Was over at Macalester's Leonard Center to watch visiting Gustavus take on always dangerous Macalester on this cold winter evening, Got over there early to catch most of the JV game that Mac won but with former Gustie great Angie Peterson in attendance again I was hopeful that the Gusties would prevail in the main event.
Although GAC junior Molly Geske got the Gusties on the board first with two FT's after being fouled on a drive inside, the host Scots quickly gave a preview of things to come. Perhaps the most foreboding sign came on the Scots first possession when junior forward Holly Schiedermayer got the ball down low and scored easily - too easily in fact as the Gustie defense, instead of converging on Schiedermayer mysteriously back off, giving the lanky blonde plenty of room to finish. GAC would quickly find themselves down 7-2 when Macalester's duo of Rene sisters - Jessica and Shannon - nailed consecutive "3's". Then it was senior Majra Mucic's turn as her two consecutive baskets inside put the Gusties down 12-4.
GAC would make a bit of a run just before the 8:00 mark when sophomore Kelsey Florian scored off the glass to trim the Scot lead to 18-14 and once again at the 6:06 mark when freshman Eli Benz hit a turnaround jumper to cut the Macalester lead to 22-18 but the Scots would soon hit the pedal again; getting the lead back up to nine points thanks to another "3" by Jessica Rene at the 3:22 mark. The Gusties, however, would make a push right before the half. Junior Ava Perry and Florian both were able to score inside and sophomore post Abby Rothenbuehler hit a "3" from the top of the key at the 1:42 mark. Finally, Florian once again was able to score down low that brought the Gusties to within one point of Macalester at the break trailing 29-28. Certainly the Gusties had to be feeling much better about themselves than they were at the midway point of the first half when the Scots were controlling the tempo.
The early part of the second half saw the lead bob back and forth. Junior PG Colleen Ruane was able to finish down low to put the Gusties back in front 30-29 but then Mucic answered right back for the home team when she hit a long "3" from the top and Schiedermayer expanded the lead back to four points when she scored down low at the 16:41 mark. But the Gusties would then make a move of their own. After Ruane hit a jumper, Geske would demostrate her scoring prowess with a "3" from the left wing at the 14:44 mark and a 35-34 Gustie lead. Benz then upped the ante when she scored inside and was subsequently fouled in the process. She cashed in on the charity stripe shot for a 38-34 GAC lead. Here, perhaps, was the turning point of the game. It looked like GAC was ever so slowly starting to take control at this point. Unfortunately for the Gusties, they were never able to build on this lead over the next few minutes as they squandered several scoring opportunites in this critical stretch. Sensing an opportunity, Macalester eventually pounced on the chance. After nailing two free throws at the 10:10 mark, Mucic again showed her versatility when she hit a "3" from the left wing at the 9:25 mark that put the Scots back in the lead at 39-38. Despite the lead changing hands on a couple of occasions, the Gustie momentum had been effectively thwarted and the host Scots seized the moment.
Macalester took the lead for good on Jessica Rene's two free throws at the 7:24 mark and then freshman Taylor Pike got inside on the suddenly porous Gustie defense to finish for a 45-42 lead. Jessica Rene hit another "3" from the right wing at the 4:50 mark. The Scots would be able to hold a six-to-seven point cushion coming down the stretch thanks to both Mucic and Schiedermayer doing work down low and drawing fouls. GAC was simply flustered on this night and had a horrible time trying to get their three-point shooters open and numerous turnovers didn't help the cause either. When the dust had settled, Macalester had slayed another top-tier team, this time by a final score of 59-47.
Needless to say, this was a costly loss for the Gusties as it appeared going in they were on an upward swing with a chance to solidify their hold on fourth place in the conference. But you've got to give a helluva lot of credit to Macalester head coach Ellen Thompson who can simply FLAT OUT coach. She's taken a Macalester squad that lost two of the best players in the conference last year and has got her team in the unlikely position of qualifying for that coveted sixth (or even fifth if things work out right) playoff spot. Her team isn't the most talented by a long shot but they play incredibly smart and work probably even harder. This is a team I would HATE to go up against if they are able to nail down a playoff spot.
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