Was at St. Olaf's Skoglund Center last night to take in the much-anticipated tilt between UST and host St. Olaf. I was expecting a good game from two of the upper-echelon teams of the conference - and I got it.
Coming into this game, I thought it was imperative for St. Olaf to get out to a good start and junior PG Mackenzie Wolter did her part to make sure the Oles did; scoring inside at the 19:21 mark and also with a drive and finish at the 18:05 mark for a 4-2 St. Olaf lead. But the Tommies would quickly respond; thanks to sophomore reserve guard Kelly Brandenburg as she tied the game at 4-all with her pretty turnaround jump shot off the glass at the 15:15 mark and then put the Tommies ahead at the 14:30 mark with another short jumper. UST then proceeded to use a press and half-court trapping defense to try and take the Oles out of their offensive rythm which enabled the Tommies to go on a 6-0 push for a 12-6 lead by the 12:25 mark.
But St. Olaf was not going to be meek on their home floor. Junior Kirstee Rotty connected with a long jumper at the 11:57 mark and then it was junior post Erin Haglund's turn to grab the spotlight as she used her long, lanky body to score inside at the 11:23 and 10:49 marks to tie the game at 12-all. Then, it was UST's turn to respond as they went on a quick 7-0 push that was punctuated by willowy senior Ali Johnson's lay-up in transition where she was hammered in the process that helped put UST in the bonus by the 8:37 mark. But the Oles came right back with a push of their own as junior (C'mon) Eileen O'Donoghue nailed a "3" from the right wing at the 7:19 mark and then Rotty knocked down a "3" from the left corner at the 6:07 mark to put the Oles back in front by a score of 20-19. Rotty then again connected with a jumper at the 5:34 mark and another O'Donoghue "3"; this one from the left wing - gave St. Olaf a 25-21 lead. With 3:12 left, Rotty then again connected with a "3" from the right corner this time for St. Olaf's largest lead at 29-23. UST was able to climb back closer towards the halftime break as senior Sarah Smith; playing with a heavy heart with the recent loss of her brother, scored inside with 2:43 left and again at the 1:13 mark with a turnaround jumper that cut the Ole lead to 29-27.
The beginning of the second half saw a continuation of this see-saw affair. Junior guard Kellie Ring nailed a "3" at the 17:08 mark but sophomore Addy Bates who hails from Nevada, Iowa, drained a "3" from the left wing at the 16:16 mark and a lay-up by Rotty shortly afterward again gave St. Olaf a six-point 36-30 lead. But the explosive and incredibly deep Tommies would then go on the decisive run that would point the way to ultimate victory. Smith again scored inside at the 13:56 mark and then sophomore sensation Taylor Young (who would have a monster second half) scored in transition at the 13:40 mark. Then it was Johnson with one of her patented "3's" at the 11:55 mark that put the Tommies up for good at 38-37. Perhaps just as important, UST again found themselves in the bonus early when Young was fouled at the 9:01 mark. Lay-ups by both Wolter and O'Donoghue kept the Oles close.
But UST was again coming at St. Olaf hard with their man-to-man "D" and half-court trapping/pressing that was forcing the Oles into several unforced errors and making life particularly difficult for Wolter as the Oles had a tough time finding any offensive rythm coming down the stretch. There were several possessions where the Oles found themselves with little time left on the shot clock and either had a shot blocked at the shot-clock buzzer or where time expired on them. Freshman Sheridan Blanford was able to score inside at the 5:42 mark but she already had four fouls on her and picked up her fifth foul by the 4:47 mark. Bates would connect with a "3" at the 5:13 mark as did freshman Nicole Frogner at the 3:15 mark that helped keep the Oles within striking distance. But each time the Tommies had an answer - usually in the form of Young or Johnson - that keeped the Oles at bay and enabled the Tommies to claim a tough 62-57 win.
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