Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town last night despite an incredibly clogged I-94 and St. Paul streets that were designed for horse and buggy traffic in the 19th century that are only worse with snow. I did manage to get in to UST's Anderson Athletic Complex with two minutes to spare so I didn't have much time to lolligag.
After a very nice rendition of the National Anthem by the Air Force ROTC members, it was time to get this show on the road. UST would be forced to juggle its line-up AGAIN as not only was Weiers out but now Taylor Young was out - again, and she was wearing some sort of protective brace around her leg and ankle so I have no idea as to what's going on with her. St. Olaf, on the other hand, looked to be healthy but then again, looks can be deceiving.
But the Tommies just seem to keep the beat going despite the somewhat makeshift line-up that saw sophomore Carley Emery shoved into the starting line-up. Emery wasted no time in showing that she was up to the task as she calmly drained a "3" on the Tommies first possession from the right corner. UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn, well aware of the vulnerability of the Ole backcourt, had her squad employ a full-court press right off the bat which caused a heap of problems for senior guard Mackenzie Wolter and freshman point guard Lauren Gutierrez as Tommie senior point guard Kellie Ring was able to snare a steal off of the press and get a lay-up out of it for a quick 5-0 Tommie lead. The Oles were able to get untracked for a bit when senior post Erin Haglund scored inside at the 18:48 mark and then sophomore forward Nikki Frogner was able to do the same at the 17:35 mark. Then it was sophomore post Anna Smith's turn to shine for the Tommies as she showed her versatility by draining three-point bombs at the 16:38 mark and again at the 15:42 mark that upped the Tommie lead to 12-4. Ring drained a "3" from the left top at the 14:47 mark for a 15-6 UST lead and already some of St. Olaf's worst nightmares were coming true in this struggle of a season so far.
Ole freshman sharpshooter Kim Cerjan, who would wow the crowd on this night with her three-point shooting ability, tried to stem the tide with a "3" from the right wing at the 13:38 mark but the Tommies would respond with a 9-2 run over the next six minutes; fueled by yet another Ring "3" and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve Alyssa Favilla. The Oles were able to cut the deficit back down to eleven when Haglund was able to grab a rebound and get a putback - and get fouled in the process. The ensuing freebie cut the Tommie lead to 27-16 at the 5:28 mark but once again UST responded as sophomore reserve guard Hannah Hughes connected in the lane with a jumper at the 5:08 mark and then the Tommies upped the lead to 30-16 when Smith connected with a freebie after Haglund committed her third foul with 4:43 left; compounding the Oles troubles on this night. Coming down the stretch, sophomore reserve forward Elaine Warner got a rebound and putback at the 3:02 mark and then Ring made a sweet drive and finish with just :50 left in the first half as the Tommies went into the locker room at the half with a cozy 36-20 advantage.
I'm not sure what was said in the St. Olaf locker room at the half but I'm sure Head Coach Dave Stromme did not mince words - he had to have his team come out with renewed intensity and aggressiveness in the second half. And the Oles did just that. Sophomore forward Maddie Ehrich; fully recovered from a knee injury a year ago, connected with a jumper in transition at the 19:42 mark and then Wolter finally got untracked at the 18:01 mark when she made a sweet drive and finish although the ball seemed to roll around forever on the rim before finally deciding to drop through; indicative of the rough night she had. Lanky junior post Elise Raney was able to connect with one freebie after being fouled at the 16:42 mark that cut the Tommie lead down to 36-25. Smith would temporarily halt the Ole Express with her "3" from the top at the 16:28 mark but then it was Cerjan again with one of her three-point bombs at the 15:53 mark- this one from the right corner and then Raney was able to manuever inside at the 15:16 mark that finally cut the Tommie lead down to single digits at 39-30 and prompted Sinn to call a time-out to re-organize her troops.
But, true to Tommie fashion, each time they found themselves challenged, they were able to respond with a calmness and resolve. After Wolter made another drive and finish and a shot from the charity stripe after being fouled at the 14:44 mark that cut the lead down to a scant six points AND after Smith picked up her fourth foul at the 13:18 mark, it appeared that the Tommies themselves could be in a HEAP of trouble. No worries. Ring responded like the seasoned veteran senior that she is with another "3" at the 12:10 mark from the left corner and after an Ehrich score at the 11:31 mark, it was Warner's turn to turn up the heat from behind the arc as she banged home a "3" from the top at the 10:56 mark that upped the UST lead to 47-35. Cerjan AGAIN tried to start another Ole comeback with yet another three-point bomb from right corner land at the 8:19 mark. Frogner made consecutive trips to the charity stripe at the 5:42 and 5:14 marks and Wolter did the same at the 4:18 mark that cut the Tommie lead down to a scant 51-46 but once again the Tommies responded when the pressure-cooker appeared. Junior guard Kellie Brandenburg was able to snare a steal and get a jumper on the other end with 3:26 left that helped point the way to ultimate victory for the home team. Ring and Smith did their job from the charity stripe that once again upped the Tommie lead to double-digits - and helped it stay there as the Tommies claimed a hard-fought 59-48 win over a slumping St. Olaf team.
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