The Guru Report - Local: D-2 Chestnut Hill Tops Jefferson Stays Unbeaten in CACC; Rider Wins at Canisius; Penn State and Rutgers Suffer Big Ten Losses

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

There’s been a trend off the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Basketball Summer League that teams that did well would later translate their success in winter competition.

So far, Chestnut Hill College is making good on that premise after reaching the title game.

On Thursday night the Griffins, currently #10 in the D2SIDA East Region Poll, upset regionally ranked Jefferson 70-61, their first win over the Rams at home in Sorgenti Arena in seven seasons since 2015.

Chestnut Hill (12-3, 6-0 CACC) has now won six straight matching their longest run from 2017-18.

The Griffins led wire to wire jumping to a double digit lead in the first half and then shortening a rally from Jefferson (11-4, 4-2) in the second.

Four players for the home team scored in double figures, Kaitlyn Carter and  Lauren Crim each scored 16 points, while Bri Hewlett collected 14 points, and Emily Chmiel scored 10.

Jefferson had the game’s high scorer in Cassie Murphy, who scored 30, while Haley Meinel and Morgan Robertson each scored 11.

Chestnut Hill stays in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference for its next game, hosting East Region ranked No. 1 USciences next Tuesday at 6 p.m.

The Griffins upset the Devils to get to the championship last summer but fell to the USciences alumni squad in the title round.

Rider Tops Canisius: The Broncs bounced back from last weekend’s loss to Fairfield, taking the opener of a two-game road trip to Western New York and winning 59-51 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

Lenaejha Evans had 17 points and a career high nine rebounds for Rider (4-10, 2-3 MAAC), Makayla Firebaugh scored 13, and Jessika Schiffer scored 11 against the Golden Griffins (2-11, 0-4).

“We talked a lot over the past week about taking a lead, building that lead, and finishing,” said Rider coach Lynn Milligan. “I think we accomplished all those goals today. It wasn’t always a smooth path but it very rarely ever is.

“I thought we were locked in our game plan. There wasn’t a lull in 40 minutes. There were times we made mistakes and they made runs, but the effort was there the entire time.”

Rider finishes up the trip Saturday, visiting Niagara at 2 p,m.

Penn State Dominated by No. 11 Michigan:  Naz Hillmon topped the Wolverines with 21 points in a lopsided 74-57 victory over the Lady Lions (7-7, 1-3 Big Ten) in Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center in State College in a conference game. 

Leigha Brown scored 17, while Maddie Nolan had 15 points, and Emily Kiser double doubled with 13 points and rebounds for Michigan (14-2, 5-1).

Penn State got 17 points each from Leilani Kapinus and Makenna Marisa while reserve Ali Brigham had 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Next up is a visit Sunday from Illinois at 2 p.m. on the B1G+ streaming network from the conference.

Another Rutgers Rally Finishes Short: With a bye week offering a chance to sneak a game ahead of its original date the way the pandemic has disrupted schedules, the Big Ten on short notice shipped the Scarlet Knights to Northwestern since the Wildcats’ contest with Illinois was postponed.

This one was more competitive from the outset but the home team in Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.,went up by 15 lste in the third quarter before Rutgers surged back into contention only to lose the ball twice in the last minute and Northwestern won 68-63.

Osh Brown had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights (7-11, 0-6 Big Ten) who sre still winless in conference play. Joiya Maddox had 12 points, and Lasha Petree scored 11.

Veronica Burton scored 18 and dealt nine assists for the Wildcats (11-4, 3-1), Caileigh Walsh scored 13, and Courtney Shaw scored 11.

Wisconsin visits Jersey Mike’s Arena Sunday at 2 p.m. on B1G+.

Looking Ahead: Villanova picks up its five game win streak Friday night and comes off a long pause resuming Big East play visiting DePaul at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, the first meeting since the Wildcats upset the Blue Demons in the conference semifinals. The game will air on FS2.

Drexel will be home hosting Northeastern at 7 p.m. in a Colonial Athletic Association game in the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Flohoops while Delaware will host Hofstra same time in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark in a CAA game also on Flohoops.

And that’s the local report.