Bob Heller's Philly WBB Small College Report: Streaks and Milestones Keep Coming

by Bob Heller (@Bob_Heller1)

A milestone week last week in area small college women’s basketball action as four players reached the 1,000 career points milestone…a third area team extended their winning streak to ten or more games while another played a Division I team…and the top area teams in both Division II and Division III continue to dominate.

  Over 40 games played amongst the area teams so let’s get started.

Four Area Players Reach 1,000 Career Points

Neumann University’s Nafisa Saunders and Lincoln University’s Teira Pendleton became the latest area women’s basketball players to score their 1,000th career point on Wednesday.  

  Saunders, a junior from Coatesville High School needed nine points to reach the mark against Immaculata on Wednesday and reached the mark in the second quarter on a free throw, capping a traditional three-point play.  The Knights went on to win 79-51.

Pendleton, a senior from Baltimore, Maryland also reached her 1,000th point via a free throw, connecting on the first of two three minutes into the second quarter in the Lions game against #4 Virginia Union University. She entered the game needing 12 points to become the seventh Lincoln player to reach 1,000 career points. The senior forward went on to score a team-high 19 points but the Lions fell 68-51, snapping the team’s seven game win streak.  

Two more players joined the 1,000 career point club on Saturday with another Neumann player, Lauren Legler (daughter of former LaSalle great Tim Legler) scoring her 1,000th point midway through the second quarter of the Knights big win, 87-45 over Notre Dame University of Maryland.

Rosemont’s Jasmyn Parker is the fourth area player last week to reach 1,000 career points.  The senior guard entered Saturday’s game against Cedar Crest College needing four points to become the ninth Rosemont player to reach the 1000 point plateau for their career.  She reached the mark with just under four minutes remaining in the first quarter and went on to score a career-high 30 points in the Ravens 90-39 win.

We’ll have more on each of these games a bit later in the report.

West Chester Wins Tenth Straight in PSAC

West Chester University continues to win and Mia Hopkins continues to star as the Golden Rams defeated Pitt-Johnstown 78-68 on Wednesday and Bloomsburg 78-60 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to ten games. 

 WCU is now 15-4 overall and 12-3 in PSAC games, extending their PSAC East Division lead to two full games with the wins.

Hopkins earned ECAC Division II Player of the Week honors for her performance in the two games. The senior forward was dominant as she recorded a pair of double-doubles in the two Golden Ram victories. 

On the week Hopkins averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds per game, while also being deadly from downtown at 66 percent on the week. In the win over UPJ, Hopkins was 4-for-11 from the field with 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, one steal and 10 points. Against Bloomsburg University, Hopkins was 8-for-15 from the field and 1-for-2 from downtown with 11 rebounds, four blocks, two assists, one steal and 18 points.

Staying within the PSAC, Cheyney University split their two games last week, defeating Mansfield University 69-63 on Wednesday before falling to East Stroudsburg 79-70 on Saturday.  

The win over Mansfield gave the Wolves a modest two game win streak.  Marlon Herring tied the game late in the fourth quarter and her layup with 1:05 left put the Wolves ahead to stay.  Herring finished with 14 points.  Takayla Ellis led CU with 21 points while Yasmine Dorrielan scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

The win streak was broken as East Stroudsburg handed the Wolves a 79-70 loss on Saturday.  The Wolves led early but fell behind midway through the first quarter and could never catch up.  Herring led the team with 15 points.  Dorrielan and Gianni Hill added 12 points apiece.

USciences and Jefferson Continue to Dominate in the CACC

In the CACC, two teams, Jefferson University and University of the Sciences are dominating the CACC South Division with identical 11-1 conference marks.  

‘Sciences won both games last week, including an exciting 66-56 crossover win over Caldwell University, the top team in the CACC North Division.  The Devils are 19-2 overall and have won 12 in a row.

Against regionally ranked Caldwell, the Devils did not take their first lead until the 8:37 mark of the fourth quarter and they closed out the game on a 16-3 flourish to earn the win.

  Alex Thomas led four Devils in double figures with 16 points.  Sarah Abbonizio and Jordan Vitelli had 15 apiece while Colleen Walsh chipped in ten.

Earlier in the week, the Devils cruised to a 71-42 win over Georgian Court University. Thomas again led the team with 19 points while Walsh and Laura Trisch had ten apiece.

Jefferson needed a last second layup from Jess Kaminski to keep pace with the Devils as the Rams hung on to defeat host Dominican College 63-62 in Orangeburg, New York on Saturday.  

Kaminski led the team with 17 points and ten rebounds.  Jefferson trailed by as many as six in the final 2:30 of the game but battled back to take a lead with 16 seconds left on a pair of Alynna Williams free throws.  

DC retook the lead at 62-61 with two free throws of their own before Kaminski’s game-winner.  Williams finished with 10 points while Rachel Day added 14.

On Wednesday, the Rams held off a late rally by host Chestnut Hill College as they hung on for a 74-71 win.  Erin Maher led the Rams with 20 points while Beverly Kum and Kaminski had 17 and 14 respectively.  Jaeda Wildgoose led Chestnut Hill with 22 points while Shannon Glenn chipped in 18 points.

Chestnut Hill got back on the winning track with an 80-64 win over Concordia on Saturday.  Vicky Tumasz led all players 24 points.  Chestnut Hill in now 13-8 overall and 9-3 in CACC games.

Holy Family split their two games last week, defeating Wilmington 67-63 before losing on Saturday to Bloomfield 66-56. The Tigers are 7-13 overall and 6-6 in league play.

Anjalai Hayes led the Tigers with 12 points in the loss at Bloomfield. Katie O’Hare led four players in double figures with 14 points in the Tigers four-point win over the Wildcats.  

Casey Schweitzer added 13 points while Hayes and Elizabeth Radley had 12 and 10 respectively.

Lincoln Streak comes to an End

And rounding out the Division II section of the report we have Lincoln University who saw their seven game winning streak come to an abrupt end with a 68-51 loss to #4 Virginia Union.  Pendleton led the Lions with 19 points and added nine rebounds.  Brianna Logan chipped in ten points.

Chowan University handed the Lions their second straight loss72-60 on Saturday.  

Pendleton again fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards.  She was the only Lions player in double figures.  Lincoln falls to 12-6 overall and 7-3 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) games.

Top Teams in the CSAC Continue to Win…

In the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) the four top teams won all of their conference games last week to maintain their positions in the league standings.

Gwynedd Mercy University, the top team in the CSAC North defeated Keystone College 66-52 on Monday, handily defeated Cedar Crest 67-37 on Wednesday and cruised to a 70-40 win over Cairn University on Friday to improve to 9-1 in league play and extend their winning streak to seven games.  

The Griffins made a season-high 15 three-pointers in their blowout win over Cairn.  Susan Bossler had four of those enroute to a team high 16 points.  Bianca Adams made three from deep and finished with 12 points.

  In all, 12 different Griffin players scored at lead one basket against Cairn. Kendra Stum, Peyton Emrick and Jana Goodman had seven points apiece to lead Cairn.

Against Cedar Crest, 14 different players scored with Chyanne Fine and Olivia Roseman leading the way with ten points apiece.  

Four players reached double figures in Monday night’s win over Keystone. Bossler and Juliana Hoisington led all players with 15 points apiece.  Adams and Larissa Leyes added 12 apiece.

The Griffins closed out a busy week by taking on Division I University of Pennsylvania at the historic Palestra in West Philadelphia. 

 GMU kept the game close in the first quarter before the Quakers started to pull away eventually earning an 89-25 win and snapping the Griffins win streak. 

 Shannon Carroll and Denise Sacco led the team with six and five points respectively.

Cabrini University, the top team in the CSAC South extended their winning streak to 15 games with decisive victories over Cairn (72-51) on Wednesday and Centenary (63-32) on Saturday. 

 The Cavaliers are 17-2 overall and 10-0 in CSAC games.

Sabrina Hackendorn and Lexi Edwards led the Cavaliers with 17 and ten points respectively in their win over Cairn.  Aigner Bookard led Cairn (7-11, 2-8 CSAC) with 12 points.  

Cabrini led wire-to-wire except for a brief tie at 2-2 in the first quarter.   Nomi Washington had 15 points to pace the Cavaliers in their win over Centenary.

Cabrini and Gwynedd Mercy will meet on Wednesday, January 31 in a battle of the top two division leaders in the CSAC.

Neumann University meanwhile kept pace with the Cavaliers with wins over Immaculata (79-51) and Notre Dame (Md.) (87-45). The Knights are now 14-5 overall and 9-12 in CSAC contests.  

Minika Glenn recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame.  Nafisa Saunders added 11 points.  Nicole Sipp and Kristin Denocour had ten points apiece.  All 13 Neumann players scored at least two points in the win.

Glenn also led the Knights with 20 points in the win over Immaculata.  Lauren Legler added 16 while Saunders chipped in 15.  Immaculata (4-16, 3-8 CSAC) was led by Theresa Kearney’s 13 points.  Annie Kohutka added 11 points.

Rosemont meanwhile totaled 185 points in their two wins last week, defeating Notre Dame (Md.) 95-49 and Cedar Crest 90-39.  The Ravens improved to 13-7 overall and 7-4 in league games.

Jasmyn Parker had a career high 30 points against Cedar Crest while all ten players on the roster ended up in the scoring column.  Ke’alohilani Naone-Carter and Kira Lewis added ten points apiece.

The Ravens outscored Notre Dame 33-5 in the first quarter and never looked back.  Naone-Carter led the team with 23 points while her sister Leilani Naone-Carter chipped in 14.  Lewis added 11 points while Jayme Byers came off the bench to score ten points.

Haverford Streaking in the Centennial…

In the Centennial Conference, Haverford continues their strong play, extending their winning streak to six games with victories over Bryn Mawr College (64-22), Ursinus (65-43) and Dickinson (61-56).  The Fords are 16-3 overall and 12-2 in league games.

The Dickinson game was by far the closest of the three.  The Red devils erased an 11-point Haverford lead in the third quarter and led by one entering the final period and led by two, 56-54 with just four minutes left in the game.

  Julianna Clark followed with a three point field goal and following a Dickinson turner added a layup for a three point Haverford lead.  She then added two free throws to round out the scoring. Samantha Wetzel and Sierra Berkel led the Fords with 18 and 10 points respectively.

Macy Goldbach led the Fords in their blowout win over Ursinus with 16.  Berkel and Wetzel added12 points apiece.  Lydia Konstanzer led Ursinus (9-11, 6-9 CC) with 12 points.

Berkel recorded her fourth double-double of the season as Haverford opened the week with a 64-22 win over Bryn Mawr College. 

 The senior scored 20 points and grabbed ten rebounds and was the lone Haverford player to reach double figures.  In all 11 different Haverford players put points on the scoreboard.  Halena Martin led Bryn Mawr (1-17, 0-14 CC) with seven points.

Ursinus meanwhile dropped games to Johns Hopkins (70-51) and #16 Muhlenberg (89-55) in addition to the Haverford loss to finish the week at 9-11 overall and 6-9 in league play.

Konstanzer recorded a double-double against Hopkins with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Aaliyah Stephens chipped in 13 points.

  Against the nationally ranked Mules, the Bears offense struggled in the first half while the Mules was clicking, building a 51-20 margin at the break before finishing with the 30-point win.  Konstanzer led the Bears with 18 points.

MAC Roundup…

Over in the MAC, Delaware Valley Universality was the bright spot in the MAC Freedom, winning both of their conference games last week. 

 On Wednesday the Aggies defeated eastern University 67-50 and followed that up with a 67-61 win over Wilkes to even their conference record at 4-4.  The Aggies are 7-12 overall.

Danielle Skedzielewski led the Aggies with 19 points against Wilkes.  Ashley Smink added 13 while Amber Grohowski chipped in ten. 

 The Aggies led by three at the half and used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to build a nine point lead.  A 12-5 run to start the fourth quarter gave DelVal their biggest lead of the day 59-46 before Wilkes rallied to close within two with 46 seconds left, 63-61.  

Skedzielewski added a basket and later a free throw as DelVal scored the final four points to seal the win.

Smink led four players in double figures in the win over Eastern with 15 points.  Monica Smallwood and Lauren Morretti chipped in 14 and 13 respectively while Grohowski added ten.  

The Aggies used a 12-0 run in the second quarter to build a double digit lead and led by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter.   Eastern was led scoring-wise by Viki Kneis’ 10 points.

Eastern played a hard fought first half against DeSales, trailing by only four at the break, 23-19.  DeSales’ offense came alive in the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 23-9 as they pulled away with a 60-33 win. 

 Regie Robinson had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead Eastern (4-15, 1-7 MAC Freedom).

Arcadia suffered losses to Albright College (72-50) and Messiah College (75-45) to fall to 8-12 overall and 3-8 in MAC Commonwealth contests.

Taylor Dunn led the Knights against nationally ranked Messiah, scoring eight points. Messiah built a 20-point lead at halftime 34-14 and pulled away as the game wore on in the second half for the 30-point win.

 

Taylor Fritz had a double-double (12 points, ten rebounds) while Dunn and Kylie Fischer added ten points apiece in the loss to Albright, which outscored the Knights 23-6 in the opening quarter and never looked back the rest of the way. 

 Arcadia closed the gap in the final quarter, outscoring Albright 16-10 to make the final score 72-50.

Widener dropped their only contest of the week, falling at home to Lycoming, 64-49.  The loss drops their record to 9-10 overall and 3-7 in MAC Commonwealth contests.  Devan Rimmer led the Pride with 16 points.  Allison Gallagher grabbed ten rebounds.

In the NJAC…

Over in New Jersey, Rutgers-Camden scored a big win last week, defeating Rowan University 82-77.  The Scarlet Raptors rallied from a 13-point to earn just their second win in their last six tires against the Profs.

Gabby Greene led four Scarlet Raptor players in double figures with 22 points.  Michelle Obasi and Cara Racobaldo added 17 points apiece.  Lajerah Wright chipped in 12 points.

The Profs held a comfortable ten point lead 63-53 early in the fourth quarter when a 13-4 run by the Scarlet raptors closed the gap to 67-66 with 4:48 left.

 Rowan pushed the lead back to five 73-68 with 2:27 left before two quick scores tied the game. Greene sank a three-pointer with 1:34 left to give the Scarlet raptors the lead for good.

Olivia Rulon led Rowan with 26 points (8-12 from three-point range). Dominique Peters added 14 while Summer Crilley chipped in 12.

The Scarlet Raptors also defeated Rutgers-Newark, 60-52 to end the week with two wins.  Rowan ended the week with a tough 72-66 loss to nationally ranked Montclair State.

Racobaldo and Wright had 13 points apiece to pace the Scarlet Raptors in their win over Rutgers-Newark.  The Scarlet Raptors are now 8-5 in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games and 11-8 overall.

Rowan’s loss to Montclair drops their record to 11-8 overall and 8-5 in league play, moving into a three-way tie for fourth in the NJAC standings with Rutgers-Camden and William Paterson.  Peters led the Profs with 18 points while Crilley chipped in 11.  

The College of New Jersey saw its modest three-game win streak snapped with a 68-45 loss to Stockton.  The Lions also recorded a pair of wins over New Jersey City University, 89-19 and 95-32.  

TCNJ sits in second place in the conference standings behind Montclair State with a 10-5 conference mark and a 15-5 overall record.