UW-Oshkosh is moving on to the sectional semifinals after beating Bethel at home on Saturday night. Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com

Three WIAC teams advanced through the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as UW-Stout ousted Whitman and UW-Oshkosh shut down Bethel. Elsewhere, Smith once again found late game magic and McMurry won the Texas regional.

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Anna Mutch was more than enough for No. 22 UW-Stout, as the senior guard scored 31 points including the game-winning basket for the Blue Devils in their 75-69 win over No. 6 Whitman. Mutch converted a three-point play to snap a 67-all tie with 1:23 to play. After Whitman pulled back within one on two Korin Baker free throws, Mutch made two of her own, taking Stout’s lead back to four points. Whitman missed a three on its next possession, Mutch grabbed the rebound, and Whitman eventually fouled Amanda Giesen, who sank two free throws.

Mutch finished with a season-high 31 points and 12 rebounds, plus she went 9-for-9 from the foul line. Baker paced Whitman with 34 points and six rebounds.

No. 11 UW-Oshkosh held No. 23 Bethel to its second-lowest scoring output of the season, and the Titans advanced to their fourth Sweet 16 in five Tournaments with a 59-49 victory. Oshkosh held the Royals to 20 points in the middle periods and took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter. Bethel got as close as 53-49 with 3:36 to play, but the Titans shut out the Royals the rest of the way.

Oshkosh was led by Sammi Beyer, who scored double figures for the 15^th time this season, and the Titans outscored the Royals 27-3 from behind the arc.

The WIAC was guaranteed to have one more team advance because No. 16 UW-Whitewater hosted UW-La Crosse in the Warhawks’ regional final. Whitewater won a nailbiter over its conference rival, 50-49, beating La Crosse for the third time this season.

After Malia Wilson gave La Crosse a 49-47 lead with 1:05 to play, Whitewater All-American Kacie Carollo found Katie Hildebrandt for an open layup that tied the game. The Eagles missed a three on their next possession, and Whitewater rebounded the ball with four seconds. The Warhawks again got the ball to Hildebrandt who was fouled driving to the rim with one second. She split the free throws, giving her 18 points on the night and the Warhawks the Tournament victory.

Stout and Whitewater will tavel to Northeast Pennsylvania next weekend where the University of Scranton will host sectional semifinals.

The third-ranked Lady Royals built a big lead on Bates early and cruised to a 70-49 win at home over the Bobcats. Scranton scored the first 10 points of the second period and held Bates scoreless for eight-plus minutes on its way to a 40-20 halftime lead. All-American Kaci Kranson had a double-double at the half and finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

In a rematch from last year's sectional semifinals, Scranton will face No. 17 Johns Hopkins since the Blue Jays topped No. 25 Carnegie Mellon, 68-58. Johns Hopkins won the first period 16-4, lost the second 24-9, and then gained control by scoring the first 12 points of the second half. Lauren Knudson's pushed JHU's lead to 14 points with a three late in the third quarter, and the Blue Jays held the Tartans at bay the rest of the way. Macie Feldman led three Blue Jays in double-figure scoring with 17 points.

Smith magic strikes again

If it’s March, it must be time for Smith magic.

The Pioneers once again pulled out a thrilling Tournament victory, this time beating Amherst 52-50 at home on Ally Landau’s last-second layup.

Smith led throughout the game, including a 13-point advantage in the third quarter, but the Pioneers could not put the Mammoths away. After Ella Sylvester gave Smith a 50-47 lead with 19 seconds left, Amherst called time out and got the ball to Reagan Pahl who calmly drilled a step-back game-tying three pointer. Smith advanced the ball to half court with a timeout and put the ball in Landau’s hands. She ran the game clock down and then drove around a screen to the rim for the game-winning shot.

In the last three Tournaments, Smith is now 10-0 at home with dramatic wins over Amherst, St. John Fisher, and Mary Washington in overtime in 2023. The Pioneers also have an overtime win over Wartburg in last season’s national semifinal and a two-point win over UW-Oshkosh in the 2024 Sweet 16.

The Pioneers earned a rematch with the team they beat to reach the 2024 national semifinals after No. 2 Bowdoin pulled away from Cortland, 67-54. The Red Dragons hung tough and entered the fourth quarter tied at 44, but the Polar Bears opened that period on a 10-2 run and gained control. Maria Belardi scored all 10 of her points in that period and Sydney Jones added 17 more for Bowdoin (29-0). Jackie Funk posted a double-double for Cortland (18 points, 11 rebounds).

Bowdoin and Smith will be joined in Maine next weekend by No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus and McMurry.

Emma Kniefel, who hit a late game-tying three in the first round against Wisconsin Lutheran, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as Gustavus Adolphus defeated No. 12 Wartburg, 56-50. Kniefel’s jumper gave the Gusties a 46-45 lead midway through the fourth quarter and then she added four free throws in the final 23 seconds to seal Gustavus’ victory. Kniefel finished 20 points, giving her 40 for the weekend.

The Gusties will face McMurry which advanced through the Texas regional via a 66-63 win over conference rival Texas Lutheran. The War Hawks took a 62-59 lead on Emily Holland’s three-pointer in the fourth quarter and then extended that lead to five points on a Jordan Gillespie layup. Sarahi Jones’ jumper pulled TLU within three with 1:49 to play but the Bulldogs missed their final six shots and McMurry held on for the victory.

Emily Holland tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds for McMurry, which won all three games against Texas Lutheran this season.

Bullets persevere, NYU romps

No. 10 Gettysburg posted a gritty, come-from-behind win over Western New England, 55-52, behind a stunning fourth quarter from senior Shinya Lee. Playing without leading scorer Alayna Arnolie who was hurt in the Bullets’ first round win over Stevens, Gettysburg fell behind Western New England 50-42 in the fourth quarter. But Lee came out of the final media time out and put up eight points, four blocks and four rebounds, and the Bullets tied the game at 50. Gettysburg took the lead on Ava O’Neil’s three with 41 seconds left and then hung on for the win when WNEU's final shot rimmed out.

Lee racked up 14 points, 11 rebounds, seven blocks and two steals for Gettysburg. Lilly Hedge notched 17 points and 17 rebounds for Western New England.

SUNY Geneseo followed up Friday night’s upset win over Catholic with a 71-49 neutral court victory over Montclair State at the Catholic University regional. The Knights got off to a slow start but then went on a 25-6 run and never looked back. The Knights outrebounded the Red Hawks, 50-32, and held Montclair to seven assists against 20 turnovers.

No. 14 Randolph-Macon got a balanced effort in a 62-56 win at home over No. 20 Elizabethtown. Sam smith led four Yellow Jackets in double-figure scoring with 15 points while Catherine Kagey had 11 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists. Randolph-Macon also held Etown’s top two Summer McNulty and DaniRae Renno to six points apiece.

Those teams will try to slow top-ranked NYU after the Violets overwhelmed Trinity (Conn.), 83-45. NYU put this game away early, outscoring the Bantams 30-9 in the first period. The Violets led 70-27 entering the fourth quarter of a game where both teams used their full roster. NYU went 1-for-17 from three but shot 55 percent from the field and outscored the Bants 47-10 in the paint. All-American Natalie Bruns posted 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting, nine assists and five blocks in just 26 minutes for NYU.

While NYU is the top seed in this quadrant, next weekend's games will be played at Gettysburg. The NYU men also advanced to the second weekend and the men have hosting priority for the Tournament's sectional rounds in odd years.

Big run propels BW past W&L

After getting off to a slow start, No. 7 Baldwin Wallace rallied past No. 21 Washington and Lee, 75-71, and into the sectional semifinals.

Washington and Lee jumped out to a 17-6 lead midway through the first period and held a 34-22 lead after Quinn McGuinness sank two free throws with 4:36 left in the first half. Baldwin Wallace scored the final seven points of the first half and then turned the game around in the third quarter with an 18-2 run capped by Bella Vaillant’s layup that gave BW a 47-36 lead. 

Washington and Lee pulled within two points at 67-65 in the closing minutes on Mary Schleusner’s three-point play, but Caely Ressler splashed a three-pointer that pushed the Yellow Jackets’ lead back to five and Emily Irwin made four late free throws to preserve BW’s advantage.

Irwin scored 20 points in 22 minutes, including several early baskets to help Baldwin Wallace shake off its slow start. Vaillant added 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets, who extended their winning streak to 28 games. Schleusner finished another fantastic season with a 30-point, 17-rebound showing for Washington and Lee.

No. 18 Ohio Wesleyan got hot early and held off Washington and Jefferson the rest of the way, beating the Presidents, 78-65. In the first half, the Battling Bishops shot 52 percent and made seven of their nine three-point attempts on their way to a 43-27 halftime lead. Washington and Jefferson hung tough and pulled within six at 67-61 on Meghan Dryburgh’s jumper, but OWU All-American Kasey Schipfer immediately responded with a basket and the Battling Bishops iced the game at the foul line.

Schipfer finished with 33 points on 13-for-25 shooting while Macy Miller racked up 15 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and four assists. Dryburgh posted a double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) for Washington and Jefferson.

Those two teams plus UW-Oshkosh will likely head to Illinois Wesleyan next weekend after the Titans rolled over Trine, 82-50. Illinois Wesleyan shot 51 percent from the field, hit 10 three-pointers, made all 12 of its free throws, and turned 27 Trine turnovers into 35 points. Ava Bardic led the way for the Titans with 26 points, including five 3-pointers.

Illinois Wesleyan will host next weekend’s sectional since there would be one fewer flight to Bloomington, Illinois than to Baldwin Wallace, even though the Yellow Jackets are the quadrant’s top seed.