City of Basketball Love

By Jeff Griffith (@hooplove215)
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With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, several of the area’s Division III women’s teams are making their case for NCAA Tournament bids, including multiple squads on double-digit win streaks.

Here’s the early-February update of our all-area Division III women’s rankings:

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Previous Rankings: Preseason (Nov. 7) | Nov. 28 | Dec. 19 | Jan. 16

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1. DeSales Bulldogs

Record: 19-2 (10-0 MAC Freedom)

Last Three Weeks: At Stevens (W, 68-48), at Delaware Valley (W, 70-48), vs. Misericordia (W, 65-44), at King’s (W, 61-37), vs. FDU-Florham (W, 92-42)

At every update of these rankings, DeSales’ season just keeps getting more impressive. The Bulldogs are now 10-0 in conference. Of their six consecutive wins since the last writing, four have come on the road, and all have come by at least 20 points. DeSales has won 68 of its last 70 MAC Freedom games dating back to the beginning of the 2019-20 season, and has won its league games this year by a staggering average of 31.6 points. With just four games left until postseason play, a perfect conference record is in DeSales’ crosshairs. And as the season nears it close, senior forward Mikaela Reese continues to impress; she’s averaging 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, and has scored in double digits in every game except the season opener. 

Next Up: vs. Stevens (Feb. 7), at Lebanon Valley (Feb. 10), at Misericordia (Feb. 13), vs. Delaware Valley (Feb. 17)

2. Messiah Falcons

Record: 18-3 (10-0 MAC Commonwealth)

Last Three Weeks: vs. Widener (W, 75-64), at Eastern (W, 55-53), at Stevenson (W, 64-48), at Hood (W, 49-25), vs. Alvernia (W, 81-56), vs. Albright (W, 70-46)

Messiah’s season has heated up at the right time; the Falcons have won 11 in a row, and haven’t lost since the turn of the calendar into 2024. Lately, Messiah’s been getting the job done with defense, holding its last five opponents under 60 points, including three under 50. The duo of senior forward Morgan Adams (18.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and senior guard Reese Harden (15.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) has continued to be lights out — Harden recently pitched in 19 points, six assists and five boards in a win over Albright. 

Next Up: at Widener (Feb. 7), at York (Feb. 10), vs. Stevenson (Feb. 13), vs. Eastern (Feb. 17)

3. Gettysburg Bullets

Record: 17-3 (14-1 Centennial)

Last Three Weeks: at McDaniel (W, 71-42), vs. Washington College (W, 66-47), at Franklin and Marshall (W, 47-33), vs. Swarthmore (W, 80-25), vs. Johns Hopkins (W, 78-67), at Haverford (W, 61-60)

Gettysburg has shot up the rankings in recent weeks, on the wings of what has now become a 10-game win streak since the start of the new year. The Bullets now own a double-digit win over nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins, and are neck-and-neck with the Blue Jays for a regular season conference title, having split the season series at one game apiece. Standout sophomore Alayna Arnolie, who leads the Bullets with 14.2 ppg while also averaging 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists, dropped an impressive 22 points, five assists and four rebounds in the win over Johns Hopkins.

Next Up: at Dickinson (Feb. 6), vs. Muhlenberg (Feb. 8), at Ursinus (Feb. 10), vs. McDaniel (Feb. 14), at Bryn Mawr (Feb. 17)

4. Dickinson Red Devils

Record: 16-4 (13-2 Centennial)

Last Three Weeks: vs. Franklin and Marshall (W, 62-38), at Swarthmore (W, 54-42), vs. Haverford (W, 59-44), at McDaniel (W, 60-46), at Bryn Mawr (W, 57-19)

The Red Devils have another absolutely red-hot program coming down the stretch of the season, with 11 straight wins after a middling 5-4 overall start and 1-2 conference start. Junior forward Clair Marion — whose 17.6 ppg are more than double the Red Devils’ next-highest scoring player — has continued to be a driving force, scoring at least nine points in every single game this season. Dickinson has a pair of massive opportunities upcoming, with Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins — the two teams standing between the Red Devils and the top of the conference standings — both coming to town in the span of three days this week. 

Next Up: vs. Gettysburg (Feb. 6), vs. Johns Hopkins (Feb. 8), at Washington College (Feb. 10), at Franklin and Marshall (Feb. 14), vs. Ursinus (Feb. 17)

5. Arcadia Knights

Record: 18-3 (7-3 MAC Freedom)

Last Three Weeks: at Misericordia (W, 63-50), at Lebanon Valley (W, 67-46), vs. FDU-Florham (W, 86-48), vs. DeSales (L, 65-44), at Stevens (L, 67-62), at King’s (W, 62-45)

A pair of recent losses tripped up the Knights, who had rolled to a 17-1 record. Even still, two of Arcadia’s three losses are against DeSales, with the third coming on the road against Stevens. The Knights bounced back from their back-to-back losses, winning big at King’s College to open February. Of the four teams remaining on Arcadia’s schedule, three have a combined five wins in conference play, so the Knights — who continue to receive impressive outputs from sophomore guard Hanna Rhoades (16.6 ppg) and sophomore forward Delaney Bell (15.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg) — could be poised to end the regular season with a very impressive record entering as the NCAA Tournament looms. 

Next Up: vs. Misericordia (Feb. 7), at Delaware Valley (Feb. 10), at FDU-Florham (Feb. 13), vs. Lebanon Valley (Feb. 17)

6. Elizabethtown Blue Jays

Record: 15-6 (11-3 MAC Landmark)

Last Three Weeks: vs. Drew (W, 81-41), vs. Lycoming (W, 75-45), vs. Juniata (W, 74-50), at Susquehanna (L, 65-64), at Catholic (L, 89-74), vs. Moravian (W, 84-46)

The Blue Jays have struggled to keep momentum throughout the 2023-24 season; their 15-6 record is nothing to scoff at, but it’s already a higher loss total than a season ago. That being said, Elizabethtown’s season is still among the area’s best; the Blue Jays have won eight of their last 10, and have a manageable next several games before visiting nationally-ranked Scranton for their regular season finale. Elizabethtown’s two recent losses both came on the road — one in overtime against a strong Susquehanna team that ranks among CoBL’s top 10, and Catholic — which ranks among the nation’s top 10. 

Next Up: vs. Goucher (Feb. 7), vs. Wilkes (Feb. 10), at Drew (Feb. 14), at Scranton (Feb. 17)

7. Widener Pride

Record: 17-4 (7-3 MAC Commonwealth)

Last Three Weeks: at Messiah (L, 75-64), vs. Albright (L, 67-66), vs. York (W, 71-61), at Stevenson (W, 70-57), at Eastern (W, 58-41), vs. Hood (W, 61-49)

Widener was rolling through its schedule before a recent string of three losses in four games; those losses, though, included one on the road to Messiah, and a one-point heartbreaker to Albright. Since then, the Pride has ripped off four straight, and will have the chance to avenge its losses to both Messiah and Abrlight down the stretch. Leading scorer and graduate guard Jordan D’Ambrosio (17.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) has been quite productive in recent outings; she had 21 points and eight boards in the recent loss to Albright, and 19 points and six boards in the Pride’s bounce-back win over York. 

Next Up: vs. Messiah (Feb. 7), vs. Alvernia (Feb. 10), at York (Feb. 13), at Albright (Feb. 17)

8. Susquehanna RiverHawks

Record: 14-7 (9-5 Landmark)

Last Three Weeks: at Moravian (L, 58-57), vs. Catholic (L, 69-63), vs. Elizabethtown (W, 65-64), at Goucher (W, 78-48), at Wilkes (W, 81-59)

Susquehanna’s season has had plenty of its own highs and lows, and key examples of both have come in the last few weeks. In the middle of January, the RiverHawks dropped a one-point loss to a 7-14 Moravian team. Then, its next two games, Susquehanna went wire-to-wire with Catholic — a team ranked firmly in the nation’s top 10 — and picked off Elizabethtown at home. The win over the Blue Jays was the start of a three-game win streak, which the RiverHawks will now ride into the home stretch of the season; they’ll hope to continue to get significant contributions from sophomore forward Julia Roth, who dropped 29 points and 12 boards in the win over Elizabethtown, and leads the RiverHawks on the season with 16.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg. 

Next Up: vs. Lycoming (Feb. 7), vs. Scranton (Feb. 10), at Juniata (Feb. 14), at Drew (Feb. 17)

9. Delaware Valley Aggies

Record: 15-6 (6-4 MAC Freedom)

Last Three Weeks: at King’s (W, 72-59), vs. DeSales (L, 70-48), vs. Stevens (W, 72-61), at FDU-Florham (W, 66-52), vs. Lebanon Valley (W, 69-56)

Delaware Valley, which has amassed a respectable 15-6 record and is firmly in the mix for a solid seed in the MAC Freedom conference tournament, has picked up two losses in the past five games. The opponents couldn’t have been much more different; one came against area No. 1 DeSales, while the other came against 8-13 Misericordia. Sophomore guard Maisie Neuber was one of a few bright spots in the loss to DeSales; she pitched in 15 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. The Aggies — who have been led on the year by senior guard Haley Keenan’s 16.6 ppg — will look to finish strong against a challenging schedule, featuring area No. 5 Arcadia, a road trip to DeSales, and an away game at Stevens.

Next Up: vs. King’s (Feb. 7), vs. Arcadia (Feb. 10), at Stevens (Feb. 13), at DeSales (Feb. 17)

10. Neumann Knights

Record: 15-7 (4-3 Atlantic East)

Last Three Weeks: vs. Marywood (W, 56-36), vs. Penn State Berks (W, 80-38), at Marymount (L, 61-50), vs. Gwynedd Mercy (W, 69-64), vs. Centenary (W, 70-61)

A recent road loss to a 16-5 Marymount squad has been the lone blemish over the last three weeks for Neumann, which has heated up with wins in four of its last five after getting off to a 1-2 conference start. In recent wins over Gwynedd Mercy and Centenary, junior forward Emily DuPont (12.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has been lights out; she’s averaged 20 points and six boards in the last three contests, including the loss to Marymount. Neumann has also gotten impressive contributions from leading scorer Lauren Klieber (18.3 ppg); the junior forward tallied a near double-double in the Knights’ February 3 win over Centenary.

Next Up: at Marywood (Feb. 10), vs. Marymount (Feb. 13), vs. Immaculata (Feb. 16)