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| Austin Westra and UW-La Crosse improved to 7-0 for the second season in a row with a win at UW-Whitewater. File photo by Calvin Williams, d3photography.com |
Opening night in the WIAC brought road victories for No. 4 UW-La Crosse and No. 15 UW-Oshkosh while Illinois Wesleyan started CCIW play with a win at No. 11 Elmhurst. On the women’s side, No. 1 Hope fended off archrival No. 15 Calvin and UW-Platteville rolled at No. 19 UW-Oshkosh.
Home court wasn’t much of an advantage on opening night in the WIAC.
No. 4 UW-La Crosse went to UW-Whitewater and came home with an 88-74 win over the Warhawks. UW-Whitewater shot 55 percent from the field (26-for-47) and 64 percent from three (7-for-11), but the Eagles converted 14 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points and 13 Warhawk turnovers into 19 points. Austin Westra paced UW-La Crosse (7-0, 1-0 WIAC) with 21 points and five rebounds.
Jonah Rindfleisch scored the game-tying layup for No. 15 UW-Oshkosh in the final minute of regulation at UW-Platteville, and the Titans defeated the Pioneers in overtime, 75-66. Eric Peterson poured in 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting in 40 minutes and Levi Borchert tallied 14 points and 19 rebounds for UW-Oshkosh (6-2, 1-0 WIAC).
UW-Eau Claire also picked up a road win over UW-River Falls, 71-53, while UW-Stout clobbered visiting UW-Stevens Point, 93-69.
Illinois Wesleyan started its CCIW season with a 68-54 win on the road over No. 11 Elmhurst. The Titans outrebounded the Bluejays 58-37 as Ryan Sroka and Hakim Williams both posted double-doubles for Illinois Wesleyan.
The most exciting game on opening night in the MAC Commonwealth happened at Alvernia where Widener edged the Golden Wolves, 78-76, in overtime. Pat Holden’s free throws with five seconds left were the difference for the Pride (5-2, 1-0 MACC). In the MAC Freedom, Wilkes roughed up preseason favorite Lycoming, 78-44. The Colonels were picked sixth in that preseason poll.
Earlham picked up its first win of the season in surprising fashion, upsetting No. 25 Wabash, at 65-57. Jaden Terry led the way with 21 points and Tommy Makabu and Anthony Phillips added 14 apiece for the Quakers.
Kean kept rolling with an 80-56 win over Ramapo. Four of the Cougars starters scored double figures, led by Letrell West with 19 points. Kean (7-0, 2-0 NJAC) shot 59 percent from the floor.
On the women’s side, Ella McKinney fought through a sore ankle and No. 1 Hope fought past No. 15 Calvin, 62-56, in the latest installment of The Rivalry.
A little more than 24 hours after spraining her ankle, McKinney scored 22 points to lead the Flying Dutch past the Knights in the MIAA opener for both. Calvin led 28-23 after one period but the Flying Dutch took a 28-26 lead three minutes into the second period on McKinney’s jumper and Hope led the rest of the way. Gabby Timmer finished two blocks shy of a double for Calvin, as she rolled up 14 points, 18 rebounds and eight blocks. Calvin has not beaten Hope in the women’s side of their storied rivalry since the 2017 MIAA Tournament semifinals. Full recap
UW-Platteville opened WIAC play with an impressive road win at No. 19 UW-Oshkosh, 60-35. The Pioneers held the Titans to 34 percent shooting (13 for 38) and yielded just five assists against 25 turnovers. Ella Mackiewicz scored 13 points in 21 minutes for UW-Platteville (4-4, 1-0 WIAC).
No. 9 UW-Whitewater edged UW-La Crosse, 58-53, and dealt the Eagles their first loss of the season. Maggie Trautsch and Kacie Carollo combined for 33 points and 19 rebounds for the Warhawks (6-1, 1-0 WIAC). No. 12 UW-Eau Claire built a 37-18 halftime lead over UW-River Falls and then held off the Falcons, 74-71. Kylie Mogen and Jessie Ruden each had 18 points for the Blugolds (7-1, 1-0 WIAC).
Augustana improved to 6-1, 1-0 in the CCIW with a 65-63 come-from-behind overtime win over Wheaton (Ill.). The Vikings trailed by seven entering the fourth quarter but rallied to their first victory over the Thunder since February 2020.
Anaya Simmons posted a double-double and No. 5 Christopher Newport handled Bridgewater (Va.), 78-50, in an early battle of undefeated teams. Simmons had 18 points and 18 rebounds for the Captains (7-0) who converted 33 Eagles turnovers into 34 points.
Justina Cabezas notched 24 points, and William Paterson defeated NJAC champion New Jersey City, 71-51. The Pioneers improved to 4-2, 1-1 in the NJAC.