Was over at Northwestern today to take in the NWC Tip Off Tourney that features Simpson, UW-River Falls, North Central University, and host Northwestern. The first game of the day was the clash between defending IIAC Champ Simpson and UW-River Falls out of the WIAC which was coming off a road loss at GAC two nights ago. I knew that this had the makings of an incredibly intriguing contest and I would not be disappointed.
Simpson started off the game in a 2-3 zone that would prove very effective against the Falcons in the early going. After a pretty even start scoring-wise by both teams, Simpson would make a move at the 15:10 mark when post Stacey Schutjer drilled a sweet turnaround jumper that gave the Storm an 8-6 lead. Guard Kelsey Reeves followed soon thereafter with her own theatrics; a long "3" from the left corner to make it 11-8 Simpson. Shortly after that, guard Mindy Hutchcroft hit a "3" from the same spot. The three-point shooting barrage would continue as UW-River Falls tried to respond with senior guard Tiffany Gregorich's "3" that would close the gap to a mere two points at 16-14 but then Simpson came right back a drained yet another "3" to get to 19-14.
The Falcons would manage to hang in there; trailing 23-20 on Brittany Gregorich's drive and finish but they had some momentary lapses on defense and, around the 6:42 mark, they would go stone-cold from the perimeter and the Storm would capitalize; pushing their lead to 28-21. UW-River Falls was extremely fortunate that Simpson wasn't shooting any better than what they were or they would have been down much more than the halftime score of 31-24.
The second half would start in favor of the Storm as well as senior guard Amy Hamilton drained a "3" to stretch the lead to 34-24. Then, junior forward Ali Sokol would get an easy two-pointer and UW-River Falls looked like they were in a heap of trouble as they promptly turned the ball over as Simpson enjoyed a 12-point 36-24 lead at the 18:22 mark.
Simpson would continue to have things going there way around the 14-minute mark as Reeves sank a long "3" from the left corner to give the defending IIAC champs a 42-30 lead. But then, at the 13:34 mark, perhaps the most critical twist of the game occurred when UW-River Falls Head Coach Cindy Holbrook was assessed a technical foul. And, although she denied it afterward, it may have been the single spark the Falcons were looking for as the proceeded to go on a 7-0 run of their own that narrowed the Simpson lead to 43-39 and the Storm were clearly rattled. The Falcons used their trademark speed and athleticism to create havoc and forced several Simpson turnovers. Perhaps just as important, the UW-River Falls front line of Maranda Dohrn and Taylor House began asserting themselves down low; grabbing several rebounds and getting easy putbacks. Moreover, it was plain to see the frustration on Simpson's standout post Schutjer as she unraveled; missing easy short shots and committing silly fouls. At the 7:54 mark, Dohrn gave the Falcons their first lead at 49-48 and junior Alise Holst would add an exclamation point with a 3-pointer to give UW-River Falls a 52-48 lead capping a 20-5 Falcon run. Hamilton would can a "3" at the 2:43 mark that let Simpson whittle the UW-River Falls lead. But just when Simpson was on the verge of regaining the lead, it was Schutjer who missed an EASY bucket on a lay-up attempt and let the Falcons close it out; winning 58-54.
Definitely a GREAT game to watch. Despite the 2nd half comeback, UW-River Falls shot only 28% for the entire game (!) which shows you how incredibly cold they were early on. I asked Cindy Holbrook afterward if that technical was indeed the turning point of the game that gave the team the spark they needed. She said "No, but our kids responded very well in the face of adversity." Personally, I think Holbrook is incredibly lucky to have the Gregorich sisters (senior Tiffany and sophomore Brittany) on her team - and in the starting line-up. Tiffany is a great leader on the team and has been playing with very sore feet over the last few years that makes my sore left knee feeling somewhat guilty (she may win my Jack Youngblood award at the end of the season). Brittany is a versatile 5'9" who can do a lot on the court (score, run the floor, play "D") and she may very well be one of the WIAC's top players. I also think Simpson has it in them to make yet another strong run at the IIAC crown along with Coe and possibly Wartburg as well. So it was a great interconference clash between two very good teams that I wish we could see more often.
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