Courtesy Lyon College Athletics Department
ANSAS CITY, Mo. – Despite dropping an 82-67 home loss to 28th-ranked Columbia College at home on Saturday, the Lyon College women’s basketball team continues to be the top-ranked team in the American Midwest Conference, as well as the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, according to the national office’s release late Tuesday.
The Scots (16-3), who dropped back into a second-place tie with William Woods (15-2) in the AMC, with identical 6-1 conference marks, were ranked as the top team in the conference on Monday. William Woods, who the Scots defeated 62-55 on Jan. 12, was ranked second in the league, along with Columbia (14-5), which stands alone atop the AMC standings with a perfect 7-0 record.
The logjam at the top of the conference standings means that all three teams are now ranked in the national Top 25. The Scots, who surged to their highest ranking in the program’s history at Lyon a week ago at No. 15, only dropped three spots to No. 18 after their 2-1 week. William Woods actually dropped a spot from 19th to No. 20 despite a 3-0 week.
Columbia College, which hosts William Woods on Saturday at 2 p.m., jumped up four spots to No. 24 this week after posting a 3-0 record. The Lady Cougars return to the Top 25 for the first time since the preseason poll.
Lyon College will be on the road twice this week, visiting Hannibal-LaGrange University (11-7, 4-3 AMC) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., before taking on Stephens College (4-14, 1-6 AMC) in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Lubbock Christian (Texas), which held the No. 1 ranking in four-straight polls from Oct. 23 to Jan. 8, returns to the top spot in the fifth regular season poll. The Lady Chaparrals tallied five first-place votes and 275 points en route to the top billing.
Lubbock Christian boasts one of the NAIA’s most prolific offenses, leading the nation in assists per game (18.6), 3-point field goal percentage (0.395), field goal percentage (0.513) and free throw percentage (0.795), while ranking second in total scoring (1,638) and scoring offense per game (86.2). Led by six individuals averaging double figure scoring, the Lady Chaparrals next face John Brown (Ark.) Thursday at 6 p.m., before facing off against No. 15 Rogers State (Okla.) Saturday at 1 p.m.
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), which will be entering the AMC next season, used a five-game winning streak and made a one-spot leap to No. 2. The Lady Lions check in with four first-place votes and 270 points. In a key TranSouth Athletic Conference matchup, Freed-Hardeman hosts No. 12 Bethel (Tenn.) Thursday at 6 p.m.
Falling two spots to No. 3 is Vanguard (Calif.) with 264 points. The Lions drop was due in large part to a 66-56 loss against then-No. 11 Westmont (Calif.) on Jan. 15. Conversely, the victory vaulted Westmont back into the top 10 for the first time since Dec. 11 at No. 9.
Oklahoma City, who handed top-ranked Lubbock Christian its only loss this season on Jan. 10, rides a 13-game winning streak into the week to hold strong at No. 4, while Westminster (Utah) claims the No. 5 ranking for the fourth time this season. The Stars claimed the final two first-place votes and 261 points, while Westminster received 245 points.
No. 13 Georgetown (Ky.) continues its steady climb back up the poll with an edition-best three-position jump. The Tigers have moved 10 spots over the last two weeks after falling to No. 23 on Jan. 8. The Tigers have won eight of their last nine contests and are two games behind Mid-South Conference leader No. 7 Cumberland (Tenn.) with a 7-3 record in the league.
No. 25 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) tumbled four spots, which is the largest drop within the poll. The Warhawks are 3-3 in their last six games, including two losses against unranked opponents.
Loading ...
