The Chestnut Hill College Women's Basketball team faces a regionally ranked opponent for the second consecutive game when they host University of the Sciences Tuesday night at Sorgenti Arena in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division matchup
The Series
The Chestnut Hill-USciences series is the oldest among the Griffins' CACC opponents and Tuesday's contest will be the 42
nd meeting between the two teams. The series dates back to the 1929-30 season when both schools went by different names. Chestnut Hill College was called Mount St. Joseph's College back then and USciences was Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Sciences. The Griffins won that first meeting and a second one in 1935-36. In both games the game was two-court basketball with six players on a side. The series resumed in 1988 and after a brief hiatus from 1999-2006 the two teams have played each other twice each season since. The Devils hold a 35-6 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four times the two teams met. Five of the Griffins' six wins in the series have been at home with the last coming on February 24, 2018, when the Griffins pulled out an 80-77 victory. The Griffins swept the season series that year (2017-18).
Conference Action
Chestnut Hill is off to its best start in conference play since becoming a member of the CACC in 2007-08, with a 6-0 conference record and are sitting alone in first place in the CACC South Division. The Griffins have held conference opponents to just 52.7 points per game en route to their 6-0 CACC record. USciences enters Tuesday's game with a 5-1 conference record, sitting in second place behind the Griffins. Their only CACC loss came at the hands of Jefferson University- a team that the Griffins defeated 70-61 last week.
About the Griffins
The Griffins enter Tuesday's game with a 12-3 overall record following a 70-61 win over Jefferson University (#6 in East region). Chestnut Hill's 12-3 start to the season and 6-0 conference record is their best record to start a season since joining the NCAA in 1996.
Among the Griffins' active players,
Emily Chmiel leads the team with six double-doubles (2
nd in the CACC and is averaging 12.6 points per game. Chmiel leads the CACC in total blocks (25) and ranks among the conference top five in three additional statistical categories, including total rebounds (2
nd, 131), blocks per game (3
rd, 1.7) and free throws made (5
th, 43). Chmiel is third on the team with 16 steals and has appeared in all 15 games. Chmiel has earned CACC rookie of the Week three times and CACC Defensive Player of the Week twice.
Point guard
Cassie Sebold is also averaging double figures, scoring 11.5 points per game. She leads the team with 74 assists (2
nd in CACC, 11
th in NCAA) and is second on the team lead with 18 steals. Sebold is also second on the team with 14 three-point field goals made on the season, while appearing in 13 of 15 games this season.
Lauren Crim leads the team with 22 three point field goals and is averaging 6.9 points per game. Crim also has the best assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 2.2.
Morgan Orloski is third in the CACC with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0. Orloski is also shooting 34.8% from beyond the three-point arc, and 43.2% from the field overall.
Bri Hewlett has started the last seven games and scoring double-digit points in five of the seven. Hewlett is averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. She had a season-high eight rebounds and five field goals in the Griffins last game on Tuesday at Georgian Court.
Lindsey Lane has started all 14 games and is shooting a solid 45.2% from the field while averaging 4.5 points per game. Lane has made a season-high six field goals against Georgian court and Felician.
Kaitlyn Carter has also appeared in all 15 games, starting the last four. She has ten steals in Chestnut Hill's last four games and leads the team with 20. She had a season high 11 points vs. Felician on January 8 and has been a stalwart on defense effectively shutting down the best player in each of the Griffins' last two games for most of the contest.
Missing is
Leah Miller's 16 points and 10 rebounds per game average. Miller was among the conference leaders in both categories before an injury cut short her season after eight games.
Last Time Out
The Chestnut Hill Women's Basketball team jumped out to a double digit lead in the first half against region-ranked Jefferson University and held off a late fourth quarter charge by the Rams to record their first win against the Rams at Sorgenti Arena since 2015, 70-61 Thursday night.
The Griffins, #10 in D2SIDA East region poll, and winners of six straight, improve to 12-3 overall and 6-0 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Rams (#6 in region) fall to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in league play. Chestnut Hill's six game winning streak equals their longest since the 2017-18 team won six in a row.
Four players reached double figures in the wire-to-wire victory for the Griffins, led by
Kaitlyn Carter (Philadelphia, Pa.) and
Lauren Crim (Warrington, Pa.) who had 16 points apiece. Carter, who had made just two three-point field goals all season long, was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and finished the game shooting 5-for-7 while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Crim was 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and 6-for-15 overall en route to her 16 points.
Bri Hewlett (North Wales, Pa.) and
Emily Chmiel (Doylestown, Pa.) rounded out the Griffins' double figure scorers. Hewlett scored 14 points, mostly on drives to the basket and also grabbed five rebounds. Chmiel was 5-for-8 from the field.
Emily Sekerak (New Tripoli, Pa.) came off the bench to lead the team with seven rebounds in just nine minutes played.
Cassie Sebold (Willow Grove, Pa.) led all players with six assists.
The Griffins' defense was again a force throughout the game, as the Rams committed 19 turnovers and allowed the Griffins to produce a huge 23-8 advantage in the points off turnovers category. Carter again was a stalwart on defense, holding one of the Rams' best players,
Meinel, to just three field goals.
Griffins Ranked in D2SIDA East Region Poll
After receiving their first ever D2SIDA East Region ranking last week at #10, The Chestnut Hill College Women's basketball team is ranked eighth in the latest D2SIDA East Region Basketball poll that was released Monday afternoon. The team was receiving votes in the last two weeks and moved up following a 2-0 week. USciences is also ranked in the region at #2. The complete poll is below:
| D2SIDA EAST REGION WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POLL |
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
W-L |
Pts. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
Southern New Hampshire (4) |
9-2 |
58 |
2 |
| 2 |
University of the Sciences (2) |
10-2 |
50 |
1 |
| 3 |
Pace |
12-2 |
48 |
4 |
| 4 |
Le Moyne |
8-2 |
42 |
5 |
| 5 |
Bentley |
7-4 |
37 |
3 |
| 6 |
Jefferson |
11-4 |
33 |
6 |
| 7 |
Daemen |
7-3 |
20 |
7 |
| 8 |
Chestnut Hill |
12-3 |
16 |
10 |
| 9 |
Saint Anselm |
8-6 |
11 |
8 |
| 10 |
Post |
9-2 |
9 |
9 |
| RV: |
Stonehill 3, Caldwell 2, Southern Connecticut State 1 |
|
Carter Named CACC Defensive Player of the Week; Hewlett named to Conference Honor Roll
Chestnut Hill Women's Basketball player
Kaitlyn Carter was named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her performance in the Griffins' two games last week.
In addition,
Bri Hewlett was named to the CACC Weekly Honor Roll for her performance on the court last week.
Opening the week against Georgian Court University, Carter had the task of guarding the CACC's leading Scorer, Anyssa Fields. When the two players were on the court at the same time, Carter held Fields to zero points on 0-for-6 shooting. The sophomore guard also recorded two steals and two blocks in the game while grabbing four defensive rebounds.
Two days later against regionally ranked #6 Jefferson University, Carter again guarded one of the Rams best players, Haley Meinel. Meinel was averaging between 12 and 13 shots per game but Carter limited the senior to just four total shots while playing all 40 minutes. Carter also led the Griffins with 16 points and had two steals, six defensive rebounds and four assists.
For the week, Carter averaged five rebounds, two steals and one block per game on the defensive end and ten points and three assists per game offensively.
Hewlett scored double figures in both games for the Griffins last week. Against Georgian Court, the senior forward had 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. She also had a steal and an assist in 27 minutes of playing time while shooting 50% from the field.
In the Jefferson game, Hewlett was 7-for-13 (53.8%) from the field and was one of four players in double figures with 14 points. She also had four rebounds, one block and one assist.
For the week, Hewlett averaged 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52.2% (12-23) from the field.
The complete list of weekly honors earned by the Chestnut Hill Women's Basketball players is as follows:
Griffins and Devils Comparison
| Griffins |
|
|
|
Rams |
| 63.6 |
|
Pts/game |
|
62.6 |
| 55.8 |
|
Pts allowed/game |
|
51.2 |
| 37.7 |
|
FG% |
|
40.5 |
| 36.5 |
|
FG% Defense |
|
34.5 |
| 27.8 |
|
3PT FG % |
|
31.5 |
| 77.1 |
|
FT % |
|
67.2 |
| 43.1 |
|
Rebounds/game |
|
35.5 |
| 34.7 |
|
Rebounds allowed/gm. |
|
37.3 |
| 8.1 |
|
Rebound margin |
|
-1.8 |
| 14.6 |
|
Assists/game |
|
13.8 |
Scouting the Devils
USciences is ranked #2 in the most recent D2SIDA East Region Poll. The Devils are 10-2 overall and 5-1 in CACC games following 80-74 double overtime win over Dominican College.
Jess Huber leads the Devils, averaging 17.1 points per game. She also leads the team with 27 three-point baskets and 24 steals. Kendall Keyes is averaging 10.8 points per game and is second on the team with 20 three point baskets.
Taylor Hamm is USciences' leading rebounder, averaging 8.9 per game. She also leads the team with ten blocks and 40 assists. Shannon May is one of four players to start all 12 games for the Devils. She is second on the team averaging 4.6 rebounds per game as well as second on the team with 23 assists.
Freshman Anna McTammney leads the team shooting 49.4% from the field and is averaging 9.5 points per game.
The Devils lead the CACC in scoring defense, allowing just 51.2 points per game as well as field goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 34.5% shooting in games.
Last Time Out for USciences
ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – Dayna Balasa's three-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime, and after both teams missed potential go-ahead baskets in the first extra period, the No. 12 USciences women's basketball team prevailed in the second for an 80-74 triumph at Dominican on Saturday afternoon.
Anna McTamney led USciences with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting off the bench for the second-highest point total of her rookie season. She scored 11 points from the fourth quarter on. Taylor Hamm notched a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds
Kendall Keyes and Jess Huber were also in double-figures with 15 and 12 respectively, while Isla Brennan scored six of her season-best nine in the fourth quarter. Huber added team-highs of four assists and three steals.
Balasa's triple came out of a timeout, tying the score at 59 on what was the freshman's only basket of the contest after Brennan found her in the right corner. 47 seconds prior she had made it a one-point game with a free throw, before Dominican went ahead by three on a layup with seven seconds remaining.
USciences matched its previous largest lead of the afternoon, 65-61, on a McTamney layup with 3:16 to go in the first overtime, and after five straight Dominican points it was her layup that put the Devils ahead once more, 67-66, with 1:31 left.
University of the Sciences then made 1-of-2 free throws only to have Chargers knot the score at 68 with 58 seconds showing, and both teams would miss potential go-ahead shots in the final seconds.
The entirety of the second overtime stanza was played within a single possession until Keyes made two free throws to push the score to 77-72 with just 29 seconds to play.
A McTamney and-one with 2:51 on the clock had put USciences ahead for good, 73-70, before Hamm answered a Dominican jumper with a basket of her own.
Hamm then answered yet another Charger basket with two foul shots at the seven-second mark to seal the comeback victory.
