Was at Northwestern's Ericksen Center last night as they hosted Macalester for yet another UMAC vs MIAC clash. This would be my first look at Macalester since I visisted one of their opening practices back in October and I was curious as to how they would come out of the gate after their Chicago trip where they came away with a split - beating Benedictine and losing to powerhouse Chicago.
The whole event this evening got off to a nice start when Northwestern's Mollie Sir and Chanel Madson did a sweet duet of the National Anthem. But the visiting Scots wasted no time to get things going after the tip-off. Senior guard Shannon Rene drained a "3" from the right corner at the 19:40 mark for a quick 3-0 lead and senior post Holly Schiedermayer added to the Macalester advantage when she scored inside and got fouled in the process for a 5-1 Macalester lead. Northwestern came right back, though, as senior Kristin Sczublewski nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 17:48 mark and then the Eagles grabbed their only lead of the night at the 17:01 mark when Sir connected with a "3" from the top for a 7-5 advantage. Undaunted, Macalester came right back as senior Maggie Wood made a tough reverse layup to knot things at 7-all and then junior PG Kyanna Jones snared a steal and got a layup the other way. Reserve sophomore post Rebekah Keller scored inside at the 15:09 mark for an 11-7 Scot lead.
Now it was Northwestern's turn to make a move. Sczublewski scored inside at the 14:16 mark and got two free throws a bit later to tie things again at 11-all. Then it was Macalester's turn to make a move. Schiedermayer got two inside buckets to fall and reserve sophomore Taylor Pike got a jumper off the glass to go in for a 17-11 Macalester lead. But right back came the home team. Freshman guard Ashley Arneson dropped two freebies from the charity stripe. Sophomore post Jessica Fife (who seems to get better with each outing) got a rebound and putback with 7:13 left and then Sir did her thing from the charity stripe to once again tie the issue at 17-all. Things would then stay tight for the next few minutes but the Scots were able to make one more push before the halftime break. Wood made yet another reverse layup with just under two minutes left and then sophomore reserve Kathryn Medinger got a rebound and putback. Jessica Rene was able to sink two free throws and then Jones made another steal and layup the other way with just :38 left on the clock for a 28-22 Scot advantage at the break.
Unfortunately for Northwestern, they would not be able to close the gap once the second half began. The Scots wasted no time getting things going as they were able to build a ten point advantage at 34-24 by the 16:52 mark when senior Shannon Rene drilled a "3" from the right wing. Medinger scored at the 15:44 and 14:55 marks and then Jessica Rene put a dagger in the heart of the Eagles when she drained a "3" from the top at the 13:31 mark for a 40-26 advantage.
Northwestern never gave up, though, Willowly sophomore guard Becca Kendrick (who had to leave the game at one point with a bloody nose) swished a "3" from the right wing at the 11:36 mark and Sir would connect behind the arc with 7:00 left and Sczublewski did likewise with 4:15 left that cut the Macalester lead to 53-42 but just when the Eagles seemed to be on the brink of a comeback Macalester simply had a better answer. Wood was able to get inside to grab a rebound and get a putback with 3:13 left and Schiedermayer did more damage inside coming down the stretch and, despite two more heroic "3's" from Northwestern's Sir, Macalester was able to finish off a 63-50 win.
According to Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson, this was obviously a good win but there's still some things they need to do better. Arguably, Northwestern's 2-3 zone they employed on this night made things difficult for the Scots in the first half and Thompson said that they still need to shoot better. Moreover, she's still trying to get her younger players up to "game speed" which is not always an easy thing to do. Still, I think Macalester has a nice blend of experience and youth and, if they stay healthy, they have a great shot at snaring that sixth playoff spot in the MIAC. As for the Eagles, Head Coach Aaron Kahl knows he has a young team and they have to strive to get better with each practice; with each game. As with last year when they had Katie DeWitt, it seems as if sometimes the rest of the team stands around and relies too heavily on Sczublewski at times. I do like how sophomore post Fife has made strides in her game but I think the next step is to try and get more production from Kendrick and Madson to complement not only Sczublewski but also the three-point prowess of Sir as well.
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