 6, 4, 4, 3, 3   -- you get the picture.  Titans are deep.

Hughes 15
Schneider 11
Ehresman 11

For EC:
Eppard (well contained in the first half)  15
Bailey 14
Urso 10

Titans now 12-2, 5-0.  In the driver's seat in the conference race.

IWU'70

[lmitzel]

NCC put themselves in a bad spot early this afternoon, falling behind 25-12 after one and 36-25 at half, but held Carroll to just three second half field goals and were able to take a 43-42 lead midway through the fourth. But they missed their last 11 shots and Carroll scored the game's last 10 points to take a 52-43 decision.

I'll have to go watch the tape tomorrow and see what I can make of it all.

[Titan Q]

The Titans are led by some very talented upperclassmen, but they are really getting huge contributions from two freshmen from Bloomington-Normal...

(Conference play stats through 5 games)

Maddie Merritt (Jr): 13.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg
Molly McGraw (Sr): 10.8 ppg
Rebekah Ehresman (Sr): 8.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.2 rpg
Ashley Schneider (Jr): 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Kendall Sosa (Fr): 10.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.6 apg
Raven Hughes (Fr): 9.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.2 apg

[lmitzel]

Got to watch a bit of the NCC-Carroll game today. The Cardinals gave up way too many open looks inside early, and didn't do a good job taking care of the ball. They also didn't shoot particularly well, which doesn't help.

I know there's been complaints with Carroll's streams in the past, though yesterday the camera work was good again. Unfortunately their announcer didn't prep (or at least, not very well) beforehand and mispronounced three different Cardinals' names, the most egregious of which was Page Desenberg (who became Densenberg for some reason). I know I'm not perfect, but I at least make a point to double check on names before a game. [/rant]

[RogK]

Augie 86, Millikin 68 : five Vikings scored in double-digits, including 15 pts each by Alexis Jones and Meghan Stovall; Scooter Lopez had 12 pts, 3 stls and 6 assists. For the Big Blue, Emily Schultz had 16 pts, 5 assists, while Jordan Hildebrand scored 14.
Some interesting numbers from the other games --
IWU's Raven Hughes's 15 pts in 16:00 came from perfect shooting : 6/6 2FG and 3/3 FT.
Carroll's Katie Rossetti and Delaney Sjong combined for 30 rebounds. Rossetti had 17 pts and 6 blocks. The Pioneers scored 27 pts over the final 3 quarters and won by 9.
Diamond Calicott was a DNP (did not play) for NC, as were Kaela Jones and Becca Gerke for Elmhurst.

[Gregory Sager]

Got to watch a bit of the NCC-Carroll game today. The Cardinals gave up way too many open looks inside early, and didn't do a good job taking care of the ball. They also didn't shoot particularly well, which doesn't help.

I know there's been complaints with Carroll's streams in the past, though yesterday the camera work was good again. Unfortunately their announcer didn't prep (or at least, not very well) beforehand and mispronounced three different Cardinals' names, the most egregious of which was Page Desenberg (who became Densenberg for some reason). I know I'm not perfect, but I at least make a point to double check on names before a game. [/rant]

Yep. Been there, done that with the Carroll announcer, who shall remain nameless for reasons of midwestern politeness:

Carroll's Sara Hartl showed her athletic versatility last night, making a three with her right shoe off.
Check 0:49:10 - 0:49:45 here
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/carroll/portal.htm?eventId=399578&streamType=video
this worked so well, I think others will want to try it!

That's a good cue, Rog, for me to bring up again my pet peeve: Broadcasters and P.A. announcers who don't bother to check visiting-team pronunciations before the game.

Last night Sinead Molloy was "Suh-need Mallory" throughout the entire game until overtime, when she mysteriously became "Suh-need Mally"; she never once had either her first name or her last name pronounced correctly all night. Shaylee Sloan was by turns "Shuh-lee Sloan", "Shy-lee Sloan", and even "Cheyenne Sloan" before she attained her proper pronunciation late in the contest. Sophia Lehocky started out as "the unidentified number 11" before she was miscast as "Dana Jump". Sophia changed uniform numbers from #21 to #11 (it happened back in mid-December), but that's something that anyone could learn by checking beforehand either with the scorer's table or with the opposing coaches -- but neither Dana Jump nor anybody else for NPU has worn #11 this season aside from Sophia.

Folks, it's just not that hard to check pronunciations with the opposing coaching staff or a trainer. Consistently messing up the pronunciation of opposing players' names is unprofessional.

[iwu70]

Q, agree with you on Hughes and Sosa.  Really key contributors to this year's good run, so far.

Mia is also getting good productive minutes from Sr. Walsberg and Fr. Munroe.  Surprising 3 point accuracy now too, from Sosa, Schneider, Anderson, and Walsberg.  Just enough. 

Anderson could be a starter many other places.  Shanks was last year's top freshman, so playing like a varsity veteran now.  She reminds me a bit of Beoletto.

This freshmen group is going to be quite a team, in future -- when you add the likely strong development of Munroe and Brovelli to the mix. 

We will surely miss the seniors -- Ehresman and McGraw, but it looks like Mia and the Titans will just re-load, not re-build.  Actually, don't think we've really seen the true talent and potential of McGraw yet this year.  I'd expect more scoring production, surely more rebounding from her.  Ehresman is just rock solid always.  Same with Merritt, such consistent scoring, high FT % (perhaps a program record over her career), and decent rebounding.

I always thought with this combination, all the experienced seniors, strong role players, that this was the year the TITANS could go far.  We'll see.  The freshmen are surely making me more optimistic.

Congrats again to Coach Smith on CCIW 200th win. 

IWU'70

[RogK]

The new CCIW Player of the Week is Hannah Frazier -- congrats to her!

[Mr. Ypsi]

IWU continues their slow-but-steady climb up the D3 poll - ORV (#28), ORV (#26), #25, #23, #21 over the last five polls.  A ten-game winning streak can do that for ya!

Alas, no other CCIW team receiving any votes.  I thought Wheaton's demolition job on NPU might get them a point or two, but four losses by early January just doesn't cut it in WBB.

I eagerly await the day that CCIW WBB will merit the respect that the conference men get.

[iwu70]

Glad to see the IWU climb up the poll.  Just keep winning (and by big margins) and all will be well. 

'70

[GoPerry]

2 solid performances for the Wheaton ladies last week.  They absolutely have to keep it going and not let down vs Augustana tonight.  With 2 losses already, they can't afford to lose any home games, and need to win most of the road games left, to have a chance for the conference.  Rebounding intensity has been much better lately and I hope they stay on that.

[iwu70]

GoPerry, I think the way IWU is now playing, that game vs. WC upcoming in a few weeks is basically the key game to the CCIW title.  WC is playing much better now.  Don't see any other teams challenging IWU the way things are going now.  IWU has the big MO . . . momentum. 

'70