Annie Kim (DSN Creative)

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Third Round Preview: #8 Denison vs. #11 John Carroll

3/10/2026 2:46:00 PM

In what will be the third matchup of the season against these new conference rivals, the Denison Big Red and the John Carroll Blue Streaks will meet in the Round of 16 down at the campus of Washington and Lee, where both teams will meet in both school's farthest trip into the tournament. The teams square off at 5:30 pm this Friday, March 13.

Both teams hosted first and second round games at their home campus, with the Big Red defeating Southern Virginia 82-47 in the first round, and holding steady for a win against No. 24 Trine in the second round. John Carroll blew past both of their first two opponents, beating The College of New Jersey 84-49, and blowing past No. 21 SUNY New Paltz 74-54 to reach the Round of 16, and a third matchup with Denison.

How They Fared Last Time

In the first meeting of the season, the Big Red took a 58-41 road victory to secure the team's first ranked win since the 2016-17 season. Junior Abby Cooch led the way with 11 points, with fellow junior Violet Mitchell following up with 10. Points would be hard to find for both teams, as Denison shot 31.4% (22-70) from the field, while John Carroll shot 23.1% (15-65).

The difference would be the Big Red defense, as they held John Carroll to nine points in the second quarter, and just four in the fourth, where the Big Red scored 15. The team had a total of seven blocks, four coming from Anelly Mad-toingué. Mad-toingué also put up 14 rebounds in the win as well. John Carroll's 41 points is the lowest scoring output the Blue Streaks have put up this season so far.

In a much tighter contested battle their second time around, Denison had the upper hand once again in a 57-50 regular season sweep behind a big third quarter. Ada Taute finished with a team-high 12 points, while Mad-toingué finished with nine and 14 rebounds once again.

Both teams came out of the gates swinging, as John Carroll would go up 22-18 after one quarter. In the second, the Blue Streaks would push their lead out to eight to end the first half up 34-26. Needing some momentum on their side and fast, the Big Red did just that, as they went on a 16-2 run highlighted by a couple of buckets from Mitchell and Taute to lead the way, and Denison would lead 46-40 after the third. Denison outscored John Carroll 20-6 in the third quarter. John Carroll would try to claw their way back in, but Denison kept answering, and they would hold the lead until the final seconds and win 57-50. Both of John Carroll's lowest point totals came to Denison.

Scouting Denison

Denison enters the Third Round of the tournament with a 26-2 record, with both losses coming to in-conference opponents (Ohio Wesleyan, DePauw). The Big Red rely on heavy defensive pressure, picking up man-to-man almost all game, and create havoc in the frontcourt. They rank first in the conference in steals per game (12.8) and turnovers forced per game (20.7), while also ranking 22nd in the nation in rebounds per game (45.61).

Leading the way for Denison are juniors Abby Cooch and Ada Taute, who both average around 13 points per game. Both were named First Team All-NCAC, as it marks Cooch's third consecutive first team appearance, while Taute's second time landing on an all-conference team (2024 Third Team). Cooch ranks 68th nationally in total assists (106), and shoots 82.4% from the charity stripe. Taute gets it done on both ends, as she is second on the team in rebounds (6.8) and leads the team in steals with 2.3 per game. Junior Violet Mitchell is having a stellar tournament, as she put up a career-high 21 points in Denison's first round game, and cashed four three-pointers in the win against Trine.

Defensively, Denison is led by Anelly Mad-toingué, who averages 9.8 rebounds per game and puts up 2.8 blocks per game. She ranks sixth in the country in blocks (77) and ninth in blocks per game. The Third Team All-NCAC recipient also puts up 7.4 points per game, and had seven blocks in the win against Trine. NCAC Newcomer of the Year Molly Dorighi also likes to get her hands on the ball, as she has averaged four steals in two tournament games, and averages two steals per game.

Scouting John Carroll

The Blue Streaks are 26-4 entering the Round of 16, with two of their losses coming against the Big Red, and the other from Ohio Wesleyan. The Blue Streaks rely on heavy scoring and have put up 80+ points ten times this season. They rank seventh in the country in points (2,170) and average 72.3 a game. They rank top in the country with their three-point shooting, as they are 11th in three-point percentage (34.3%) and attempt 25.5 threes a game.

Preseason All-American Ava Ryncarz and Graci Semptimphelter do bulk of the work for the Blue Streaks, as both average over 14 points per game. Ryncarz has scored 20+ six times this season, and is one of the most lethal three level scorers in the country, as she ranks third in the country in three-pointers made (92) and sixth in three-pointers per game (3.07). Although she does not get to the line as frequently, she is 41-45 (91.1%) on the season. The First Team All-NCAC honoree also averages a team-high 7.6 rebounds to go along with her offense.

Graci Semptimphelter is also dangerous from deep, as she ranks seventh in the country in three-point percentage, shooting 43.2% from behind the arc. She is currently on a streak of seven games of scoring in double figures, and averaged 14 points in their two tournament games. Just like Ryncarz, Semptimphelter gets it done at the charity stripe, as she is 42-49 (85.7%).

Third Team All-NCAC recipient Carly Perusek does the dirty work, posting 6.5 rebounds per game, with 3.3 of them being offensive. In their first game against the Big Red, she tied a career-high in rebounds with 17. Apart from her rebounding, she is third on the team in scoring, putting up 9.7 points per game. In her two tournament games, she has scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished off eight assists.

Tournament History

Denison has reached the tournament eight times including this season. Their last appearance was in 2016, where they lost in the first round to Ohio Northern University 62-53. Including their two wins recently, they hold a 4-7 all-time tournament record. This is the Big Red's first time advancing to the Round of 16.

John Carroll has reached the tournament five times including this season. Their last appearance came in 2022, where they fell in the second round to Trine University 63-42. Including their two wins recently, they have an all-time tournament record of 4-4. This is the Blue Streak's first time advancing to the Round of 16.

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