Was back over at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this gloomy, dreary December Saturday to take in a very intriguing inter-conference clash between visiting Cornell out of the IIAC and host Augsburg of the MIAC. Cornell so far this year has got off to a blazing start; undefeated so far including a win over WIAC powerhouse UW-Eau Claire and a thumping of arch-rival Coe late in November so I was curious about this up-and-coming IIAC party-crasher.
The purple-clad Rams, however, looked like they were suffering from a long trip up from Mt. Vernon and they were ICE cold in the first few minutes of the game as the host Auggies took advantage. Senior forward Brittany Zins got the Auggies on the board at the 18:33 mark and fellow senior guard Anne Skriba made a sweet move inside and finished with a short jumper at the 17:28 mark. Then it was silky-smooth shooting junior forward Jill Tichy connecting with a "3" from the right wing at the 15:59 mark and then Skriba scored on a jumper at the 13:23 mark for a 9-2 lead before Cornell finally took the lid off the basket - at least for a bit anyway. Sophomore Rikki Mulloy out of Phoenix, Arizona made a tough, off-balance shot at the 12:52 mark and after a lay-up by Auggie freshman Jessica Lillquist the Rams were able to get scores from freshman Kellie Kuzmanic as she scored inside at the 11:22 mark and then senior post Camille Marie knocked down two freebies at the charity stripe after being fouled to cut the deficit to 11-8 by the 10:51 mark.
But the Auggies would not be denied; at least in the first half anyway and they turned up the heat again on this dreary winter day in Minneapolis. After willowy junior guard Jolene Blood sank one from the charity stripe at the 9:59 mark, it was surprising senior reserve guard Katie Ahlstrom who stuck an early dagger into Cornell as she drained a "3" from the left corner at the 9:01 mark and then it was a jumper in the lane by Zins at the 8:17 mark that upped the Auggie advantage to 17-10. The Rams, however, would respond as they went on a mini-run of 5-0 over nearly three minutes that cut the Augsburg lead down to 17-15. But the Auggies would come right back with a 7-0 run of their own. First, Skriba made a sweet move inside and finished with a short jumper and got fouled in the process and made the obligatory free throw. Then it was Blood with a steal and lay-up the other way with 4:18 left and then Lillquist scored inside in transition that got the Auggie lead to 24-15 and Cornell Head Coach Brent Brase had to call a time-out to get his squad reorganized to stop the massive bleeding. Tichy's turnaround jumper down low with 3:24 left upped the Auggie lead to 26-15 but Augsburg arguably left some points off the board coming down the stretch as they had two turnovers on consecutive possessions, a travel by Luger on the next possession, and then Tichy couldn't connect down low just before the buzzer went off. Still, taking a nine-point 26-17 lead into the locker room at the half had to have Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee feeling good.
But the second half cruelly turned on Augsburg and their hopes of upsetting this new IIAC front-runner. Sophomore post Taylor Dicus got a lay-up in the paint at the 19:51 mark to get things going and then after Tichy was able to get two charity stripe shots, it was Dicus again making her presence felt down low at the 19:05 mark as she snared a rebound and putback. Still, the Auggies had reason to believe after Skriba connected with a short jumper at the 18:04 mark and Luger made two freebies at the 17:38 mark that once again gave the Auggies a double-digit lead at 32-21. Now they just had to find a way to keep that momentum going.....
But Cornell had vastly different ideas and it became readily apparent that their undefeated (so far anyway) record was not a fluke and they looked clearly more focused and rejuvenated after the halftime break. Moroever, they were finally taking advantage of the size they had down low on Augsburg with Dicus and Marie. And they had also long-since snapped that icy cold stretch that had plagued them early on in this contest. First, Augsburg made the mistake of leaving junior guard Chelsea Harris all alone in the left corner as she drained a "3" from that spot at the 17:13 mark and then it was lanky freshman reserve post Larissa Brewer who scored inside at the 16:11 mark that cut the Auggie lead down to 32-26. The big momentum-changer, though, came when Augsburg freshman Marie Fitzgerald apparently took a nasty blow from a screen set by Cornell at the 15:46 mark (naturally, I was writing in my notebook when this occurred and I really didn't get to see it myself). Fitzgerald was down for a while as the referees called a foul on the Cornell player who set it; much to the consternation of Brase and the Cornell parents and fans in attendance. Augsburg got the ball back but that ray of hope was short-lived when freshman reserve forward Maggie Hogen was able to snare a steal and get in transition for a lay-up. Although the shot itself failed, she was fouled in the process by Lillquist and knocked down two freebies that cut the lead to 32-28. Senior guard Kathryn Schilling made a drive inside and finished at the 14:02 mark. Tichy tried to stem the Ram tide with one of her patented "3's" from the left top at the 13:33 mark but Cornell refused to fold. They still were down two possessions at 37-33 when Luger made a drive and finished with a lay-up with 9:49 left.
Sadly for Augsburg, though, that would be their last FG of the second half until the 3:55 mark when Skriba scored inside. And Cornell made their final assault in what would lead to ultimate victory. First it was Schilling who made two freebies after being fouled when she stole the ball. Then it was sophomore reserve India Pearce out of San Francisco who gave the lead to Cornell for the first time in the contest (and for good, too) as she connected with a "3" from the left wing at the 8:51 mark. It was a start of a decisive 14-2 run that was fueled by not only smart possessions by the Rams but also a stifling defensive effort that completely took Augsburg out of their rythm and game. What few looks Blood, Luger, and Tichy got from behind the arc when things started going steadily downhill they couldn't connect and Zins was completely bottled up down low by a taller Cornell front line; all of which doomed the Auggies on this Saturday. After the aforementioned score by Skriba at the 3:55 mark, the Rams were able to build up their newfound lead with numerous trips to the charity stripe. Schilling also snared another steal and got a lay-up the other way with 2:44 left and then it was Marie putting the icing on the cake at the 1:36 mark when she scored inside and got fouled in the process that put the game out of reach for the Auggies as Cornell came back in convincing fashion to claim a 60-43 win as the Auggies now head into the holiday break with their collective tails between their legs at the moment. The box score reveals the horror show of the second half for Augsburg as they shot an incredibly icy 16% from FG range and were even worse from behind the arc; going 1 of 9 for an Arctic-like 11.11% - OUCH. It had to be painful for former Auggie greats Kristina Lurken, Brietta Schluender, and Rosinta Stromquist watching the carnage from the stands. Clearly this Auggie team has potential but they've GOT to find a way to put things together once the first of the year rolls around and they delve head-first into MIAC action.
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