By: Christina Cracolici, Director of Athletic Communications
GORHAM, Maine – Extending its win streak to 16 games with a pair of Little East Conference wins over UMass Boston (74-51) and Keene State College (67-48), the University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's basketball team cracked the top 25 of the D3hoops.com National Poll, and moved to 24
th in the latest WBCA Division III Coaches' Poll.
The NCAA also released its NPI Power Index and the Huskies' are currently 18th. The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a system that houses the division's statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee's established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant).
The No. 24/25 Huskies' women's basketball team is the first team to earn a national ranking by both the WBCA and D3hoops.com national poll since the 2012-2013 season.
Moving to 19-1 and 11-0 in the Little East Conference the Huskies are averaging 74.2 points per game and shooting 43.2 percent (533-for-1235) as a team from the field. Defensively, Southern Maine is holding its opponents to 51.7 points per game for a +22.5 scoring margin. As a team, Southern Maine is averaging 15.5 assists per game and lead the LEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14) . In NCAA Division III women's basketball statistics, the Huskies are 16
th in assist-to-turnover ratio, and eighth in scoring margin.
A trio of Huskies are averaging double-figures: senior Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) and sophomores Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) and Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick). Christopher is averaging 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while Wiles is scoring 17.1 points per game and adding 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Shipley is chipping in at 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Southern Maine (19-1, 11-0 Little East) travel to Rhode Island College (15-5, 9-2 overall) on Wednesday (5:30 pm), and then head to Eastern Connecticut (8-11, 5-5 Little East) on Saturday (3:00 pm). The Huskies are back home on Wednesday, February 11 (5:30 pm) against Plymouth State.
D3hoops.com women's Top 25, Week 9 – February 1
Dropped out: No. 22 Cortland, No. 23 Bethel
Others receiving votes: Cortland 41; Bridgewater 34; Hardin-Simmons 30; SUNY New Paltz 27; William Paterson 24; Bethel 19; Carnegie Mellon 19; Cal Lutheran 9; Linfield 8; Saint Mary's (Minn.) 7; Shenandoah 6; Wartburg 5; Coe 4; Christopher Newport 3; Susequehanna 3
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.
WBCA Division III Women's Basketball Top 25 – February 1
The WBCA NCAA Division III Top 25 women's basketball coaches' poll, with teams' RECORDS THROUGH SUNDAY in parentheses, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in last week's poll, and first-place votes received.
| Rank |
School (record) |
Total
Points |
Last Week's Rank |
First-Place Votes |
| 1 |
NYU (16-0) |
250 |
1 |
10 |
| 2 |
Scranton (17-0) |
240 |
2 |
0 |
| 3 |
UW-Oshkosh (18-0) |
225 |
4 |
0 |
| 4 |
Johns Hopkins (16-0) |
217 |
5 |
0 |
| 5 |
Washington and Lee (17-0) |
207 |
6 |
0 |
| 6 |
Smith (16-1) |
203 |
3 |
0 |
| 7 |
Bowdoin (15-1) |
189 |
8 |
0 |
| 8 |
Hope (16-2) |
182 |
7 |
0 |
| 9 |
UW-Whitewater (15-3) |
157 |
9 |
0 |
| 10 |
Baldwin-Wallace (16-2) |
149 |
10 |
0 |
| 11 |
Ohio Wesleyan (16-1) |
148 |
11 |
0 |
| 12 |
John Carroll (16-2) |
146 |
12 |
0 |
| 13 |
Bates (16-2) |
136 |
13 |
0 |
| 14 |
Denison (17-1) |
107 |
14 |
0 |
| 15 |
Emory (12-3) |
101 |
15 |
0 |
| 16 |
Ripon (16-2) |
99 |
17 |
0 |
| 17 |
Washington-St. Louis (12-4) |
71 |
18 |
0 |
| 18 |
William Paterson (17-1) |
66 |
20 |
0 |
| 19 |
Chicago (11-4) |
64 |
19 |
0 |
| 20 |
SUNY-Cortland (14-2) |
61 |
21t |
0 |
| 21 |
Christopher Newport (15-4) |
48 |
23 |
0 |
| 22 |
Illinois Wesleyan (13-5) |
45 |
15 |
0 |
| 23 |
Carroll, WI (14-4) |
33 |
24 |
0 |
| 24 |
Trine (15-3) |
28 |
25 |
0 |
| 25 |
Southern Maine (17-1) |
17 |
RV |
0 |
Dropped out: No. 21t UW-Platteville (14-4).
Others receiving votes: Linfield (15-2) 10; Shenandoah (14-3) 10; Trinity, CT (14-5) 9; Bethel, MN (13-4) 8; Amherst (14-4) 5; Hardin-Simmons (14-3) 5; UW-Platteville (14-4) 5; Stevens (14-3) 3; Texas Lutheran (12-4) 3; Brooklyn (15-3) 2; Concordia-Moorhead (14-3) 1.
The WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches Poll Committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 10 NCAA Division III regions. The committee for the 2025-26 season: Samantha Crough, Regis (MA); Brad Fischer, UW-Oshkosh; Eric Harrison, Lehman; Jasen Jonus, Oglethorpe; Melissa Kolbe, Wittenberg; Casey Kushiyama, Puget Sound; Bobbi Morgan, Ursinus; Mia Smith, Illinois Wesleyan; Daphne Thompson, SUNY Oneonta; Kelly Thompson, Roger Williams.
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2025-2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball NPI – February 1, 2026
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a system that houses the division's statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee's established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant).
| NPI Rank |
Team |
Conference |
Region |
DIIIWL |
| 1 |
Wis.-Oshkosh |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
19-0 |
| 2 |
Wash. & Lee |
ODAC |
REGION VI |
19-0 |
| 3 |
Johns Hopkins |
Centennial |
REGION V |
18-0 |
| 4 |
NYU |
UAA |
REGION IV |
18-0 |
| 5 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
17-1 |
| 6 |
Bowdoin |
NESCAC |
REGION I |
17-1 |
| 7 |
Scranton |
Landmark |
REGION V |
19-0 |
| 8 |
Denison |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
18-1 |
| 9 |
Wis.-Whitewater |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
15-4 |
| 10 |
John Carroll |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
17-2 |
| 11 |
Bates |
NESCAC |
REGION I |
18-2 |
| 12 |
Smith |
NEWMAC |
REGION II |
18-1 |
| 13 |
Baldwin Wallace |
OAC |
REGION VII |
18-2 |
| 14 |
Carroll (WI) |
CCIW |
REGION VIII |
16-4 |
| 15 |
Hope |
Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn. |
REGION VII |
17-3 |
| 16 |
UChicago |
UAA |
REGION VIII |
13-4 |
| 17 |
WashU |
UAA |
REGION VIII |
14-4 |
| 18 |
Southern Me. |
Little East |
REGION II |
19-1 |
| 19 |
Concordia-M'head |
MIAC |
REGION IX |
16-3 |
| 20 |
Wm. Paterson |
NJAC |
REGION IV |
19-1 |
| 21 |
Wis.-Platteville |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
15-4 |
| 22 |
Ill. Wesleyan |
CCIW |
REGION VIII |
15-5 |
| 23 |
Wis.-La Crosse |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
13-6 |
| 24 |
Bridgewater (VA) |
ODAC |
REGION VI |
16-3 |
| 25 |
Ripon |
MWC |
REGION IX |
18-2 |
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