WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

WC 62, NPU 57

Jayla Johnson: 22 pts, 8 rebs
Josie Summerville: 7 rebs
Angelina Villasin: 3:1 a:to
Sinead Molloy: 3 stls

Hannah Frazier: 28 pts, 16 rebs, 6 blks
Jordan Myroth: 7 rebs

I would've been quite happy tonight if women's basketball games were only ten minutes long. NPU did something quite remarkable to start this game; the Vikings erupted to an 18-0 advantage, as Wheaton didn't score until there was only 2:16 left on the clock in the first quarter. They were beating the homestanders to the basket with regularity, ballhawked well and covered up underneath with help on defense; and, most promisingly, they hit free throws for a change (the Vikings actually made their first 11 free throw attempts in this game).

That wasn't likely to last, though, and it didn't -- Wheaton wore down the NPU lead until the Vikings were only up by three at the half. The Park did lead for almost the entire third quarter, but in the end there was too much Hannah Frazier for the Vikings to contend with, as she looked like a shoo-in All-American tonight. Still, the Vikings did not let Wheaton pull away. Down by seven with 1:16 to go, they got the game down to a single possession and had the ball with the shot clock turned off when, as I said, they coughed up the ball and were forced to foul, essentially ending the game.

The big problem for the Vikings tonight, along with their inability to stop Frazier from doing anything she wanted, was their inability to knock down jumpers. More than anything else, the fact that this team doesn't shoot well is what is holding it back. Almost all of the NPU points came on layups and on close-in shots by Jayla Johnson from the low post or by good work at the charity stripe, where the Vikes shot a season-best 83% (19-23). NPU only shot 28% from the field and 17% from downtown; Wheaton, by contrast, was 39% and 44%. (I should point out that getting 17 shots blocked didn't help the North Park cause, either, but I applaud the Vikings' aggressiveness in going right at the vastly taller and longer Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance.)

Bad shooting or not, if the Vikes can play with this high a collective motor every night and can hit their free throws, they're going to earn their way into the CCIW tourney.

[iwu70]

Sure wish NPU had pulled off the upset vs. Wheaton.

Shanks playing with such energy, defensively, with steals, applying pressure and hitting the mid-range jump shots, getting into the lane often.  If the TITANS win the regular season CCIW crown, I think there is a good argument for Shanks as Conference MOP too, along with Merritt.  She's the key to the IWU offense, plays hard on both ends, scoring more now. 

Glad to see Munroe have several high-quality games in a row now.  Hughes just keeps pounding away, rebounding and scoring in a very consistent and high percentage way down low.  Very key part of the TITANS half court offense.   

More home cook'n, then the big game with WC.

Titans now 15-3, 8-1.

Keep it rolling TITANS.  Nice job on the "Not So Pink Game," raising money for the B/N Area Cancer Center!   Keep going philanthropic Titans.

IWU'70

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Milestones, upsets, underdogs, under the radar, and giving back ... that's what's on tap for Sunday's Hoopsville.

While in the conference grind, there are always results people don't expect. Whether an upset or a team flying under the radar finally pops up on everyone's radar, there are games and teams worth paying attention to outside the usual suspects. But even the top teams in the country have a story to tell.

On Sunday's episode, we will learn what it's like to be on the top team in the country, how a team can still fly under the radar with big results in on a difficult conference, how another team has emerged that no one was expecting on top of another competitive conference, how one of the top conferences in the county ticks and how the races there may turn out, and the importance of giving back to the community especially in honor of one of the country's greatest leaders.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. Sunday's show will air live starting at 7:00 p.m. ET here: http://bit.ly/2HoPIZf (and simulcast on Facebook Live and Periscope).

Oh ... and the show is definitely going to see some "overtime" tonight.

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):
- Hillary Scott, No. 17 Lynchburg men's coach
- Joe Crispin, Rowan men's coach
- Tim McDonald, Cabrini men's coach (NABC Coach's Corner)
- Chris Martin, CCIW Commissioner
- Abby Kelly, No. 1 Bowdoin senior guard
- Ryan Scott, D3hoops.com lead columnist (Top 25 Double-Take)

If you enjoy the show via the podcasts, choose your favorite avenue to listen and/or subscribe via the the following four avenues (click on the images when necessary):
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville




Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

[RogK]

Millikin got folded, spindled and mutilated by Carthage, 73-43.
Autumn Kalis played very well for the victors, scoring 18, along with 4 assists and 7 rebs. Bailey Gilbert showed versatility, recording 13 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals.
Sammie Woodward also helped with 13 pts and 5 rebs.
Carthage outrebounded Millikin 46-33.
Millikin got 15 pts by Yanni Saddler, while Aubrey Magro had 4 steals.
Saddler made 6 FGs and the rest of the team combined for 7.

[GoPerry]

Injured, Jenn Berg missed her 2nd game on Saturday and it's no surprise that her absence has affected the team as you don't easily replace a senior leader starter contributing 8 pts and 6 rebs.  It doesn't help that sister Jill is also unavailable due to injury. 

Replacing her 26 mins/gm has meant time for little used underclassmen in Sophmore Kirsten Madsen and Freshmen Hannah Swider, Taylor Sanders and Emily Nerem.  But the starter minutes have dramatically increased as Frazier, Myroth, Williams and Kyler are putting in up to 38,39 minutes these last 2 games.  That is obviously not sustainable in late January and into February.  You might be able to get away with it playing the bottom of the league but not against the better teams.  One thing for sure: opponents won't bother feeling sorry for the Thunder.

With tough trips to Carroll and Carthage and then back for IWU next week, Kent Madsen needs to figure something out and right quick.  Players like Swider, Madsen, Jacquie San Jule need to seize the opportunity to grab the extra PT.

[lmitzel]

Millikin got folded, spindled and mutilated by Carthage, 73-43.
Autumn Kalis played very well for the victors, scoring 18, along with 4 assists and 7 rebs. Bailey Gilbert showed versatility, recording 13 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals.
Sammie Woodward also helped with 13 pts and 5 rebs.
Carthage outrebounded Millikin 46-33.
Millikin got 15 pts by Yanni Saddler, while Aubrey Magro had 4 steals.
Saddler made 6 FGs and the rest of the team combined for 7.

This included Saddler joining the 1000 Point Club. (I think becoming the 23rd member in Millikin's history?)

[RogK]

lmitzel, I noticed your spelling of Sadler vs my use of Saddler.
cciw.org has the single d here :
https://static.cciw.org/custompages/CCIW_Links/WBasketball/Stats/1819/millikin.htm
However, the Millikin web site shows Saddler, which I'm sure we should trust as accurate.

[lmitzel]

lmitzel, I noticed your spelling of Sadler vs my use of Saddler.
cciw.org has the single d here :
https://static.cciw.org/custompages/CCIW_Links/WBasketball/Stats/1819/millikin.htm
However, the Millikin web site shows Saddler, which I'm sure we should trust as accurate.

Yeah, yours is correct because I didn't look close when I posted. Edited now. Thanks!

[RogK]

You're very welcome.
I just checked for her on ncaa.org, where presumably the most official and permanent records reside.
season                spelling in roster       spelling in team stats
2018-19              Saddler                    Saddler
2017-18              Saddler                    Sadler
2016-17              Saddler                    Sadler
2015-16              Saddler                    Sadler
Happily, when you click on the Sadler within team stats, it directs you to her career numbers, where Saddler is correctly spelled. So, someone along the way did reconcile the discrepancy.
http://stats.ncaa.org/player/index?game_sport_year_ctl_id=12280&stats_player_seq=1739438
--

[Gregory Sager]

Injured, Jenn Berg missed her 2nd game on Saturday and it's no surprise that her absence has affected the team as you don't easily replace a senior leader starter contributing 8 pts and 6 rebs.  It doesn't help that sister Jill is also unavailable due to injury.

They weren't the only players who were missing on Saturday. NPU's Lauryn Alba Garner, who is the second-leading scorer and best outside shooter for the Vikings, was not in uniform at King Arena this weekend.

[RogK]

A minor oddity of the expanded CCIW conference playoffs, hardly worth mentioning : seeds 1, 3 and 4 will host games, but #2 doesn't. Now for something completely different.

[RogK]

It being Monday : we have a new CCIW Player of the Week -- congrats to Bailey Gilbert! She also scored her 1000th career point.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

A minor oddity of the expanded CCIW conference playoffs, hardly worth mentioning : seeds 1, 3 and 4 will host games, but #2 doesn't. Now for something completely different.

#2 wasn't hosting in the old format, either?

I get what you are saying ... the advantage for the 2-seed is a little bit of rest and not getting beat up in a game that their eventual opponent will have experienced.

[lmitzel]

A minor oddity of the expanded CCIW conference playoffs, hardly worth mentioning : seeds 1, 3 and 4 will host games, but #2 doesn't. Now for something completely different.

#2 wasn't hosting in the old format, either?

I get what you are saying ... the advantage for the 2-seed is a little bit of rest and not getting beat up in a game that their eventual opponent will have experienced.

I've been thinking about this lately too, wondering if there's more benefit to being the 3 seed as opposed to the 2 seed. The 3 seed gets an extra game to, assuming chalk plays out, get an extra boost to win percentage and, depending on the year, a possible slight boost to SOS as well. It probably really would only benefit a team in the lower half of the regional rankings, and even then, probably not a lot. Counterbalance that with the what-if of a bubble team seeded #3 losing at home in the quarterfinal thus probably getting eliminated from the tournament picture... and I'd be inclined to say that it probably isn't worth it.

[RogK]

I didn't really have a point to make, beyond the format producing a set of home games that bypass the 2 seed. I concur with you guys' comments.
I think it should be : 9 at 1, 8 at 2, 7 at 3, 6 at 4. Seed 5 is excluded, but plays a game at Simon Fraser Univ, the D3 school in Burnaby BC, with a few extra days in Vancouver thrown in.