GAME 4 and 5
No. 2 Transylvania (3-0, 0-0 HCAC) vs Wittenberg (3-1, 0-0 NCAC)
Wednesday, November 29th, 2023 | 7:00 PM | Lexington, Ky. (Clive M. Beck Center)
Audio: none | Watch | Live Stats
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Vs Defiance (0-6, 0-0 HCAC)
Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 | 3:00 PM | Lexington, Ky (Clive M. Beck Center)Â
Audio: none | Watch | Live Stats
WINNERS OF 36 STRAIGHT
The Pioneers have started the season 3-0 for the third consecutive season. After going 2-0 in the Pat Deacon Classic, Transylvania is now winners of 36 straight, the longest in NCAA DIII.Â
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PAT DEACON CLASSIC CHAMPS
Transylvania Women's Basketball won the Pat Deacon Classic over the weekend, staying undefeated after beating Maryville College (72-42), and Wisconsin Lutheran College (54-48). The Pat Deacon Classic saw a dominating first game from the Pioneers as Kennedi Stacy would have 23 points in 19 minutes after going 6-9 on three point shots against Maryville. In the second game against Wisconsin Lutheran, the Pioneers found themselves trailing 10-15 after the first quarter, then led a strong comeback thanks to the efforts of Dasia Thornton with a 25 point and 13 rebound game. Thornton would earn Pat Deacon Classic MVP while Stacy would earn Pat Deacon Classic All-Tournament Team Honors.  Â
GAME 1 FULL RECAP | BOX SCORE GAME 2 FULL RECAP | BOX SCORE
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SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Winners of three straight, Transy's win streak is at 36. The Classic had the Pioneers in plenty of challenging positions as the first game saw a blow out followed by a tightly contested second game. Dasia Thornton led the Pioneers in scoring over the weekend with a combined 40 points 18 rebounds and 5 blocks earning tournament MVP. Kennedi Stacy was named to the All Tournament Team after stretching the floor with a combined 7-13 from the three point line on the weekend, ending with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists.     Â
The Pioneers played 17 different players over the weekend as the bench would make up 21 points. With fresh legs, the Pioneers were able to turn up the pressure to cause turnovers as the Pioneers would finish with 48 points off turnovers and 23 of those turnovers turning into fast break points.Â
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Transy was voted first in the HCAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 9 of the 10 possible first place votes. Last week they were voted first in the first NCAA DIIIHoops Preseason Poll, the first time in program history they started the season ranked No. 1.
After the weekend the Pioneers were voted No. 2 in the nation according to D3hoops.com Â
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Wittenberg finished 21-5 last season and 13-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), losing in the conference semifinals. The Tigers are currently 3-1 after most recently suffering a 97-95 double overtime loss to Alma College who participated in the Pat Deacon Classic. The Tigers are 1-1 on the road, scoring 76 points per game shooting 42% on the season.Â
Junior Jazmyn Gaines-Burns leads the Tigers in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Tigers have had a winning season for the past 6 years. Â
Defiance finished last season 9-16 and 4-12 in the HCAC after not qualifying for the conference tournament. Currently Defiance is 0-6 after a 88-71 loss to Hiram yesterday. Defiance scores 58.5 points per game shooting 31.5% and 26.3% from behind the three point line. Sophomore Zadria King leads Defiance with 14.2 points per game shooting 41% from the field and 31% from three point range.
THE SERIES
Wittenberg is 2-2 all time against the Pioneers. The teams haven't met since the 2019-20 season where the Pioneers won 59-56. Wittenberg finished that season 19-8 and lost to Denison in the NCAC Semifinals. HISTORY
Transy has dominated the Defiance series, having won all 15 games dating back to 2016. Last season the Pioneers beat Defiance 70-40 and 76-33. HISTORY
LEADING THE NATIONALLY RANKED PIONEERS
Juli Fulks enters her tenth season for the 2023-24 season and has created a dynasty as one of the NCAA DIII's best. Fulks has dominated competition since becoming the head coach of Transylvania, winning 211 games in her previous nine seasons. Fulks' teams has won the HCAC regular season championship five times, and the HCAC tournament championship five seasons in a row.
In her first season, Transy earned an at large bid to the NCAA DIII tournament and became the first undefeated team in HCAC regular season history (18-0). They finished the season ranked 13th nationally, the highest in program history to that point.
The Pioneers won their first NCAA tournament game under Fulks in the 2018-2019 season when they defeated Piedmont 77-67.
In the 2021-2022 season, Fulks' squad finished the regular season perfect at 16-0, and then won the HCAC Tournament against Anderson 81-51. The Pioneers hosted the NCAA Regional for the first time ever and reached the elite eight for the first time in program history before losing to Trine University 47-54 to end the season 22-1, a then program best.
Fulks led Transy to a perfect 33-0 last season, winning the first national championship in school history.Â
Awards the Pioneers accrued throughout the 2022-23 season is as follows:Â
-Madison Kellione - NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner, NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Tournament MVP, Women's Basketball Coaches Association First Team All-American, D3Hoops Second Team All-American, Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 8 First Team, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team & Co-Player of the Year, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year from a Female Sport.
-Kennedi Stacy - NCAA DIII Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team, Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 8 Third Team, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team & Defensive Player of the Year.
-Daisa Thornton - NCAA DIII Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team, Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 8 Third Team, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team.
-Laken Ball - Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Second & Sportsmanship Team.
-Coach Juli Fulks - Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 8 Coach of the Year, D3Hoops Co-DIII Coach of the Year, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
-Tom Bolson Academic Team Award: Madison Kellione, McLain Murphy, Emilie Teall.
-RAFY Coaching Staff of the Year.
Juli Fulks' all time record sits at 372-142.
TRANSY STATS 'N STREAKS
- Transy has the longest winning streak in NCAA DIII at 36 games, and the second longest in all off NCAA (DII Ashland has won 42Â straight)
- Transy has outscored opponents 62.0 to 46.7 points per game to start the season.
- Transy has started 3-0 for the 5th time in the last 10 seasons.
- Transy has won 20 or more games 8 different times in the last 10 seasons
UP NEXT
Transy is on the road as they continue conference play, facing Franklin College Wednesday December 6th, 2023 at 7 PM in Franklin, Indiana.Â
WATCH | LIVE STATS | HISTORY
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D3hoops.com women's Top 25, Week 1
Through games of Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023:
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Dropped out: No. 10 Ohio Northern; No. 13 Babson; No. 25 Messiah
Others receiving votes: Wheaton (Ill.) 46; Baldwin Wallace 33; UW-Stout 25; Illinois Wesleyan 23; Washington and Lee 20; Wittenberg 19; Catholic 16; Johns Hopkins 12; Ohio Northern 12; St. John Fisher 11; Babson 8; UW-Oshkosh 8; Ithaca 6; Mary Hardin-Baylor 5; Washington and Jefferson 4; Gettysburg 3; Ohio Wesleyan 3; Puget Sound 1
The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
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2023-24 HCAC Women's Basketball Standings
2023-24 HCAC Players to Watch:
Transylvania
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Returning 2022-23 All-Conference Basketball Athletes to Watch in 2023-24:
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To keep up with the defending national champions, follow Transy Women's Basketball on twitter and instagram (@TUWBX)
