CMS Women's Basketball Enters WBCA National Rankings at No. 24

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team entered the top 25 of the latest national Division III poll from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Tuesday, debuting in the rankings at No. 24.

The Athenas earned their way into the top 25 with a current 10-game win streak, which has improved their record to 14-2 on the year. One of the losses came on opening weekend on Nov. 17 at George Fox, which is currently ranked No. 13 in the nation, while the other was a SCIAC-opening defeat to Chapman on Dec. 1, the last time the Athenas tasted defeat. 

Defense, rebounding and offensive balance have been the calling cards for CMS this season. The Athenas currently lead the SCIAC by a wide margin in team defense, allowing only 53.0 points per game, which ranks 40th in Division III. That figure is nine points fewer than Whittier, which ranks second in the SCIAC in that category at 62.1 points allowed per game. CMS also leads the league in defensive field goal percentage (34.0) and turnovers forced (19.6 per game). 

The Athenas are also dominating their opponents in the rebounding department, with a margin of +12.6 boards per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. La Verne is second in the SCIAC in that category with a margin of +3.1 per game. 

Offensively, the team's depth and balance have been key factors in the team's success. Nobody on the Athenas currently ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring, as junior guard Maya Love currently ranks 13th at 11.9 points per game to lead the squad. Senior guard Corinne Bogle averages 9.9 points, just shy of joining Love in double figures, ranking 19th in the SCIAC, while sophomore forward Kate Parrish is chipping in with 9.1 points per game off the bench in only 14.1 minutes per game. 

However, if you look at the SCIAC field goal percentage leaders, CMS has four of the top eight in the league, with Love ranking second at 53.3 percent. Junior forward Lindsey Cleary is fourth, shooting 51.4 percent, while junior guard Gloria Bates (50.5) and Parrish (46.9) rank seventh and eighth, respectively.   

CMS will be back in action this evening, when it travels to Whittier for a 7 p.m. contest, looking to stretch its win streak to 11 games. The Athenas will then travel to Chapman on Saturday, looking to even the season series with the Panthers while avenging one of their two losses so far in the 2018-19 campaign.

Others receiving votes: Oglethorpe (13-3) 10; Randolph-Macon (12-4) 7; Wheaton (IL) (13-3) 4; Emory (10-4) 3; Manhattanville (12-2) 1; Middlebury (13-2) 1; Pomona-Pitzer (13-4) 1.

Dropped Out: Randolph-Macon (12-4); Rochester Institute (8-5).

The WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches Poll Committee is made up of nine head coaches at Division III institutions. All are members of the WBCA. The 2018-19 committee members are Brian Morehouse, non-voting chair (Hope), Renee DeVarney (Swarthmore), Kristen Dowling (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), Alex Lang (Brooklyn), Jennifer Reimer (Case Western Reserve), Alex Richey (Oglethorpe), Mia Smith (Illinois Wesleyan), Daphne Thompson (SUNY Oneonta) and Kelly Thompson (Roger Williams).