After opening the season with a 65-56 win over Ohio Dominican last week, Tiffin women's basketball faces three opponents this week with Malone on Wednesday, Findlay on Friday, and Ursuline on Saturday.
Game Information:
Tiffin Dragons (1-0, 1-0 GMAC) at
Malone Pioneers (1-0, 1-0 GMAC)
Wednesday, Dec. 9 | 6:00 p.m.
Canton, Ohio | Osborne Hall
Video | Live Stats
Tiffin Dragons (1-0, 1-0 GMAC) at
Findlay Oilers (1-1, 1-1 GMAC)
Friday, Dec. 11 | 1:00 p.m.
Findlay, Ohio | Croy Center
Video | Live Stats
Tiffin Dragons (1-0, 1-0 GMAC) vs
Ursuline Arrows (0-1, 0-1 GMAC)
Saturday, Dec. 12 | 1:00 p.m.
Tiffin, Ohio | Gillmor Center
Video | Live Stats | Gameday Program
Dragon Details:
Similar to their seventh-place finish in the conference standings last year, the Dragons were selected to finish seventh again this season by the coaches in the GMAC Preseason Poll. The Dragons return 89% of the minutes played, 91% of the scoring, and 93% of the rebounding from last years' squad, led by Second Team All-GMAC pick Aarion Nichols (14.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, and 1.6 spg as a sophomore).
In their opener last Saturday, Tiffin used a 20-8 third-quarter advantage to pull away from Ohio Dominican and take a 65-56 victory. The win gave first-year head coach Miriam Justinger her first career win as a college head coach.
Tiffin's defense was the story of the game, as the Dragons held ODU to just 17-62 (27.4%) from the field and 11-37 (29.7%) from deep. TU also crushed the Panthers on the boards, finishing with a 49-38 rebounding advantage.
Aarion Nichols led all scorers with 19 points and secured the ninth double-double of her career with 13 rebounds. Jada Tate and Savanah Richards both chipped in 11 points to round out TU's double-figure scoring. Kirsten Williams also pulled down eight boards and recorded five steals to go along with six points.
Scouting the Pioneers:
Malone was selected fifth in the conference preseason poll. The Pioneers have played one game so far in 2020-21, defeating Hillsdale 84-76 on the road last Saturday.
In the win, Holly Groff led all scorers in the contest with 27 points, including 5-7 shooting from beyond the three-point line. The Pioneers forced 26 Charger turnovers, which they converted into 24 points on the other end of the floor. Malone also dominated underneath the basket, outscoring Hillsdale 42-28 inside the paint.
Madison Hunter scored a career-high 16 points, including a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. Alexis Hutchinson and Robin Campbell headlined the defensive effort for Malone with a combined nine steals. They also scored 15 and 10 points respectively to round out the double-digit scorers for the Pioneers.
The Dragons and Pioneers have met 10 times in TU's DII era, with Malone holding a 7-3 advantage in the series. In the last five meetings, the Pioneers hold a 3-2 advantage.
The last matchup between Tiffin and Malone came on Dec. 16, 2019, with the Pioneers using a 29-12 fourth-quarter run to earn a 79-58 victory. Malone's Holly Groff led all scorers with 23 points and five assists, while three Dragons were in double figures, led by Jasmine Watts with 12 points.
Scouting the Oilers:
Findlay was picked to finish fourth this season by the GMAC coaches in the preseason poll. The Oilers are one of the few teams in the conference to have played two games last week, defeating Hillsdale 88-77 on Thursday before falling to Cedarville 91-75 on Saturday.
Junior forward Bridget Landin leads the team after two games with 17.5 points per game and nine rebounds per game while shooting 54.2% from the field. Two other Oilers are averaging double-figure scoring through the two contests, with junior Amber Schweiger at 16.0 points per game and 3.5 assists per game and junior Sydney Kin at 14.5 points per game and eight rebounds per game.
The Dragons and Oilers have met 25 times in TU's DII era, with Findlay holding an 18-7 advantage in the series. The Oilers have won the last six meetings, with Tiffin's last victory coming on Jan. 26, 2017, by a 77-71 score.
The last matchup between Tiffin and Findlay came on Feb. 15 of last season, with Findlay pulling away late for a 76-66 win. The Dragons cut the deficit to just one with six minutes to play, but could not overcome the Oilers in the end. Savanah Richards had a career night for TU, scoring 30 points with seven made threes. Sydney Kin led the Oilers with 22 points.
Scouting the Arrows:
Ursuline was slotted one spot behind Tiffin in the GMAC Preseason Poll, coming in eighth. The Arrows had the unfortunate task of opening the season against defending conference champion Walsh last Saturday, falling 92-59 at home.
Against the Cavaliers, Morgan Mattimore led the Arrows with 19 points and six rebounds, followed by Bekah Green with 12 points and Aubrie Marsh with 11 points and six boards. Madison Cloonan added nine rebounds.
The Dragons and Arrows have met five times in TU's DII era, with Tiffin holding a 3-2 advantage in the series.
The last matchup between Tiffin and Ursuline was an 81-71 Dragon win on Feb. 5 last season. After trailing by two at the end of three quarters, Tiffin went on a 22-10 run in the fourth quarter to take the victory. Brooke Wesner led all scorers with 20 points, while Aarion Nichols stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.